A mom writes in looking for advice for her son who can’t drink regular milk because of reflux. She is looking for a milk, rather than formula, that is good for a child older than 12 months, that won’t affect his reflux.
A Community Member asks:
“Mommas, any suggestions on non-formula milk for my 15-month-old? He had reflux as a newborn all the way through to about nine months old. He is currently on Similac Spit-up formula, but I’m looking to switch him to regular milk without his reflux coming back. I’ve already tried 2% & he liked it, but it automatically constipated him. The same thing happened with Soy milk. Any suggestions for milk that won’t affect his reflux or pooping? Thank you!!!”
Community Advice for the Mom Looking For a Milk for Her Son That Won’t Cause Reflux and Constipation
To see what advice the Mamas Uncut Facebook community has for this mom in need, read the comments of the post embedded below.
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Advice Summary
Many mothers have responded with different suggestions of milk for this mom’s baby. You can read some of these suggestions below.
“Almond milk! My daughter is on it and she’s allergic to milk and soy and she loves the almond milk. It comes in different flavors and unsweetened.”
“My son has to have lactose free milk. The Lactaid brand. He had acid reflux as a baby too (GERD). He would throw up on whole milk.”
“The flap should be closed by now so shouldn’t be spitting up. Unless they are allergic or have dairy sensitivities, any milk should be just fine. Goats milk is easier to digest.“
“We went through a few different ones with my son like coconut and oat. We even made hempseed milk. He ended up only liking Rice milk. It’s good for them and our pediatrician approved!“
“My daughter has bad constipation issues since 6 months old. She currently drinks lactose-free milk and she’s been good on it. (She’s 2.5 now)”
“Goats milk. Almond milk and soy doesn’t have the vitamins and nutrients babies need for growth. Goats milk is close to human breastmilk.“
“The constipation is a normal part of the switch I added watered down prune juice for a few weeks to my son’s diet and high fiber cereal was just fine.”
“My doctor told me to go right to almond milk my son had reflux also and milk constipated him too. But by the time he was one the reflux was gone I don’t think the almond milk will make it come back.”
Final Thoughts
The recommendation for milk after 12 months is cow’s milk, specifically whole milk. In cases of dairy allergy, there are some alternatives. You can find these on healthychildren.org. I have listed a few below. This website gives a nice comparison chart between all the milk alternatives and their calories, fat, protein, etc… I recommend checking that out.
- Tree Nut
- Almond
- Cashew
- Rice
- Oat
- Hemp
I think that it is important to note that constipation isn’t in and of itself a symptom of an allergy or sensitivity to cow’s milk. Sometimes within a few days, their system will adjust, so it’s important to talk with your pediatrician and get their recommendation.
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