Switching from Milk Based Formula to Soy

My son had similar problems with gas/fussiness. The Enfamil Gentlease worked for a week, but then he started becoming constipated from it. I switched him to Similac Sensitive Stomach for Fussiness and Gas (its lactose free), and he hasn't had any problems since. That was 6 months ago.

We had a lot of luck with Enfamil Gentlease. The protiens are more broken down in the formula, and it also has 1/4 the lactose as normal formula. Both of those things combined means it is easier to process through their little bodies. I'd try some other things before soy first.... soy tends to make babies even more constipated than they were to begin with. Good luck!!

My daughter was born lactose intolerant and after a few weeks of spitting up after each bottle and having very bad gas, I swithced to soy. She'll be 7 next month and is doing VERY well. She can now have regular milk with no problems.I would stick with the soy and try regular milk when your baby gets older. Good luck!!

I had the same issues with my first child. I didn't produce enough milk, and when we started her on milk-based formula, she was very fussy and spit up quite a bit. The pediatrician suggested that we switch to soy, and she had no problems other than the occasional constipation which was quickly remedied with some Karo syrup. After a year, we put her on whole milk, and she transitioned very well. She's now four and is healthy, happy and doing well!

My daughter was a very gassy baby and constipated. I switched her to Enfamil Gentlease and it cleared right up. If I try switching back to other formulas she has the same issues again which shows me how well the Gentlease works with her system.

My daughter was for a short time ( I think 12 weeks) on soy formular when I stoped nursing. She also did not well on milk based formular. When she turned 1 year I switched her to cows milk with no problem.

Both of my sons were formula fed on soy milk. My eldest had acid reflux and this was the best route to take. If you are concerned about nutrients, most formulas contain additives to ensure your baby is getting the nutrients & vitamins necessary for growth. No worries, especially if it is agreeing with your baby.

Hi KZ,

Look up on the Web :

ezinearticles.com/beware-of-rice-milk-and-soy-m...-48k

Hope this helps. D.

I responded to your first email about having troubles with first child breastfeeding and 2nd child after 3-4 days went to formula. I have used soy formula on both children. I'm a vegetarian and am strict about limited diary. I've had GREAT success with soy formula (they've never had milk yet). Both children are in the 90th percentile on everything. I personally believe soy is just as good if not better. Soy formula will in no way leave your child lacking! Good luck! T. White

My pediatrician told us to go to Soy (isomil's exactly) when my son was having the same issues, they is really no difference as far as nutrition, and formula's our governmentally regulated to all have the same nutritional value, so please don't be concerned there. Your pediatrician may recommend a brand that is easier to digest, if digestion is an issue. A small word of warning, my son turned out to be allergic to soy and we didn't figure it out until he was in the hospital. We gave him 2-3 oz of soy when my pumped breast milk was bad a daycare. He didn't seem to have a problem. The next time I was just running late, over a month later, they have him 2 oz to hold him until I could nurse. He started throwing up a bunch, I actually called the doctor, where they had me feed him, but I nursed, he seemed fine. That happened twice total. Then I stopped going to daycare to nurse him in the middle of the day, he got 5 oz and threw up so much he lost over a lb in a day and went unconscious. That's when we finally realized, so if you see abnormal amounts of vomiting with force (projectile vomit) stop the soy!! Also, if he stills has digestive problems, you can try alimentium, it is predigested protein, so no real soy or milk protein in it, but it's expensive, that's what we had to use. Also if he has painful gas, which they'll sometimes get especially when they start eating solids, try Baby Bliss Gripe Water, my pediatrician gave us a sample and I still use it in my 2 yr old when he eats something that upsets his stomach, ie a jalapeños pepper whole (which he loved)!! The gripe waster is all natural and as far as I'm concerned liquid gold!! Good Luck!!

I had similar problems with my first two children. I was able to breast feed for the first three months but for medical reasons had to stop. I started them on milk-based formula and they both showed signs of problems; unsettled, constipated, mucussy, and other problems. I switched to soy based because we had milk intolerance's known in our family. They both thrived on soy-based and I am not sure if they ever were intolerant to the milk because they now both drink milk and eat dairy with no problems. My husband has always been a a believer that humans were never made to digest cow's milk and that is why so many people have problems doing so. I know back in the day when I was a child many infants had to go on goats milk because of problems with cow's milk. I am not sure if soy products were around then. Anyways if your child seems to be doing better I would stick with it. We also had to use Mylicon drops in the bottles for gas. That seemed to help also. As always I would go over everything with you pediatrician as I am in no way a medical specialist.

Experienced the same thing when my son was born. Only, he had diarrhea. He's now 9 1/2. We used soy formula from the beginning for my daughter. She's now 4 1/2. My husband is lactose intolerant. So, we all drink soy milk only. Why buy two types of milk just for myself, right? My point is, soy formula is fine. To ease your own concerns, call the pediatrician on Monday, but it sounds like you're on the right track already. Just keep your baby fed and hydrated, and all will be well. I think we used Prosobee Lipil Soy-based. Very expensive, but didn't seem to cause them any digestive problems. The hospital started my daughter on that, and she never had tummy problems. Happy Mother's Day!

29 years ago, in spite of my having massive mammary glands, my daughter was not getting enough milk. We tried Similac, but ended up switching to soy-based formula because of the same symptoms your son is experiencing.

She grew up to be 5' 9" tall, and was a high-school and college athlete.

No worries, go with what works best for you and your child. Trust your instincts. Happy Mothers' Day.

I breastfed both of my children, but my milk wasn't flowing as much as it should, and they were both so hungry that I supplemented them with formula. They is so much pressure from everywhere these days to breast feed that I felt so guilty. But my kids are happy and healthy, so I let that guilt go.

My daughter was ok with milk-based formula, but my son was just like yours: very fussy, crying constantly and seemed to be in pain after every bottle. My doctor gave me a sample for Similac soy-based, and my son seemed to be better after that, but like you, I questioned whether soy was better than milk-based.

I was at Target one day, looking at the various formulas, when I came across Enfimil Gentlease. It's milk-based, but the proteins are broken down more, so it's easier to digest that the regular formula. I tried it, and you would not believe the difference in my son! He turned from this colicky, very unhappy baby to a very happy, joy-to-be-around child.

If you buy Gentlease at Target, though, it's extremely expensive - $25.00 for 24 oz. We discovered that Sam's Club carries it in 48 oz. cans for the same price. I know they carry it in the Golden Ring and Laurel stores, but check to see if a Sam's near you has it. Believe me, it's well worth the membership fee.

It is. It contains the same nutrients just soy-based. My 8mth-old has been on it since day one.

S. :)

I had to switch my daughter to soy formula for different reasons she was spitting up/throwing up the milk based. My doc said it was fine and encouraged me to make the change as soon as she started having problems. There are also several Enfamil formulas that are milk based that are designed for sensitive tummies so you may try one of those. I tried all of those and still needed to switch to soy but they may work for you. I have read that soy formula is not ideal but my daughter was on it from 2 months of age until 9 months when I was able to change her back to milk formula and she is a very healty 3 year old so I did not have any problems.

Best Wishes!

My son is 22. when he was first born he developed a milk allergy and we switched to soy. The Dr. is the one who put him on it and said not to worry, it has everything and may even be better than milk at this age. By the time he was two he was drinking regular milk without a problem.

I had the same problem with my 3 children. They say the soy is just as good and like you said, easier to digest. My last child is now 18 months and I actually was recommended to try Gentlease by Enfamil Prosobee due to his gas and fussiness. That worked much better for him. To answer your question, I was told by various specialists that soy is great also.

I have followed the soy debate for some time after eating many soy products and am now a firm believer that no baby should be on soy formula. Between the phytoestrogens, excess alumimum, link to thyroid disease, etc. it's simply not a wise choice. I would try Nestle GoodStart, Enfamil GentleEase or a full hypoallergenic formula (Nutramigen or Alimentum) before I considered soy in a fussy infant, especially a boy.
Someone else provided this link which sums up many of the issues. http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/index.html
My children like soy-based foods but I am severly limiting them. We have tofu and soymilk occasionally. If your kids eat processed meats like chicken nuggets and fast food, they are getting tons of soy anyway. Much fried food is fried in soy oil too. Soy is hidden everywhere in our diet because it's cheap.

UPDATE: The American Academy of Pediatrics just updated its statement about the use of soy formula. They feel it should only be used in very specific circumstances: confirmed lactose intolerance, galactosemia, or vegan family. Read about it here: http://www.kidshealth.org/research/soy_update.html

Mama,
My niece was on soy formula & she did fine. She was lactose intolerant & my sister didn't have any intentions of BFing. If your baby is having milk allergies you can alter your diet & then your breast milk will be more tolerable. I don't know why you stopped BFing, but if you were consuming dairy it gets passed to the baby. I hope you get the little one settled, upset tummies are never fun.

At 4 months we saw some blood in his diaper, and discovered that our breast-fed son was allergic to the protein in cows milk, which I was drinking a lot and also eating cheeses. I had to switch to soy products so my milk would be okay. When I stopped breastfeeding at 5 months, he went directly to soy formula, and had no trouble at all. He thrived, and is a very healthy 5 year old today. At one year we gradually gave him cows milk and he had outgrown the allergy which is fairly common, so that went well also. And I never bought the expensive formula. I always used the Wal-Mart brand of Soy Formula, and he loved it. Good luck!

I had the same issues with BOTH of my girls; I switched to soy after 3 weeks of fussy/gassy/unhappy/unable to sleep baby with the first one. The one down side is that you can get 'trapped' into giving your child soy and you are STUCK WITH IT for years.

Please, have your child tested for a milk protien allergy and a LACTASE INSUFFIENCY. If he is lactase insuffcient, you can go with a 'gentle' or 'broken down protien' formula like Enfamil Gentle-ease. It is still milk based but easier to digest and you can switch the baby back to regular milk based formula when they get older (which is less expensive than soy and more available, by the way).

I did this with my second child and she is now 14 months old (also was a preemie and had to be on high calorie formula for 9+ months). The high calorie formula only comes in milk based so I had to learn to mix the Gentle stuff to a higher caloric concentration. Eh-not too hard.

Try the Gentle formula's first and remember: It takes at least 3 days to switch a formula and the baby to start getting 'over' the other problems so be strong and keep telling yourself it will get better...because it will :)

Your story sounds just like mine! I have heard that the soy can present problems because too much can wreak havoc on young hormonal systems. This is all just anecdotal, however, because I have never read an actual medical study about it. But you can ask your doctor. It is supposed to suppress testosterone production or something like that. SOy provides the same nutrients as the milk-based (and if you are still nursing even a few times a day he is getting nutrients from you). My son did much better on the soy formula for all the reasons you mentioned (gas, stools, etc.--it all becomes much easier once they can have more variety in their diet). Keep up the nursing. I did because I wanted to nurse very badly and never expected it to work out the way it did but after a while we finally got into a rhythm and we were able to give up the formula entirely. Your body will keep producing, even if only for a few feedings a day. But those few feedings can still have a huge impact. He is getting a boost for his immune system, feeling comforted by your closeness, and many nutrients and other wonderful benefits from your breast milk. So what if you have to supplement? Easy for me to say now taht I am not in it. I was very frustrated at the time I was struggling with breastfeeding and am glad now I put so much effort into it. Good luck and stick with it. I ended up nursing until my son was 22 months and he has still never been sick but for one minor sniffle this past winter.

Don't feel bad using Soy formula vs. milk based. It has all the same nutrients and AHA/DRA. My son used soy as I thought he was allergic to the milk based and he did great! He is 4 now.

My best recommendation next to talking LaLeche League.
Raw goats is superior next to mommy milks and make very strong children.
I am not liking the sound of soy and it's repercussions.
http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/index.html
Add probitics to cows milk for the good digestion.
Need more info, let me know!