Alternatives to cows milk formula

[manna]

My ds has mild ecxma at 5mths. He developed it more or less when going onto formula. I think it may be the cows milk, as there has been no improvement with changing washing powder, aqueous cream etc. I bought some goats milk formula today to try. It's so expensive, though! Is it worth it? what about soy based ones? I heard a thing about 'bad' soy proteins being harmful to babies? does anyone know what this refers to? Advice, please

If your baby has a problem with normal formula you are able to get substitute formulas from your gp on prescription free. A soya based formula used to be prescribed as the norm for this, but nowadays they give a dairy and soya free formula usually, as a lot of children also react to soya. You should go and ask your gp for advice.

Manna-my ds developed widespread eczema at around 22 weeks old after I moved over from bf to bottle. I changed to Nanny goats milk formula as everything i read about cows milk intolerance and eczema seemed to suggest that a baby was just as likely to develop a soya intolerance because of the large volumes ingested. Goats milk is thought to be closer in makeup to breast milk than cow or soya, which is why some babies tolerate it better. Seeing the vast improvement in ds's skin after only a few days made my decision all the more worth while. It was worth the extra expense. I bought my supplies in bulk from the net where a can was only £6 as opposed to nearer £8 in the shops. (Goodness Direct was one site that I used but I'd recommend surfing around to see who has the best offers). I also discovered that ds was intolerant of bananas and corn/maize foods aswell, so if your ds skin isn't improving as well as you think then do look around for other potential culprits.

manna,
It's worth it if it works!! Soy based formulas are a valid alternative, but if your child is prone to food intolerance, soya is quite a common intolerance.

Hi Manna, to solve your query about soya based protein I have read that it can be 'bad' for children because it is a complex protein structure which makes it v hard for the body to break down when being digested. Therefore this lengthened process can slow the metabolism down - which is never a good thing for children or adults. A little bit doesn't hurt but I would personally be wary of using it as a main drink unless you have been told to use it by a health professional...
Hope that helps

I also heard that because of the high levels of natural oestrogen in soy milk, it is best to restrict its use with boys. Any basis in fact? Both our boys were raised on soy after horrendous bowel upsets with cows milk.
On another topic, anyone found a decent alternative drink to cows milk that isn't soy? We use rice milk which the boys love, not surprisingly considering it is laden with sugar. I've resorted to giving them calcium tablets and mostly water to drink.

My best friend is Swiss amd she uses sweet almond milk for her 8 months old - which I found at my local health food shop (from Evernat)... it is common in Switzerland.
The Soy thing : well I read a lot about it on the internet and from what I read (the oestrogen) - the verdict is still out... as some people say it is OK, and others say it isn't !

Sorry - I should add that my friend told me that sweet almond milk is a common alternative to dairy in CH.

Soy milk can also contain genetically modified soya, which some people try to avoid.

It probably refers to the fact that Soya molecules are the same 'shape' as cows milk ones and will also aggravate the little hair follicles in the gut that can, after a time, cause a reaction to the soya milk. However it's worth a go cos lots of babes are fine on it. Virtually all soya milks are non GM now too - Wysoy is which is the one you can get in most supermarkets.

Rice milk is worth substituting in cooking too if you think it is cows milk based - looks like white water but serves the same purpose. Sainsburys and Asda stock it - it's called Rice Dream.

Hi
I,ve been feeding my daughter a dairy free diet for the last 18 months because of what my GP says is 'mild' excema. I was loath to use steriod creams unless absolutely necessary, so I sought advice from a homeopath, who used a vega test to check for food intolerance. I have also seen a nutritionist more recently, and using this diet which incidently is also soya/goats and wheat free her skin is now clear. The nutritionist route may be useful for you as some GP's don't recognise food intolerance as a possible cause,
Another possibility is a milk called progestamil which a friend of mine was prescribed for her baby who had a vomiting as well as skin reaction to formula. Another idea may be to start breast feeding again, it is possible to re lactate once you have done it once and eat a dairy free diet yourself. It's worth persevering!

By the way, you can get Wysoy completely free on prescription from your GP!

My daughter had a milk allergy and eczema and was prescribed soya milk. It is only given on prescription if there is proof of an allergy (at least at my GPs). However I would just like to say that I was very concerned having read an article about how sweet soya milk is and about concern for developing teeth. Neither my health visitor nor the GP could offer any relevant info on this. I was recommended sheeps milk for the eczema and it did seem to improve things. It may be a coincidence but she has a terrible sweet tooth now at age 8yrs!

Gp's tend to try and avoid soya formulas now, as if a child has a problem with dairy it is also common to react to soya (as my ds does). The preferred choice now is a non soya /non dairy formula such as nutramigen, which is only available through prescription or from a hospital dietician.