What's the easiest way to switch my 22 month old "cow's milk drinker" to non dairy?!
Answers: In light of all the new research, I have decided to go vegan and I would also like to transition my children to this lifestyle. My son is 22 months and drinks whole cow's milk. I recently bought some organic soy milk (unflavored) and I put a little strawberry syrup in it, but he doesn't seem to like it. I've never bought soy milk before, so I'm not sure if there is a better tasting "kid friendly" version out there. Should I start by mixing 1/2 milk and 1/2 soy or should I just buy a flavored soy and keep offering it. Any advice from vegetarians/vegans would be helpful - thanks!
Bravo for choosing a healthy diet for you and your son. Getting him on the healthy path early will help him to avoid alot of pitfalls later in life.
That being said, you should always check with your doctor before any major change in diet. This goes for you son as well. Get the advice of a professional and you won't be constantly second guessing yourself later on.
As a side note, When a child is around one year old they will eat anything that is placed in front of them. This is a great time to introduce new foods. Sadly, that little window of opportunity has closed for you, but all is not lost. Two-year olds are notoriously picky eaters. For some reason that age group does not like to try new things and may even begin to reject foods they have loved for years. So, it may have nothing to do with the taste of the milk. He's just in that stage of development right now. Once this picky stage is over, any where from 2 1/2 to 3 years and over he will be more willing to try new foods again.
So, the burning question...what do you do in the meantime. Try a variety of "milks". One way to get small children on board is to show them how much Mommy loves it. Drink the milk with him, smile and say 'Yum". Show him that this is good stuff! Sometimes saying things like "Soy Milk makes you big and strong like Superman" has been shown to help.
Good Luck.
your baby still needs milk for strong bones and teeth.but when my grandson was little the only way he would drink any kind of milk had to have nestle quick in it try that.
You could try other milks like rice milk or almond milk. Is the soymilk you've been giving him sweetened? Maybe he'd prefere the unsweetened or vise versa. Alpro do a great chocolate milkshake too so you could try that. Good luck and congratulations for going vegan!
Why not let the baby have a decent follow-up formula, or keep him on the cows milk until you consult the baby's doctor about your new intended diet? That would be the wisest course of action. Don't let your baby become another Woyah Andersohnn.....
He might like Kefir
http://www.kefir.net/
They do make soy milk for kids but normally the vanilla soy milk tastes better to most people. You can try mixing half and half and then gradually add more. At 22 months old it's really really not good for him to be drinking cows milk because his immune system can not properly fight off a lot of the bacteria in milk. . Good for you for switching.
try rice milk or oaty milk there is a vanilla flavor soya and rice milk, try holland and barret they seem to have a wide variety of alternatives
You could try different types of non dairy milks. I have always though rice milk tasted better. It is not a thick as soy milk and looks like regular milk. Get the vanilla flavored rice milk. There is also oat milk, and almond milk.
The brand you get could also play a role in weather he likes it. I only like SoyDream and RiceDream. The others do not taste as good to me. Many people would agree that some brands are better than others.
Nice going "mom". The kid needs a good foundational diet with lots of calcium and nutrients and you are "going vegan" and jamming YOUR agenda down his throat. Personally, until a child is old enough to make up his/her mind, I find this "going veg*n" crap for infants, toddlers and pre-teens a form of child abuse. Get a professional opinion instead of screwing around with your child's health on Yahoo Answers. Isn't your kid worth a consult with a professional?
Considering most children's skin problems and illnesses (especially with wet coughs/mucus) are worsened by dairy (why do doctors tell you not to give your kids dairy when they're sick? gee, should they get it when they're healthy then? No.) I think it's great you're going to prevent those issues, along with instilling ethics and compassion. My niece always got severe eczema and always had a wet cough and would get super congested when she drank cow's milk. She didn't care for most soys except chocolate, and she did like rice milk. Also, not all soy milks are created equal. I've noticed my favorites are usually the store brands over the more well-known brands like Silk.