Getting off the baby formula

arrogate · Apr 16th, 2007, 05:36 AM

My son has been drinking commercial formula since he was about a week old. After seven long days, it was confirmed I could not produce milk without hormone therapy. I was unprepared for this, and just chose a formula and moved on... I've never felt particulary good about this, and it has led me to a world of feeding babies that I probably otherwise would have never found. My "guilt" from formula feeding led me to give him primarily organic, all home made baby foods (augh, the disgusting ingredients in commerical baby food!) and further researching is leading me along the vegan route.

He's now one year old, and healthier than any kid I've ever seen. We're not truly vegan, but moving in that direction as I learn more about proper nutrition and health. (Needless to say that I'm healthier than I've ever been before too...)

My question now is this: his doc says it's time to get him off the formula and begin the whole cow's milk. Not many pediatricians around here agreeable to a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle, they pretty much just push cow's milk. This thought truly disgusts me, and I don't want to do it. I'm sure a human doesn't *need* milk from a cow, but I'm fearful of just taking him off of the formula without a suitable milk replacement. Would he be better off staying on the formula for a longer period of time, or is there a plant-based alternative that is suitable for a one year old?

**cookey** · Apr 16th, 2007, 07:28 AM

Arogate - Don't feel guilty, I'm sure you're doing the best you can. I fed both my girls soya formula from quite early on although I tried breastfeeding and mixed feeding for a month or two.
I'm sure your baby doesn't need cow's milk, I never gave it to mine. Now my girls are 7 and 9 I am struggling to remember when I started them on standard soya milk, which isn't very helpful to you! I'm pretty sure it was around 1 year old. I would suggest that you contact the manufacturers of some soya, rice or oat milk in your country and ask how suitable their product is. Also contact your Vegan society and ask them.
You may also be able to go and see a dietician/nutritionalist who may support your choice to not feed dairy as there are no nutrients in it that you can't get from other sources. What would the pediatrician suggest if the baby was alergic to cow's milk for example?
Let us know how it goes.

**Yoggy** · Apr 16th, 2007, 07:35 AM

Hi arogate,

Yeah, most doctors push whole cow milk without considering how inappropriate it is for a human baby

. I've never been in your position, so I can't offer any advice of my own, but one of our members, Feline01, has twins who she was unable to breastfeed, so she fed them an organic soy formula. She might be able to offer advice, especially regarding milk replacements beyond the age of 1.

She hasn't been active on the forum for quite some time, but if you view her personal profile (just look her up under "members"), you can send her a message via email.

Good luck with everything! Though I can't say for sure, I would think that if it came down to choosing between whole cow milk and no milk replacement, the latter would be better, since cow milk really does do more harm than good. See this list of illnesses linked to dairy products to find out more.

edit: whoops, I didn't see your post cookey, so I recommended feline01 as a good source of info, I wasn't ignoring your advice

**Korn** · Apr 16th, 2007, 11:26 AM

arrogate

My question now is this: his doc says it's time to get him off the formula and begin the whole cow's milk.

Hi, the official policy here is that if the baby can't get mother's milk, it's better to give them something without cow's milk than with cow's milk in it, due to the known diabetes risks associated with cow's milk... maybe you should show your doc these links:

Cows' milk, diabetes connection bolstered (from 1999)
Early exposure to cows' milk raises risk of diabetes in high risk children (from 2000)
International Study Examines Cows’ Milk Formula as Potential Type 1 Diabetes Trigger (from 2003)

Maybe there's an exaggerated focus on soy due to the old myth that vegans need to use soy to get enough protein? (Most of the plants listed here, if not all, contains more protein than mother's milk: What are your favourite vegan protein sources?)

Anyway, even my doc, who isn't at all a vegan, claims that the only people who benefit from cow's milk are those who make money on selling it.

Since your baby hasn't been breastfed, it would be a good idea to make sure they get B12 from somewhere.

Some people's digestive systems disagree a little with soy (we have a dedicated soy-subforum where the pros and cons of soy are being discussed), but there are lots of other options, and I'm pretty sure the best solution for babies is to get as fresh, organic and varied/balanced food (within the limits of what they can digest).