Does he have a soy intolerance?

[Danielsmommy]

Hi there,

About 3 weeks ago we switched my son (16 months) from cows milk to soy milk.  The reason was  he has a lot of fluid in his ears and my doctor and chiropractor both suggetsed that it could be the casein in the cows milk and to take him off.  My fam dr said to switch to soy, my chiro said no milk.  I decided to try the soy for now.  He gets anywhere between 7 and 15 oz a day just depending on how much he feels like drinking.  He also gets some tofu cheese and shakes.  Right after we switched him his poops became very soft.  I started to substitue some of the milk with diluted OJ to give him calcium that way (only about2-5 oz a day).  Then his poops got really runny, sometimes several a day and he got a diaper rash which he has never had before.  So we stopped the oj thinking maybe it was the acid in it.  His rash has cleared up and his poops now go back and forth between just soft and runny.  He had only been doing one a day this week but today he has already blessed me with 2 runny ones and it's not 9:30 yet lol 

So my question is, is this normal with soy milk?  Could he have an intolerance to soy?  Should I try just switching the brand of milk before the type?  The only reason I'm hesitant is because he loves it and he has actually slept through the night for a week straight, which he never did while on cows milk. Some guidance would be great.

Thanks

[Buntybear]

Hi, he could well have MSPI. If he senstive to cow's milk then a good chance he is sensitive to soy. I would cut both out and see if all the symptoms start to clear up in a couple of weeks or so. At 16 months you will have to be creative with meals cutting both those out, but hopefully it will be short term.

[Buntybear]

Sorry, just reread your last paragraph. It is good news the soy suits him better in terms of sleep. That again would suggest the cow's milk bothered him. You could try a different brand but why not try oat or rice milk? There are other alternatives too but I am not familiar with them. The stickies on this board have loads of info on MSPI and food/milk options.

[Danielsmommy]

Thanks, I was considering rice milk

[Buntybear]

I should say that in the UK we are not recommended to give rice milk to the under 5s. I see you are in Canada so it might be worth consulting your doctor for the latest advice?

[Danielsmommy]

Thanks, I am going to take him to the doctor before we do anything.  The confusing part is that he goes back and forth between runny and soft.  Maybe it has to do with how much he intakes in a day?  I don't know anymore lol