If a mom has a toddler she is leaving at daycare, juice or water may be preferable to soy milk.  Altho, soy milk used once or twice a week is not like soy used at the rate of 16 oz per day of  milk that is recommended for toddlers.   Those lucky toddlers who are still being breastfed 2 or 3 times daily, will do fine with one 4-6 oz serving of juice.  But juice is not a substitute for milk or for the calcium/protein the child would get from cow's milk or breast milk they might drink.
    Numerous articles have been written about the overconsumption of juice by infants and toddlers which then grows into the liquid sugar diet of the young child or teenager.   For infants who drink greater than 12 ounces of juice daily, there have been studies showing their growth falters and I have witnessed this in my practice.   For older children the consumption of excessive amounts of juice contribute to overweight, and at the very least crowd out more healthy choices like a PIECE of fruit, and the use of water for thirst.  
   Rice milk is very low protein compared to cow milk or soymilk, and it is not usually fortified with much calcium either.  Drinking calcium fortified orange juice is not the same as drinking milk which has phosphates which facilitate the CA absorption, and lots of B vitamins which are important for metabolism.
A bit off the subject, but food for thought:
As a nutritionist I do not believe overcomsumption of juice is the only cause of overweight children, but it certainly contributes to it.   One of the other phenomena I am seeing when I make home visits (among all income groups) is that of the "no table" household.   Some of these homes are over $100,000 and are nicely furnished, but the child first is fed in carseat type thing (plastic bucket), then advances to the "walker", and finally joins the rest of the family in walking around the house eating, or sitting at the coffee table in the living room and eating a la TV.  When I asked what was eaten at a particular meal, I can tell by the glazed look that there is no such thing, they only eat together when they go out!    
Michelle Scott, MA,RD,IBCLC in NH

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