Formula chalav yisrael vs non chalav yisrael

hi, so I know this is a rabbi question but I wondered if anyone has any experience with this before, my daughter is on materna and is really not doing great on it and is very unsettled at the moment and I have a feeling that the doc is going to ask me to change to a non chalav yisrael product. my husband doesnt seem to keen on the idea so I am going to ring a rav but has anyone done this before?

Platinum Member Joined: Sep 10 2006 Posts: 6563

have you considered soy materna? some who ultimately prefer CY also use alimentum (sp?) I think when all else fails. I do not have experience with that.

I'm not sure how old your baby is or what "not doing well" means, but I too had to have ds on non-CY formula for a few mos bc he was preemie, and the only formulas he could have were OU-D, non-CY certified. It had many annoying aspects to it as we are makpid on keilim, so I had to wash/make his bottles in the bathroom. But ultimately, we had seen if there were ANY other options, and finding none at all, went with this for a few mos until he could go on regular formula. For the time being, we focused on being grateful that he could take regular formula and put on weight, etc., and someone gave me a brachah that if it is hashgachah pratis that he should have to eat non-CY dairy, it should be now (meaning as a newborn) in this situation and never have to again.

At the end of the day, if there's no other option but non-CY dairy, then your little baby's health is so important and most rabbonim view formula as medicine and babies as a type of cholim, so if it's necessary, it's necessary. So for your own piece of mind, speak to the rav, explore all the possible options re:formula under the guidance of your dr, and iyh all will be good, especially with your baby's health, b'gashmiyus and b'ruchniyus.
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Platinum Member Joined: Aug 01 2005 Posts: 16893

we asked a shayla when we had a preemie and were told that it's okay to use non CY formula. it's a shayla to ask.
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Gold Member Joined: Jan 09 2007 Posts: 1807

I keep cholov yisroel and my baby was on non-cholov yisroel formula. some ppl are not so makpid on babies. thats the one we liked for her.

Posted: Sun, May 31 2009, 4:50 pm Post subject:

my sil had to give her baby non kosher formula because that is all she would take.

Gold Member Joined: Mar 08 2006 Posts: 2405

The one we used for our baby was not only not CY, but not kosher (don't know if it had actual treif in it, but no certification). We did it for health reasons and our Rav was fine with it. Like NotInNJMommy said, the annoying part was washing up in the bathroom.

Personally, I think CY is more important in babies than adults... a child is like a seed, where everything has a stronger and more lasting effect. Whatever we eat becomes a part of us forever... So, it's really worth it to see what other options there are. Obviously, the baby's health is top priority, so if a baby can't have anything else, then go for it. But as long as there are other options - a wide range of soy formulas or similac (?) CY formula - definitly consider them first.

there is cy similac formula. can you get hold of that and try her on it? (although I hear babies generally like materna better since it is staged)

you really need to ask a rav. I am sure they are used to this question.

Posted: Sun, May 31 2009, 5:15 pm Post subject:

I also had to give a special preemie formula to my twins, due to weight issues. They only had to be on it for a few days though; we were given the all clear to use materna after that.

how old is your baby now?
. perhaps you could try another brand (is remidia still around? I know Haber's stocked it when I was buying formula)
You wrote that she's not doing great. why do you think it's the formula that's the problem? maybe, as mentioned above, you should speak to your doc about changing her to soy formula.

Posted: Sun, May 31 2009, 6:33 pm Post subject:

ds was on materna but didnt do well with it so we switched him to remedia which is also chalav yisroel and he did much better on that
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Platinum Member Joined: Sep 10 2006 Posts: 6563

Platinum Member Joined: Jun 22 2008 Posts: 6424

I was on Nutramigin-not kosher, till I was 5, my brother stopped at 3.

My family is makpid on giving babies CY formula. I had a nephew who needed Similac (for health reasons) as opposed to Materna and because of the price my sis really didn't want to change but when she spoke to the doc he suggested soy instead of milk-based. Soy is non-dairy so there is no CY issue with using any brand that has a hechsher.
Someone mentioned alimentum - that is used for babies that have really bad reflux and you should be aware that it contains actual treif and is mega expensive. I would ask a rav before using a product like alimentum.
My opinion, try a soy-based formula as your first option. It helps for most babies.

Active Poster Joined: May 11 2009 Posts: 28

I would definitely ask a Rav if you are makpid on Cholov Yisroel. I think it depends on the circumstances behind why you want to give it.

Posted: Mon, Jun 01 2009, 3:04 am Post subject:

the reason why I think I will have to change is bc she is very very constipated on materna and she is not settling properly on it and cries all the time. she is 14 weeks. I just about manage to get hold of materna where I live so using a different cy brand will be difficult I think also I think the doc here will prefer that I use something that they know so they can help solve the problem. I dont want to use soy if I dont have to. I dont think she is allergic to milk bc if she was then she would have diahoria (however u spell that )all the time instead of very bad constipation also she is dropping percentiles and I can only get her to take 2oz a feed which is not very good. she has dropped in a month from the 25th percentile line to the 2nd almost and the doc is not very happy about that.

Diamond Member Joined: Oct 29 2006 Posts: 4461

There was no such thing as CY formula when I had mine and in those days we all gave soy formula. When the CY came out I tried it but babies did not do well. Went back to soy no problem. But for us formula was for babysitters and maybe on a long fast.

Yes, since the today the main reason we keep CY is the detrimental spiritual effects of CA it is worse for babies than adults

If your baby is mostly bottle fed and the problem is more serious then its LOR time. I never asked the ped what formula to buy.
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Posted: Mon, Jun 01 2009, 3:41 am Post subject:

she is only on bottles. I am going to ring the dayan to ask him what to do but he is out of town till tuesday.

From what I understand, soy should not be used unless the baby is allergic to milk. If the baby is okay drinking milk, you should give that, whether or not you keep chalav yisrael.
Soy in large quantities is not safe. Especially for boys because soy contains estrogen, a female hormone. Soy should only be given in cases where it is really needed, not just on a whim. It's only healthy in small infrequent amounts and with a baby, he would be consuming a lot of bottles.

My baby is allergic to milk. Instead of giving soy formula, I use nutramigen because I don't want the negative effects of soy in his body.

Platinum Member Joined: Sep 22 2004 Posts: 9754