FTC Disclosure: If you make a purchase via a link on this site, I may receive a small commission on the transaction - at no added cost to you - this is my side job to being a mom and it helps to support our family, so I greatly appreciate it!
Is Soy Infant Formula Safe?
by Tanya
(Seattle)
I am a vegan and unfortunately, I'm not able to breastfeed my baby. I know that breast milk is the best thing I could possibly feed her, but it's not an option. How do you feel about soy infant formula? I don't want to feed her cow's milk, but I have to pick what's healthiest for her. What do you recommend?
Answer:
I understand where you are coming from; you want what's best for your baby and you'll do whatever it takes to figure that out, even if it means sacrificing your beliefs to make her healthy. Sometimes, for some women, breastfeeding just is not an option.
Have you looked into breast milk banks? In case you've never heard of them, I know it sounds a bit creepy to even think about using another woman's milk for your child. But, think about it, what's grosser-- the pus-filled, engorged, bleeding, covered-in-feces cow's udders filling your infant formula with countless chemicals, fertilizers, antibiotics, fungicides and herbicides, or another woman's clean breast milk that has been tested for safety? It's unusual and we tend to shy away from things we aren't used to hearing about, but it's truly the next best thing to your own breast milk.
If you think it might be an option for you, check out the National Milk Bank (www.nationalmilkbank.org) for more details. Granted, you will have to pay for this breast milk, so you can expect it to be more expensive than using your own, but again, it's the next best option, and not much more than buying formula.
As for the next, next best option, I would say that's soy infant formula. Quick note, do not use plain soy milk for infants. Soy infant formula is completely different, with a totally different formula that is safe for babies. Soy milk is deficient in nutrients for babies and if you feed it exclusively, you will likely starve your infant.
Articles written decades ago warned about possible dangers of soy formula, and those warnings have remained in so many mother's minds, but fortunately, more recent research shows that there the worries about manganese levels in soy formula were unfounded. Soy infant formula is safe and balanced in nutrients and you can confidently feed it to your baby if you cannot breastfeed. I would certainly choose it over cow's milk formula if I had to pick because of all the problems associated with consuming dairy products.
Comments for Is Soy Infant Formula Safe?
|
||
|
||
|
||
My Digital Download EBook
End food battles before they begin by feeding your kids real food right from the start! Get 50+ baby-safe recipes that the whole family will love, plus by guide to safe baby led feeding.
$20
FTC Disclosure: If you make a purchase via a link on this site, I may receive a small commission on the transaction - at no added cost to you. Thank you!
My Favorites
My Favorite Blender: Vitamix
My Favorite Water Filtration System: Berkey
Want to meet the Vegan Momma? It’s me, Cathleen Woods!
I believe some of the most important things you can teach a child are to respect all living beings, to cook food that was grown in the earth, and to understand that our actions have an impact on the environment in which we live. Raising my daughter as a vegan has been a natural process, and as she's grown I am amazed at how well she understands and believes in these basic principles. Vegan-Momma is my way of sharing what I've learned about raising vegans with the world. I hope you love it!