I was wondering about soy milk, rice milk, and almond milk. Are these ok to give to an 11-month old? I know that it is said to not give cow's milk till 1 year or later. I'm still breastfeeding, and I'm NOT trying to wean my daughter, i'm just curious about these. Does anyone know?
Thank you all for your responses. I did a little research on my own, as well, and found out some things about rice, soy, and almond milk that are not necessarily good for small children.
There isn't any REASON why I don't want to give my daughter cow's milk. I actually wasn't even thinking about NOT giving her cow's milk when she turns a year or so... I was only curious about these other milks.
At this time I have not discussed any of this with her Ped, because I only take her in when I have to anyway, since i'm NOT big on doctors in general.
Thank you again for your opinions, responses, and advice. :)
don't know about those, but I used goat's milk because my daughter constantly seemed congested with whole milk. She was fine with cow's milk after 17 or 18 months but before that the goat's milk was great.... not the ones you asked about but thought this might help
i did some research on this as well and found that almond milk is the best of the 3 for baby. i've given it to my 9 month old and she loves it. it's the gentlest on their little digestive system and it also gives them the vitamins they need (1 cup soaked almonds, 4 cups water and mix in a 2 Tbsp fresh coconut milk for a complete vitamin/nutrient mix). i found this encouraging knowing that i'll wean eventually and don't use cow's milk.
Dear R.,
We drink goat's milk in our family. We think it's a lot easier to digest than cow's milk. Our daughters started drinking some goat's milk at 11 months. (I continued to breastfeed, but it just seemed that they wanted a bit more milk than my body was making at that point.) Here's what Dr. Sears says about goat's milk compared to cow's milk - http://askdrsears.com/html/3/t032400.asp. We think the Meyenberg brand of goat's milk tastes best.
All the best,
S.
I know everyone has their opinion...just thought I would share what the Nutritionist at LPCH Pedi-Gastroenterology department shared with me 3 weeks ago. My girls and I are Cow's Milk Protein allergic which makes their GERD worse. My oldest was started on Goat milk when she was 11 mos.(although I continued to nurse her until 13 1/2 mos). I asked if she could start rice milk now that she is 2 1/2 yrs old. I was given a handout comparing cow, rice and goat milk. Rice does not contain the fat, protein and other nutrients that a growing toddler needs. Surprisingly goat also came out as the better milk nutritionally. (I had one GI MD tell me it was "garbage" and to feed my daughter pediasure!) We have had no problems with her digesting the goat milk and I cook with it for the whole family. I have found it to be cheapest at Trader Joe's for $2.99 a quart. Most grocery stores carry the Mayenberg brand for $3.99 a quart. Good luck!
SOY DANGER!!!
1) http://www.mercola.com/article/soy/index.htm
2) http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/
3) http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/03summary.htm
4) http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/index.html
5) http://creativehealth.farvista.net/poison/soyindex.shtml
6) http://thyroid.about.com/cs/soyinfo/a/soy.htm
7) http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/Soy%20Allergens.html
8) http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/whole_soy_story.htm?gcl...
9) http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/food/soy_...
Love, G.. :0)
http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/
"I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin." ~ Jerry Newport
i am an ap parent who nursed my son for 2 years. my opinion- i would hold off on dairy and soy until at least 2 years, but i would imagine almond and rice would be fine.
Your daughter is so close to a year you can give her cows milk.
Those milks are a very poor substitute for breast milk. They don't even match the nutritional components of cow's milk (avoid cows milk only if you have allergies/intolerance). They are fine for making smoothies or as treats for older kids, but since your baby is still young, I would avoid using them as she may reduce her interest in breastmilk.
I have read several places that giving soy milk can lead to food allergies later in life. I wouldn't give him anything nut based, but they do eat rice ceral, so I don't think rice milk would be a problem. But I would ask your pediatrician before you gave him any of those.
Hi-
I did not start my daughter on milk substitutes until she was a year old. I breastfed until she was two. But since your child is only a month away, I think it would be safe, as long as you let them try it and not introduce anything new for a few days to make sure they are not allergic.
All my daughter drinks is soy milk and she really likes it. I would talk to your doctor, just to make sure. But do not let him/her convince you that cow's milk is better. As long as the milk substitute is vitamin fortified, go with it.
Good luck!
Rice milk has no nutritional value to your growing child - almond milk is also a poor choice as it has no where near the appropriate balance of vitamins, minerals, and good fat that your child's brain will need. You might as well not give her any milk "substitute" at all if you are leaning towards these options, as you will have to provide her with daily vitamin supplements to ensure she is getting enough nutrition.
Is there a REASON you don't want her to drink cows milk? Is she allergic? You realize that exposure to dairy DOES NOT cause dairy allergies? Cows milk is a great source of nutrients and good fat for the developing brain of your baby
Soy is a safe alternative, but I would talk to your pediatrician about it first so that you can choose the right brand that has the correct levels of fat and vitamins appropriate for a childs body.
I nursed till my kids were 16 months. I didn't introduce anything else to drink until then other then water. I didn't want to give them cow's milk then or ever. I created my own "drink" using rice milk with egg protein powder and a little "healthy" oil. (At the time I used olive oil but now I would use something like udo's oil or another source of omega oils)
I was making the same carbo/fat/protein ratio as breast milk. I also put powdered lactobacillus (good bacteria that is in breast milk) in it. My kids did great with it. A friend of mine whose daughter was adopted used it for formula since her daughter kept spitting up regular formula.
I chose not to use soy since it has estrogenic influences and I didn't want that for developing babies. I used commercial rice milk for ease but if I were introducing it at an earlier age (and had the time)now I might make make my own almond milk so there weren't other things put in it.
I have never given my children cow's milk and they are extremely healthy. My 12 1/2 year old has only missed 1 day of school due to illness in 7 1/2 years. My 7 year old hasn't missed any.
My older son has never drunk cow milk. He rejected it from a very early age, doesn't like the way it tastes, and I didn't want to push something on him that he hated so much. He drank rice milk as a baby and now drinks soy milk. He received plenty of fat and vitamins from the rest of his diet when he was small. I am happy to report that he is an extremely healthy teenager now.
If you have given the baby any soy based foods before, I would say soy milk was fine. I wouldn't try almond milk until after a year in case of nut allergies. Of the 3 I would say rice milk would be safest because I'm sure the baby has tried rice cereal by now. My daughter was on soy formula and I have always been sorry that I switched to cow milk ($ difference reasons). Good luck! C.
