I have two young ones. My son is 13 months and my step daughter is 3 years old. So, I JUST got educated and converted to a vegan. So, naturally, I can't feel good about giving my son milk and any of my family animal products. I am looking for ideas and reassurance from mom's that have raised lil vegans. Can we be sure that they are getting what they need in order to properly grow? What are some ideas? I need help!

my son who is 14 mos, is being  raised a vegetarian because my husband is an omnivore who refuses to allow veganism for his child... my hubs is not a fan of "extremism" in either direction and feels that our son will be healthy even with a glass of milk and/or a sprinkling of cheese here and there.....i'd rather him be a veggie then omni, so i have to pick my battles and compromise on the dairy issue.....since i'm a SAHM, he eats vegan 95% of the time and is a healthy, active, and bright little man :)  that being said, for beverages, we alternate between eden's rice/soy, 100% fruit juice diluted with water, plain water, or (cooled) decaf green tea or peppermint tea.......loves it and looks so cute drinking from a mug like mommy!  food-- he eats anything and everything.....quinoa, rice, beans, tofu, and any veg or fruit you put in front of him....he's a foodie.  make sure its varied with colors to ensure a range of antioxidants, phytochemicals, minerals, etc and switch it up....cut them into bite size pieces and put them on fun plates with a dip (hummus, etc) and let him dunk.....if its fun and pretty to look at, the kids should eat it.......side note:: i'm a chef, so i make a lot of my son's meals and balance them with a ton of flavorings--- don't be scared of herbs and spices....they'll develop a greater palate...in fact, your step daughter could help you in the kitchen with stirring or pouring cooled items--that will get her excited about her meal....your son is still so impressionable so use this window of opportunity now.  he won't know the difference later on.  also, don't be fooled for "kids meals" vs "adult meals"......whatever it is that you're eating, let them try.  don't assume because they're kids that they won't like it....my guy even likes a green curry!  if they see you enjoying it, then chances are they will too.....love to copy and mimic.   again, my little man is healthy, strong, and lean.....

sorry about the long post, but had to share my experiences!  good luck and happy eating!

Jill

Thank you so much for your post. I appreciate the information as well as the great ideas. I can't wait to see my lil mans reaction to all of these new foods! One other question; What kind of hummus do you like? There are so many flavors...

one of my fave topics is nutrition--when i was in culinary school, all of my classes pertaining to it were some of my best (sadly, i have more nutrition education then most doctors)....throw little kids into the mix and i could talk or type :) for hours on the subject......i usually buy the athens hummus in garlic or artichoke....usually i try to vary it each time i buy one.  making it from scratch is easy as well........if you have extra herbs or whatnots, throw them in for flavor as well, such as sundried tomato and basil minced, for example.  be creative!! 

a really awesome book to read is  "feeding baby green" by dr alan greene.......not neccessarily directed exclusively for vegetarian/vegan mom but he does discuss it.....dr greene provides tasty recipes and explains why/how you should feed your children healthy and various foods now to expand their palates....i enjoy it.

smoothies!!  My kids love them and I can sneak anything into it.  I have a 3, 5, and 7 year old.  Our fave is frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, 1/2 banana, handful of kale, almond milk and honey(we still do honey)  But I've also put in avocado, tofu, spinach... just play with it and you'll find one they love!!  just don't add kale, tofu, and avocado all at once:)

There is so much that could be said about this, too much for a post. Angela's suggestion is good - smoothies are an excellent way to get a variety of nutrition into kids. I would simply suggest that you start reading more about nutrition - about how dairy actually affects the body (like leaching), and about what 'typical' things you can get from which foods - ie the common ones people ask about - calcium, protein, iron. In reality, a person eating  a well-balanced vegan diet is going to be getting a heck of a lot more nutrients and variety than the average omni. Maybe simply ask yourself - what am I worried my children won't be getting? - then do some research about vegan options for whatever it is you are concerned about. It's obviously too early to get too much advice from Alicia, and while she may share her experiences once she becomes a mom, she will be so busy with her own baby, but I doubt she's planning on raising her child anything other than vegan, so hopefully her visibility will help show more people that raising children vegan is a very healthy way to live.

Hi Lydia,

There is a vegan playgroup in my area of N.E. Pennsylvania.  I used to care for my twin nephews who were, of course, vegan when with me.  However, I didn't know about the playgroup at the time!  Anyway, I recently befriended a woman who participates in the group with her life-long vegan children (ages 7, 4 and 2).  I recently went to a playgroup potluck and the kids couldn't be more healthy, normal, or rosy cheeked.  They are all good eaters and I was pleasantly surprised to see a little toddler stand on his tippy toes at the buffet to grab himself a handfull of raw red pepper strips which he then happily sat right down and ate with delight.  It was precious.

Maybe there is a playgroup in your area too.  I was shocked to learn there was one near me, as I felt I was the only vegan on earth!  (Not really, but I did feel rather isolated with my nephews - if I had only known!)  Moms need all the support they can get.  Vegan moms can be great support for each other.  Maybe, just maybe, there is a playgroup near you.

Hello! My name is Marina, I have been vegan for past 6 years, I gave presentations on vegan, that is whole foods plant based diet and I also made a vegan cookery TV program in Serbia. I am 25 and I am currently an AuPair in Virginia. Due to some cirumstances, I am trying to find another host family. If you need an AuPair who can help you with feeding children, pls contact me!

Here is my AuPair video application http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ChOtJCOV1Q

I know some healthy baby vegans and their vegan parents and their vegan pets! :) 

Thanks,

Marina

I am a vegetarian myself and so is my 18 month old... i would love to be vegan but I find it incredibly difficult to cut out dairy completely (milk i can do but cheese and sour cream is very hard) I definitely cut back on the dairy though... my son has never eaten meat (he refuses) so I used to give him cheese everyday because didn't know how else to get him his protein... now i am smarter and he rarely gets cheese... as for the milk I use almond milk... upon further research their are way more of the nutrients needed in almond milk verses real milk and I steer clear of soy as much as possible because of is questionableness (especially for little boys, so im told) so yea give him almond milk and your husband probably won't notice the difference (if he is anything like mine! haha im incharge of baby!)

Hi Everybody!

Here are a couple of websites I look at often. They are by moms of toddlers. One is called "The Clean Eating Mama" and the other is " I Eat Trees".  These moms often talk about feeding their little ones and they recipes are really good.  I don't have kids, but I find it so uplifting to see mom's really caring about the diet of their children.  Check them out!  I'm sure there are more sites to visit too.

Hey Everyone-

Would love to hear your comments about soy...I am a mom of a healthy vegan 18 mo boy- I have done research and talked to our Ped and feel soymilk, soy yogurt, tofu, edamame, tempeh and some soy substitutes can all be part of a balanced vegan diet- I incorporate many other legumes, nuts, seeds, and milks as well.  Please expand ASBhearts on what you have learned about soy and it's negative effects on boys and others. 

Well Jewelstaar29 I had heard a long time ago (before I even cared about vegetarian/veganism) that soy was bad for boys because it naturally produces estrogen, and then I read the kind diet and she mentions that too much soy might cause reproductive issues with boys and girls. I do tofu and some soy products rarely but I just choose to err on the side of caution because there are plenty of other alternatives that are soy free.

Vegans eat fruit, nuts, grains and vegetables and don't eat anything that comes from animals; eg meat, eggs or dairy foods like milk and cheese.

If you don't eat anything at all from animals you may need to take vitamin tablets or capsules, especially B12, and extra calcium so that you stay healthy.

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My son is 16 months and I am raising him vegan. He eats a wide variety of fruits, veggies, grains, beans, lentils, nuts, etc. He eats healthier than I do! haha.. On occasion he has processed soy "meats", tofu, seitan, etc, but not too often. He like broccoli, but it's hard to get other leafy greens into him, mostly because of the toughness of the leaves, so the texture. I find making a smoothie with kale is a good sneaky way to go. I put in half a banana, a handful of frozen blueberries (or other berries), 1/4 of a ripe avocado, 1 cup of unsweetened almond or rice milk, and sometimes a sprinkle of vegan rice protein. He chugs it back! haha. I also make him a smoothie with just peanut butter, banana and almond milk some days. He loves that too. I have a recipe on my blog for some spinach pockets I whipped up, and you could also substitute the spinach for kale or collards, or do a combo. I'd just chop the collards or kale really small since it can tent to be a bit chewy. Check it out: http://vegan-momma.blogspot.com/2011/03/spinach-pockets.html. I have a few other recipes on there that you might like. Basically I try to make everything he eats as nutrient dense as possible... no junk. Of course he is picky sometimes and it can be stressful, but just remember that all kids are picky at certain ages, and you'll have good days and bad. I give my son a multi-vitamin everyday too... he has 15 teeth now almost, so he can chew quite a bit. You can get liquid multi vitamins for children too though.

Oh, I should have mentioned that one of my son's fave things is my mock tuna, or chuna as I call it since it is made with chick peas: http://vegan-momma.blogspot.com/2010/11/chuna-salad-yum.html. I make it in a sandwich for him, since a wrap is a little too chewy. It's usually my back up if he decides that he doesn't want the meal I made him. You could even add some pureed green veggies into the mix and they wouldn't even know:)