unsure about what to feed baby

[Heather]

My husband and I are new vegans and have decided to raise our daughter vegan. We went to the doctor and she gave us a hard time about raising her vegan. She is sending us to a nutritionalist. The problem is I have no idea what to feed my daughter as she grows. I have a few books but they all say different things. Does anyone know of a good book that would help us with what foods to give her and at what months? We have no vegan friends so we don't have much support. At this point in time I don't even think we could defend ourselves to all the people that are telling us she will not get the nutrition that she needs. I would appreciate any advice or help.

[Heather]

I was searching through the website and I found the article that Erin wrote on starting your baby on solids. It was very helpful.I should have read through the site before posting. I was just so upset from my appointment with the doctor and having no support. My parents are always saying that we are doing the wrong thing. I have cried over this before, I wish people were not so judgemental. Having these so called vegan parents starving there kids in the news does not help. My parents think that this is how vegan parents are. So anyway, I was wondering if someone could tell me how much flax seed oil I should use for my baby? Thank you Erin for having this site, it has made me feel so much better.

[Erin Pavlina]

Hello Heather,

Congratulations on your decision to raise a vegan child.

You may be interested in purchasing my new book, "Raising Vegan Children in a Non-Vegan World (http://www.vegfamily.com/raising-vegan-children/index.php?src=forumpost)"

The book covers how to handle doctors, family, and what to feed your children. You'll be an expert in no time.

You'll also get some great advice on these boards. We're here for ya.

[Erin Pavlina]

We've got a couple of articles on Flaxseeds on the site too.

Check out the vegan children section at http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-children/index.htm

[Heather]

Erin,
Thank you. My husband said that he ordered the book so we should be getting it sometime next week!

[Erin Pavlina]

Oh good. It's going to help a lot.

Also, if you have any specific questions, feel free to post them.

[Heather]

Erin,
Thanks so much for all the help!!! I will be checking in often. :)

[Bette]

Hi Heather,
My husband and I and our 21 month old son all became vegan within the last few months, so we're quite new to it too. It takes a while to get into the swing of it and stop worrying about whether every meal you eat has the correct balance of proteins and essential fatty acids and so on, but you'll get there in the end!
You should be comforted by the idea that you're putting more thought into your child's diet than the majority of non-vegan parents. I don't know any other vegans, but I know a lot of meat eating families, none of whom make the effort to look at their nutrition because they assume that if they feed their kids chicken nuggets, chips and peas with a yoghurt for pudding then they'll be healthy because all the food groups are represented. None of them bother about omega 3 etc because they don't think it applies to them because they eat a 'balanced diet'.
My advice for feeding your little one would be to shovel in as much variety as you can, make sure there's lots of fat and my big tip is avocado avocado avocado ! It's our wonder food - terribly messy if they feed themselves, but well worth it. I'm sure you know what to do really, you just need a bit of encouragement so here it is!:D Good luck
xxx

[Kristin]

Some of my favorites according to my mother were....
mashed sweet potato
mashed banana
mashed peas and beans
"creamy" hot soups such as cream of wheat or rice(%50 daily value of iron in cream of wheat!)
I never ate avocados as a kid but I'm sure they'd be good for developing vegan babies' brains (they need more fat )
I'm sure rice milk, fortified, wouldn't be a bad idea either, it comes in chocolate, is highly tasty, not as a replacement for breast milk or formula, just as a supplement. good luck

[Heather]

Bette and Kristen,
Thank you for all your ideas and help. It is hard not knowing any other vegans. I am glad that I now have this board to help me out.

[vegma]

I haven't purchased Erin's book yet (sorry, Erin!), but I checked out a great book from the library called "Becoming Vegan" by Brenda Davis, R.D. & Vesanto Melina, M.S., R.D. They advocate a little too much of the fake meats IMO, but they really give a good breakdown on how much of each nutrient you/hubby/baby/child need and what you can eat to get it.

[go4green]

I love Dr. Michael Klaper's book "pregnancy children and the vegan diet " and "how it all vegan" has some child recipes and good baby oil and baby wipes recipes among others. (I like Erin's book too;)

Elle is almost 1year now, she started solids around 6 months, but didn't REALLY eat them a lot until around 9 months.
Her favorite foods are;
Avocado!!!
Beans (lentils 1st at 10 months, then some black and pinto when we ate out, that went well)
Sweet potatoes
yams
green beans
blueberries
frozen pitted cherries slightly thawed
rice pasta
rice
olives and mushrooms off our pizza
beets
homemade NUT milks 1st sunflowerseed then pumpkin seed and now sesame seed (raw organic seeds are best, you have to grind the sesame before blending with cold water, I add a little molasses or raisins for iron and sweetness, you can thicken with banana)
rice cereal
peas
bananas
peach
very ripe pear and apple slices without the skin
steamed asparagus (about an inch or 2)
artichoke heart-steamed
she'll eat some steamed carrot and spinach
she likes to chew on orange slices(good before iron foods)
mango
#1 is still breastmilk

soon we'll add tofu and more grains, which will open up a whole new world-good luck!
~Jenna

[Heather]

Thanks Jenna, that helped so much. You gave me some great ideas!!!!!:D

[5xblessed]

I really like all the suggestions that have been made. I always try to make a reasonably healthy meal for all of us and just give the baby what we're having (as long as it isn't something they can choke on or highly allergenic). I had some doubts too, then I realized non-vegans worry about their kids not eating much or only eating mac&cheese or whatever. Worrying about what kids are eating seems to go with parenting. I think if you read Erin's book and some of the other's mentioned you'll put your mind at rest and have ammunition for those who doubt you. I also just keep an eye on their growth. If they are growing, gaining weight and developing normally that should sure help you feel better. Hang in there.
Lisa