Weaning - to soy milk?

Question

Can someone give me tips on weaning off the breast? I am planning to start to wean when she turns a year old in about a month...Can I start giving her soy milk? How many ounces a day should she drink the milk? How much food should she be eating too?

any tips thank u so much!

Answer 1

Soy? does she have an allergy to milk? most peds recommend going to vitamin D milk at 12 months.

speak with your daughter's peds doc if she does have any allergies that would require using soy milk, he'd/she'd know her case and will be able to give you accurate advice for your child.

Answer 2

I too am wondering about this.

I want to avoid cows milk because of the hormones and the animal cruelty involved in factory farm produced milk.

Is this your issue too?

If it's not the cow's milk you're against but the hormones you can get hormone free at most grocery stores and if not at Whole Foods or the like.

If you're worried about the condition of the cows you're getting the milk from I'd research local dairies which might treat their animals humanely.

I do worry about soy and the research that's been done lately that makes it questionable especially for boys/men.

A lot of doctors are moving away from the whole milk til age 2 theory because of the childhood obesity epidemic and because cow's milk can inhibit the body's ability to absorb iron.

There are lots of vegan children out there who are just as healthy (probably more healthy!) than any milk drinking kids, so it s just a matter of making sure your child gets enough calcium(broccoli , leafy greens etc or other milk products if you eat them) and vitamin D (sunshine, supplement).

Answer 3

I've heard that soy milk can raise the risk of peanut allergies.  I'm not sure the science of it, but I would definitely research before I went with soy.  24 ounces or more is recommended of whole milk or formula at 12 months.  She should be eating quite a bit of food at this point, 3 or 4 meals until she's full.  

Answer 4

You can give her soy (assuming she doesn't have an allergy).  

here's a website I found with a bit more information:

http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_n...

Incidentally, I just completely weaned my son (from breastfeeding) last month (he was somewhere around 13 months when he was completely weaned).  Try not to stress too much over how much she's eating and drinking.  My son drinks when he's thirsty (as do I =).  I offer him raw cow's milk (he has a soy allergy) with breakfast, again in the afternoon, and in the evening, and he has constant access to his sippy cup of water throughout the day.  He has 3 solid meals and snacks in between, and also before bed (he pretty much snacks constantly).  I don't worry about the quantity of milk or water he's drinking, just so long as he stays hydrated.  And portion sizes for meals, I heard that 1/4 of an adult size is what they eat.

Good luck to you!  This is a big step and I hope everything goes well.

Answer 5

Why soy milk?   There is no benefit to soy milk over cows milk.

Unless she is allergic to dairy, I'd use ordinary whole cows milk.  If she IS allergic, I'd be more apt to go with other types of 'fake milk'. (rice or almond), or just skip the milky stuff completely.  There are still enough unanswered questions about the safety of soy that I'd hesitate to give it to a young child (in any quantity) until the questions are answered.

If she gets cows milk, 16-20 ounces or so is a sensible amount.  On top of that, she can have as much solild food as she wants.  (Which may be less than you THINK she should need. Many toddlers are very small eaters.  Do resist any temptation to let her filll up on cows milk. Unlike breastmilk, it isn't a complete food, and a toddler who takes tons of WCM and little else can get anemic/malnourished.

Tips on weaning off the breast:  Go slowly, go gently.  Unless you have a specific reason you NEED to wean by a year, know that there is no rush.  Breastmilk continues to be a healthy food, and a good source of comfort and bonding for baby for as long as you and baby choose to continue. So if she is resistant, or you don't really want to wean, there's no reason to push it. It's fine to breastfeed for 15 months, or 18 months, or 2 years or more.  If she IS cool with it, (and/or you need to wean by a year for some other reason)  then just cut out one feeding at a time, and replace it with a snack, a game, or a meal.