Transition to Whole Milk at 1Yr

Personally, I will not give my son soy milk due to the hormone issue.
What worked for him with the transition from formula to whole milk was increasing the % of whole milk in the bottle/cup over time.....a gradual transition will also be easier on her tummy. As for the constipation, the good news is that now that she's a year old you can easily offset the constipation with pears, prunes, peas, peaches, diluted white grape juice. Good luck!

I had a hard time getting my son to drink milk at one year also, but his problem was just a preference issue. Did you do it gradually, like 75% formula to 25% milk for a few days, then a litle more milk, etc? That might help. Does she get other dairy like from cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese etc? She is most likely not lactose intolerant, or you would have had to have her on lactose free formula and the breastmilk would have bothered her too. It is just a little difficult to transition for some kids.

When my son is constipated from eating too much of something that will do that, I play around with his fruit intake for a few days, and he usually is regular again pretty quickly. Avoid bananas, apples, and applesauce, oatmeal and rice too. Give her things like peaches, pears, prunes, plums, and apple juice. That might help. If I let my son eat too many bananas in the course of a week, he will get constipated just from that.

I would be hesitant on the soy milk, soy metabolizes as estrogen in the body and the jury is still out on whether that is a good thing for growing babies. I try not to give my son too much soy in anything, just to be on the safe side. You'd be amazed how many foods it is in. (My sister cant have soy so she checks everything.)

Hi K.! Based on my own experience with soy, I will never give it to my kids. Keep in mind that the vitamins listed in the soy milk are added and probably not going to absorb well into the body anyway. Also, the brain lives on healthy fats, so I would not go low fat at this point.

My daughter has miserable problems on cow's milk but THRIVES on goats milk. My husband has started drinking it too. We buy the Meyenberg brand but other brands are just as good. My daughter alternately was constipated and had horrible diarrhea on cow's milk, which is why we switched to goat.

We don't buy anything fortified with vitamins because of the low quality of the vitamins. We use Nordic Berries multivitamins and a fish oil BOTH by Nordic Naturals ( www.vitacost.com is a great place to get them), Carlson's is also a great brand. We use a vitamin D3 drop by Biotics Research Corporation, I think you can purchase these online at www.spinelife.com, I get them from my Chiropractor. We also do a chewable probiotic.
If you REALLY want a fantastic vitamin, go with Juice Plus. I wish I could afford it on a regular basis. It's truly the best.

I know you didn't ask for info on vitamins, but I didn't want the added vitamins to be a factor in your choice, as they are poor quality.

Oh, BTW......goat's milk is AMAZING for baking. :)

have you tried half formula and half regular milk in a bottle? I did half formula and half 2% milk. My doc said it was fine since my son was average on the charts for his weight and height. I would do the half and half for a few weeks and then gradually take the formula out, like then start 3/4 milk and 1/4 formula etc.. good luck

How old is she? Pediatrician is correct about interest/lack of interest. Also do remember milk is processed as a solid, so make sure she also gets adequate true liquids for digestion.

I would research the soy a little more. There is evidence out there that says soy mimics the same hormones that are in birth control pills. I'm not sure, you can google all the information, but I think it messes with your estrogen levels. Good luck.

As many have already said: be weary of soy milk. It is often genetically engineered - something that is horrible for us. I have heard that organic soy is better but I suggest doing your own research. My nephew cannot have any dairy so my sister in law gives him almond milk. I personally think it tastes better than soy milk anyway.

I've heard the argument that cow's milk isn't so great for humans. I haven't done a lot of research on it but maybe drawing out the transition process even longer will help. I know you said that you transitioned her to milk but maybe she just needs longer at a 25% milk 75% formula mixture before going to 50/50 then 75/25... Just a thought...

As a mother to four I know it seems like this is not normal but it is. My First had terrible constipation while switching but my second was fine. I would not worry too much right now about the fat because babies NEED it for brain development during the first two years. Have you tried a formula made for toddlers? Maybe this would be easier on her system. If sticking with milk try giving her a baby prune juice in the afternoon, just a little this may help.

Go with soy or almond or rice milk. Cows milk is not made for humans but for calves. Our bodies don't produce enough rennin (notice that its added to many cheeses and is taken from the cow's stomach) to digest the casein (protein from milk) even when we are babies (breast secretes some to help). Once we're weaned from our mother's milk our body stops producing it altogether.

So do her a favor and keep that stuff away from her. Most people who eat dairy are constipated and they don't even know it. But many really suffer!

I'll post a link to a great seminar on the affects of dairy in our diets. http://amazingdiscoveries.tv/media/169/304-232K/

The best thing is that there are many alternatives to dairy available at the health food stores. However be sure to check labels that the soy/rice products are vegan, if not they probably contain casein and that will still cause trouble (like the brand veggie slices/shreds). Toffutti brand makes great sour cream, cream cheese and cheeses. And I just got a great vegan cheese called Teese that melts just like a normal cheese.

Best wishes!

I rotate my daughter through soy, goat, rice, almond, and regular milk. Partially to avoid any particular issues (too much soy, too much dairy, etc), but also to open her palate and get her to try new things. At three she will try almost anything and drink any milk that I give to her.

It is not uncommon to have some sort of transition period when introducing whole milk. Young children usually are not lactose intolerant...lactose is a sugar found in breastmilk too. If she is having a reaction, it is likely due to milk protein (casein, et al).

It might help to mix prepared formula with milk in increasing quantities over the few weeks to avoid a big shock.

Hey! I'm not an expert in any way in this area but I can tell you my experience...we switched our son to soy not because of constipation but because he was getting pre-asthmatic and once we got him off milk that went away.

From what I understand the only thing in whole milk that your child would really need at that age, that isn't in soy, is the fat for brain development, so you must substitute other healthy fats by cooking with olive oil and feeding your child avocados etc. I do also remember my son had some issues with having a bowel movement even when we first switched him to baby food and our pediatrician told us to give him half a sippy of straight apple juice everyday, I dunno if that might help you but it worked like a charm for us.

We have been off milk since we switched our son and we have found huge health benefits, I don't have allergies anymore (which I had all my life) and I think drinking soy in the morning gives me way more energy to get through to lunch. We also do switch up for rice or almond milk depending on what's on sale, but we all prefer soy I think.

We haven't totally abolished dairy products from our diet but I still notice when my son has a lot of cheese or yogurt etc that he has digestive problems and mucous production which causes him to cough at night.

I hope that helps...I have read many articles on how milk is perfect for a baby cow but not a baby human...I wish you luck in finding the perfect solution for your little one.

Hi K.---Don't worry about her not wanting to drink cows milk. She's a very smart girl. I am a former milk drinker, having stopped at about 47 years of age after I started taking a series of wellness classes. These classes are taught by a Naturopath who has her PhD in nutrition.

Cows milk is for baby cows to grow quickly. The nutritional profile fits what a cow needs. We do NOT need to drink cows milk. Please do some research at www.strongbones.org, which is within the website www.pcrm.org. Both contain valuable health information.

You don't need to worry about individual vitamins if she is getting a well-rounded diet with a variety of foods. We also rotate among the different plant milks, soy, almond and rice. There are others. It sort of depends on what we are doing. It would be better if she just drank water, and I would limit liquids during a meal so that she'll eat the food and not dilute stomach acids.

Soy is a perfectly acceptible option. There is ALOT of misinformation about soy and if you'd like to know more, please let me know, and this is for anyone reading this post. Soy must be organic as it tends to be genetically modified when used as animal feed. Soy does contain mild forms of estrogens, but so do flax and chickpeas. No one warns about eating those. Actually, long term research shows that those mild estrogens fill the estrogen receptors in the breast, keeping the stronger, disease creating estrogens out. There are other ways to make sure we don't have too much estrogen in the body. Eat lots of fiber, no BPA lined cans or baby bottles, no plastic in the microwave, etc. These are all worse risks than a good-quality non-GMO soy milk.

Cows milk is highly allegenic, being implicated in some cases of type 1 diabetes. It increases the risk of prostate cancer, significantly with skim milk. I also suggest you read The China Study by T Colin Campbell.

You will get more absorbably calcium from dark green leafy veggies, without the fat and calories. I have compiled a list of great calcium rich foods that I'd be happy to share. I highly recommend supplementing with vitamin D, and getting 20-30 minutes of unfiltered sunlight as often as possible, when the sun comes back out. Ground flax seed is a superfood, having good amounts of omega 3 fatty acids, protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. It also contains cancer fighting compounds.

I have learned so much, mostly that much of health advice today is flawed, if not downright dangerous. If you'd like to know more, as others have said, to do your due diligence and study both side of the subject, please contact me.

And yes, check out Juice Plus+. It is not costly, when you consider what you are getting AND the alternatives. Isolated vitamins are not absorbed well. JP+ is food and so the body knows what to do with it. I consider it my nutrition insurance and wouldn't be without it. I don't trust our food to supply me with the nutrients necessary to prevent disease.

Please give me a call and we can chat. I am very passionate about taking control of my own health and helping others to do the same. I am not a sales person, I am a health educator. I hope this all makes sense and I look forward to talking to you. PS. One of the first things that people report when they start JP+ is better regularity.

I have to second what RM said about soy milk. Do your own research so you can make an informed decision about it but I can tell you it's not something my kids will be getting anytime soon.

There is no reason why you can't continue with the formula and gradually change over to whole milk as has been suggested. Just gradually increase the amount of milk vs formula. Take your time and do it over the course of a few weeks.

We are the only species on the planet that drinks another species milk...doesn't that seem kinda weird? It made sense thousands of years ago when water was scarce and a tribe of people where nomadic and could use the cows milk from their own herd. Dairy has been associated with so many health problems, like allergies and asthma. Most baby formula IS made from non-fat milk, so I am not sure why your daughter has been having a tough time with it. Soy is not genetically modified if on the label it says "No GMO's" and "organic". Soy does contain progesterone, which is a hormone, so it should only be used in moderation. You can find toddler formula in stores and even better, organic ones online, until she is old enough to have organic rice milk (which is fortified, but doesn't have a lot of fat in it which really young children need for their brain development). I don't think almond milk is a good idea..aren't children supposed to avoid nuts the first 2 or 3 years? I don't like the idea of giving my almost one year old daughter whole milk for a lot of reasons after she is done with formula. I would say...talk to your ped (they might just want you to push on with milk...but stay strong and go with your instincts), do a LOT of research on soy, rice, dairy...and buy organic with whatever you go with. Good luck!