Alpro soya 1+

[kwt]

Has anyone tried this? My dairy allergic dd is almost 1, and I would love it if we didn't have to prepare wysoy for her all the time. Would it give her the nutrients she needs, it seems like there's plenty of calcium in it, but I wondered if anyone had experience giving it as a main milk for dairy allergic kids.

[cece]

My DS2 has been on soya milk since about the age of 1.

He had nutramigen prior to this for his cooked food that required milk and I also BF him.

It is equivalent to semi skimmed milk I believe, as in there is less fat.

I don't know what you mean by the 1+ though, is there a special one for toddlers???

[kwt]

Yes, this is a particular one for toddlers, as regular soya milk isn't supposed to be used as a main milk before the age of 2. Just wondered if anyone here has used it as a main milk.

[dairyfreebabyandme]

My little one has been using this for a while as a drink and on cereal, but I am also still b'feeding her. She seems to enjoy it. The dietician has been on at me for ages about using it for her - because it contains vit D (which b'milk doesn't). To be honest the 1+ thingy might just be a ploy, as all soya milk is fortified with calcium and vit D (except organic, which can't be fortified) which seem to be the dietician's main concerns about not having dairy. I'm wary of soya because I can't tolerate soya milk myself and I#ve heard that milk and soya intolerance can go hand in hand for some people, but my little one seems to be ok.

[dairyfreebabyandme]

My little one has been using this for a while as a drink and on cereal, but I am also still b'feeding her. She seems to enjoy it. The dietician has been on at me for ages about using it for her - because it contains vit D (which b'milk doesn't). To be honest the 1+ thingy might just be a ploy, as all soya milk is fortified with calcium and vit D (except organic, which can't be fortified) which seem to be the dietician's main concerns about not having dairy. I'm wary of soya because I can't tolerate soya milk myself and I#ve heard that milk and soya intolerance can go hand in hand for some people, but my little one seems to be ok.

[Pancakeflipper]

I have a carton of the one you mean. Got a giraffe on it ?

I would chat with dietician/ consultant or Dr about changing over but I cannot see an issue with trying it.

I think my DS2 reacts to soya milk ( but can have products with soya in) but he last had it about a year ago so time to test it again.

There's loads of possible dairyfree milks -rice/oat/almond/hemp etc. We are now off Neocate and trying to find a dairyfree milk that he likes and doesn't react to. Oat milk is winning for cereal but he ain't drinking it.

[dairyfreebabyandme]

I think it was a dietician who recommended Alpro to us, but it was Junior Alpro then and said it was suitable from 6 months. As they have now changed it, perhaps that would suggest that they have had to adjust their claims to fit the true picture. Maybe it's because by the age of 1, a child is supposed to be getting most of their nutrients from a varied diet, so milk becomes not unimportant but less important than it was.

I think, however, that other milk alternatives are not considered suitable just yet. Oat milk I know is from the age of 2 and rice milk from the age of 4 (rice is carcinogenic). So I would be wary about experimenting without the advice of a dietician.

[crunchynuts]

Ds's dietician said that it has extra iron in it but the reason kids like it is because it has extra sugar compared to normal soya. If u Google it you can find a factsheet alpro has done to try and push it, including a chart showing its nutritional info compared to full fat cow milk. Alpro say its sugary but that so is cows milk, but cow milk sugar is a better sugar as it is natural. Speak to a health professional (not gp, they will probably prefer to not prescribe). Personally speaking, Ds is 2.5 and we still use nutramigen as his main milk and substitute soya where we are making cakes or sauces that we might want to eat too, in part because we get it free on script and he seems a bit intolerant to too much soya, but also because he loves it and it has a huge list of vitamins etc. As his diet is restrictive (allergic to egg, milk, nuts) I would rather faff with formula if it means he gets more nutrition in his diet.

[thereinmadnesslies]

We used this for a while with dairy intolerant DS2, but after a while he started showing symptoms of soya intolerance (we cut soya out of his diet originally, then he seemed ok but soya milk was a step too far).

I have huge concerns about the sugar level - if you taste it you'll find it's ridiculously sweet. My dentist was not particularly enthusiastic about it either.

We now use Oatly - the blue packaging has added vitamins etc.

[Pancakeflipper]

That's interesting Crunchy about sugar levels. Will use up the carton on baking stuff.
And Therelies - I am sighing a happy relieved sigh that you also notice intolerance to Soya milk but ok with soya if not full on. I think that's what my DS2 is like but thought I was going bonkers.

Sticking to the Oatly blue carton for now.

[thereinmadnesslies]

Pancake - we've found that DS can cope with a reasonable amount of hidden (cooked?) soya eg in bread, cakes etc plus one portion of full on soya eg one yoghurt, one helping of alpro custard or one pack of choc buttons per day. More than that and he gets a sore stomach and mucousy poo.

The dietician said that keeping it in his diet would help him learn to tolerate it, but I'm not seeing much progress yet.

[puffylovett]

Couldn't not post, just to say how shocked I am dairyfree that your dietician is pushing soya milk Instead of breastmilk due to vit d!! I actually think that's quite disgraceful. Vit d drops are very easy to come by if they're needed and the two milks are just non comparable. Very at dietician

[puffylovett]

Sorry op, I know that's totally unhelpful!

[harverina]

kwt, we gave this to my DD at one point as a main drin (though she is breasfed too, though only occasionally now) but switched to unsweetened soya (Morrisons own brand) because the 1+ was so sweet. My DD was guzzling it! She loves the unsweetend soya too so we have stuck with this. I havent thought to check for vitd, but know that the unsweetened soya has the same amount of calcium in it as the 1+.

[dairyfreebabyandme]

Perhaps I should add that by this stage she was about 12 months and we were using drops but my little one started showing signs of an allergic reaction which was eventually narrowed down to the drops, so wehad to stop them.

[kwt]

Thanks everyone. It's interesting to know about the sweetness! I think I won't go down that route then. She's on wysoy at the moment, not very much of it as I'm still breastfeeding, but I'm quite keen to stop. We've never given her large quantities of soya products, but I really hope that she doesn't react to them

So does regular unsweetened soya have enough calcium in it then? And from what dairyfree says, organic wouldn't be ideal because you can't fortify it.

Is oatly suitable for 1 year olds?
Thanks so much for all your help everyone. Feel like there's just so much out there that's unknown.

[Pancakeflipper]

KWT - speak to a Dr/consultant/ dietician.

They may prefer to give a prescribed powdered milk like Neocate or the other one ( name escapes me - begins with a N).

Alternative milks have pros and cons so you need to be informed and then make an informed decision. I know 1 yr olds on rice milk/oat milk/soya etc. It has depended on many factors mostly medical. Whereas my DS2 was kept on a prescribed powder until 3.5 yrs and now we are 'allowed' to try out all dairy free milks - and it's been very hit and miss. So I would go for advice.

[Bunbun1]

I just came across this thread as I have started my 14 month old DD on Alpro unsweetened milk last week. I went on the Alpro website and compared nutritional content between the milks and I can't understand why the 1+ milk would be a good idea...... It has less fat and less calcium than the standard Alpro milks and is packed with fructose-glucose syrup. It has vit D but so do the other ones. It also has vit C but is not really necessary if they're eating fruit/veg. It seems it's just another marketing ploy.

[naomi45]

I am really interested in this thread as my little one has been on nutramigen 2 due to her Excema. Now she is 18 months I am keen to put her on regular milk of some sort and was recommended alpro 1+. I was really shocked reading about the sugar but have just compared the amounts with oatley and semi skimmed cows milk and it seems to have less than both of them or am I missing something really crucial. Am a bit concerned that I am and am feeding my toddler too much sugar! Can someone help me decipher the info incase I have got it wrong thanks

[Mopandbucket]

Bump , would like to know the answer re sugar Naomi as also thinking of alpro junior

[MegMogAndOwl]

I've not tried it yet but dd is approaching 12 months and dietitian suggested she move on to it after her birthday. She currently on wysoy.

I've compared it with the info on the alpro website, which is a bit confusing as it interchanges between giving amounts as either per 100ml or per 200ml but as I read it the amounts per 100 mls are as follows:

alpro original
40 cals. 2.7g sugar. 1.9g fat. 120mg calcium. Vit d 0.75ug

alpro junior
62 cals. 2.9g sugar. 2.3g fat. 100mg calcium, vit d 0.75 ug

wysoy
67 cals. 2.5g sugar. 3.6g fat. 67mg calcium Vit d 1.2 ug

whole milk
68 cals. 3.4g sugar 4.0g fat. 122 calcium, Vit d trace.

So the amount of vit d seems the same in both the alpro milks, and the amount of sugar is similar. The junior is more calorific so I guess that's why they market it as being suitable from 12 months.

I'll probably swap as making formula is such a faff, and my gp won't prescribe more than 2 weeks worth so I end up buying it anyway. :)

[Bluedy]

the thing that really worries me about Alpro growing up milk is that one of the ingredients is listed as 'flavourings'. I emailed them to ask what these were and they said it was 'confidential'! Should we really trust this product if it contains secret ingredients? I like to know what i'm feeding my children.

[Bobojangles]

We use it for my 16mo on dietician advice but he doesn't drink masses as he is still BF, he likes it well enough but it is very sweet

[emilylaurawade]

The amount of sugar in alpro is approximately half the amount in oatly blue carton and considerably less than in whole milk. Human breast milk tastes far sweeter than cow breast milk. Yes alpro growing up milk tastes sweet but it contains less sugar. So I would consider that a win!

It is also the only milk I have been able to find that contains iodine, iron and zinc which are micronutrients that are hard come by in supplements for toddlers.

I would thoroughly recommend this milk.

[LouiseRoseColeman]

This is really reassuring to hear after other comments, as my 16mo has been on Alpro growing up it since he was 12mo. He was on formula before then, but we had many problems with reflux.
We tried cows milk and he just didn’t like it. So this was our alternative.
He has 2 bottles a day am and bedtime. Haven’t had any problems.
Although only in the last 3 days he has been poorly with yellow, very stinky and mucus poop. Sample has been sent off, so just hoping its a bug and nothing allergy wise. As he does have dairy in other forms. So praying its not an allergy to diary as he loves his yoghurts, cheese etc
I too compared the stats on milks and i too read, that cows milk has a higher sugar level.
I’ve never checked with a doctor or dietician about my son being on Alpro, but after reading this thread, I’m thinking I should have checked first.

[Cinderstella]

My son had a dairy allergy when he was young. I found that he could tolerate goat’s milk very well. It’s a lot easier on the stomach and humans are able to tolerate it much better than cow’s milk. He loved the milk, the cheese and the yogurt.