Infant soy milk before 12 months

[abigboydidit]

Hello everyone,

Apologies for posting again but I really appreciate all the advice I've been given on this forum so far. DS is 11 months old (& 1 week - if that counts!). He has a dairy & egg allergy but we're currently on a graded exposure programme for dairy and baked egg (he has a very odd presentation - huge skin welts where dairy touches but no tummy problems when he ate it - has yet to try "proper" egg). I am back at work so he gets 2 breastfeeds a day, plus water in a cup with meals.

Although he is happy sipping from a cup he doesn't take much and he has refused Neocate and Soy based formula. I am terrible at expressing but he was also reluctant to take breast milk from a cup anyway. We are TTC so I am keen to stop BFing at 1 year and was getting anxious re the swap to infant soy (expecting a flat refusal) so I tried him with a wee slurp off the spoon today when I was making him rice pudding and he loved it! I put 2oz in a cup and he drank it in seconds - the most he has ever taken from a cup!

I wondered if there is any harm in supplementing his BF with some infant soy in a cup in the run up to his birthday? Just so he is getting something to drink in the hotter weather? I appreciate there is only about 3 weeks to go and I am being impatient so I am obviously happy to wait if that is advised.

If it is infant soya formula (not the ready made carton ones) then it should be fine after 6 months. Having said that my boy does occasionally have the odd dip of alpro junior at 11 months but not instead of a breastfeeding, just in place of water after a meal. I want him to get used to the taste in preparation for nursery.

Sip not dip, duh!

Unfortunately he refuses soy formula so it was the carton but it would be in addition to breast feeding and not instead of..

I think the official advice is not before two. However, I would! In fact my DD went straight to oatly enriched milk (at 20 months) on the advice of a dietician.

The dietician was very good, and we looked at her whole diet, to make sure everything was covered, even though she wasn't getting any "proper" milk.

(we did this at 13 months, it just took me ages to stop BF)

Is this something you could do, ask for a referral to a dietician to give you some confidence in your own decisions?

Alpro do a junior version suitable from 12m. I assumed that was as a main drink ie in the same way cow's milk is not suitable before 12m but fine for cooking and as an alternative to any other drink.

It's the Alpro stuff I have so hoping is okay as an alternative drink, as you describe buttonmoon78. Had asked the dietician but she was useless unsure.

Personally, I think you'd be OK to start using Alpro Junior Plus 1 now, as he's so close to a year. It's not like one is a magic date on which everything suddenly changes. Oatly for some reason, it's advised to wait 'til the age of 2. Rice milk, age 4. Most others state from the age of one (check carton).

What's the difference between Alpro Junior and normal soya milk? DS 9 mths is allergic to CMP and eggs, currently bfed. Our dietician said he could have normal soya milk (not organic, the enriched one) from one in place of cows milk.

Is that wrong? Or is Alpro Junior a bit like those follow on milks for toddlers, ie available but not completely necessary?

Well Alpro market their junior one as follow-on, I think. I just started with that one and as my little one seems to like it, I've carried on! They list all kinds of vitamins on the side. It may just be sweeter, to appeal more to kids. Maybe I'm just a sucker for marketing!