Vegan baby?

Question

hi,

my husband and I have been vegans for a few years. I'm 7 months pregnant and we want our baby to be vegan as well. has anybody raised a vegan baby and can give me some tips? i will breastfeed but what do i have to watch out for once we introduce food? any great baby products you know of?

thanks for any help!

Answer 1

"Raising Vegetarian Children" by Joanne Stepaniak and Vesanto Melina is a great resource.  "Becoming Vegan" by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina is a great primer on vegan nutrition and it does cover lactation and infancy, though to a lesser extent than the first.  "The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook" by Cathe Olson is good, too.

Answer 2

Congratulations. I was Vegan when planning my pregnancies and folded under the pressure at the time to return to a mixed diet. I returned to Veganism and am much happier for it and wished I had stuck to it during my pregnancies and brought my children up on a Vegan diet.

Although there is so much more information out there now, I strongly suggest that you consult a nutritionist/dietitian (preferably one who is Vegan) to totally put your mind at rest now, before your baby is even born. You will be under increasing pressure from other people once the baby starts to be weaned to add meat or dairy products to your child's diet. Being able to say that you have taken a qualified nutritionist/dietitian's advice and feeling totally at ease because you are confident you are doing the very best for your child is really important, particularly for first time mums.

I am so glad you are going to breastfeed, stick with it, it can be pretty uncomfortable/difficult for some mums at the start but it really is amazing and worth every single hiccup. One of the saddest things for me was when my daughter, my youngest, grew out of breastfeeding.

My children now are teenagers (15 and 16) and both get certificates every year from school for 100% attendance. I am certain it is because of breastfeeding and a diet very high in vegetables, fruits and nuts even though they do eat dairy and meat.

Good luck and hope you love being a Mum as much as I do.

Answer 3

I, personally, am not a parent (far from it), but I would still suggest that vegetarianism is better to start off your baby. They're especially sensitive to the food they're fed, if they don't get the nutrition they need, THEY WILL GET SICK AND YOU WILL REGRET IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 4

yes you can have vegan baby!

will you breast feed the baby? if you change your mind, they have Soy formula in most health food or vegetarian/vegan stores. Sterilize the bottles, bottle liners, and nipples in boiling water. Follow instructions on the can to mix. serve to the baby slighly warm, but not hot (room temp is good). If you are not breast feeding the baby, a tip from psychologist (found in Dr. Freud's book), hold the baby in the breast feeding position when giving him bottle, so you get the same psychological bond. The father can do this too.

#here are some foods to introduce to the baby (puree'd):#

4 mo.-rice, oatmeal, barley or wheat cereal, applesauce, pears, bananas, and poi (hawaiian taro)

5 mo.- carrots, pumpkin, squash, peas, sweet potatoes, spinach, beans

6 mo.- tofu, soy (fake) cottage cheese, vegan  egg substitute (poached),  peanut butter in tortilla (DO NOT GIVE HONEY TO ANY CHILD LESS THAN 2 YR OLD!), Chik-Patties (fake chicken), and other starter food.

i hope i have helped you!

Answer 5

It's been fairly easy for me to raise a Vegan child.  (Probably easier because she has never had an ear or sinus infection or taken an antibiotic.)

Start your child on non sweet pureed vegetables first.  Then once he/she likes a wide variety you can introduce sweet veggies and fruits.  It's really the same until they turn 1 as a non vegan baby except you won't be giving them cow formula.

Check at what ages to introduce beans and nuts.  I think that kids need more high calorie foods.  I add a little extra sesame oil to rice for my child to give her a little extra calories.  Also, soy milk and fruit smoothies are a wonderful nutritious high calorie meal.  My daughter also loves guacamole.  Now that she is 8 I can take her into any ethnic restaurant and she will have a favorite.  Veggi Sushi, bean burrito, pasta pamadoro, tofu stir-fry, etc.  I think she is easier to feed than a non-veg picky kid.

To get her vitamin B12 I sprinkle nutritional yeast on foods or make biscuits with it in them and give her a multi-vitamin with B12 occasionally.

Of course, this is just my opinion based on my experience.  Check with a vegan friendly dietitian or doctor first.

Answer 6

Check out this blog, about an entirely vegan family and their fooding adventures: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/

Also, you can make your own baby food in a really good blender, so I would add one (like a VitaMix) to your baby registry if you don't already have one.

Answer 7

Congratulations! I'm not a parent, but as you know, a vegan diet is suitable for all age ranges.

Here's a website I found, I hope you find it useful, it contains information on how babies can get their nutrients:

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/veganpregna...

Nutritional needs are higher during pregnancy and lactation, so make sure you eat enough.

Good luck! =]

Answer 8

I'm not a parent, but if you Google vegetarian family, you should get some good websites.  Dreena Burton's "Vive Le Vegan" also has information on raising a vegan child from pregnancy to age 18.  And the Vegetarian Resource Group (www.vrg.org) also has information on veg*an children.

Best wishes to you!