hello all, my name is Kassie and I have a 13 month old daughter. It is said that children from 12 mos. to I think 3 yrs. are supposed to drink whole milk because they need the fat for brain development. What else can I give her to replace the milk and the fat she needs? Also, are there any other tips for making the recipes in the book "kid friendly"?

Hi Kassie,

I believe you can substitute soy milk so long as it is fortified.

Here is a link to a comparison of cow's milk vs. soy milk

http://parenting.ivillage.com/baby/bnutrition/0,,4570,00.html

It talks about infants but further into the article it addresses babies over a year old.  Good luck!

Sarah

thank you for that article, I found it very helpful. I just got the book about 2 weeks ago and loved it so much, I turned vegan. Now I have no clue what to do. It is hard changing your whole diet, I just take it one meal at a time.

avocados are a great fat source.  you should pick up a book on raising vegan children...there are a few on amazon.  

I am glad you asked this question because I have a 19 month old who drinks a ton of milk. I would love to switch him to soy.

I'm a bit late here but this is my favorite all time book about kids and veganism. It's the book that I go to often when I have questions. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?r=1&afsrc=1&ISBN=9780658021558&ourl=Raising%2DVegetarian%2DChildren%2FJoanne%2DStepaniak

That is an awesome book!  Another one that is very informative and has many excellent recipes is the Super Baby Food book.  It is not vegan, but all of the recipes are either vegan friendly or can be made so.  She does recommend a no meat diet, but incorporates dairy and eggs.  It includes a lot of info on good sources of fat for brain development, etc.  There is a whole section devoted to yummy finger food recipes for toddlers too.

Another GREAT fat for brain development is avacados!

I'd be interested in hearing kid friendly recipes.  I've been vegan for 6 weeks and feel great, but my 2,4,and 6 year old rely heavily on milk, cheese and yogurt.  My 4 year old has always been underweight and I'm really scared to take away some of the only food she'll eat, she also has asthma and allergies and could benefit from a life without dairy more than most.  Any suggestions for super picky kiddos?? By the way, the vegan cheese, yogurt and milk sub are not working. 

My kids have responded well to almond milk.  There is also the Uncheese Cookbook by Joann Stepaniak, which is full of delicious vegan "cheesy" recipes and ideas for substitutions.  In fact, she has a few books that are excellent.  And again, the Super Baby Food book has tons of vegan friendly, nutritious recipes or ones that can be easily veganized.  My kids are by no means vegan, but moving in the right direction (i think).  With kids, no change can be overnight unless it is an urgent life or death situation.  Going slowly goes over much better. 

I would probably look at something like fortified rice or almond milks instead of soy.  Part of the reason is because a lot of people have an allergic reaction to soy or soy based products.  At such a young age it can be difficult to tell if they do or what their reaction might be.

I have 2 children that both drank ricemilk fortified with calcium and extra vitamins.  Sometimes I changed up with hemp milk.  My one daughter is almost 3years old and my son is 11 months.  They are both extremely healthy.  I breastfeed them both for almost a year and then switched over to the rice milk.  We had no problems at all.  Hope that helps.

I also love "How it all Vegan".  My sister got it for me for my bday and my kids (3 and 6) have eaten several things from it!  They also love soy and rice milk! I worry about too much soy with boys because I have heard too much about the estrogen in it. 

We drink almond milk and  rice milk. My little guys (almost 3yr.) has been drinking it since he was about 15 month. He is a healthy happy little guy!

We just started almond milk, my kids took to it better than rice and soy.  It's creamy with a touch of sweetness, not odd tasting like I think soy can be to kids who've experienced regular milk.  I'm always happy that it has as much calcium and vitamin d, just not as much protein, but much lower sugar.