Family is against me for not feeding baby meat

I find it weird that eating meat is the default diet

Eh?
I have.

Actually, it's probably controversial to some, but I believe children should be exposed to as many religious systems as possible (including atheism), then allowed to choose what to follow, of any.

We were both vegetarian when we had our children, (I’ve since become vegan) so we raised our children as vegetarian.

My partners family made a big fuss about it and also tried to tell me to eat meat when I was pregnant. 🤪 Their diet is appalling and most of them are overweight and unhealthy so I found it ridiculous that they would comment on our children's well planned out and healthy vegetarian diet. Even if they had eaten healthily, it would still have been none of their business.

Our children are adults and teens now,, they’re all healthy, one has remained vegetarian, two have chosen to be vegan. All are very glad they’ve never eaten animals.

We all make choices for our children when they’re young, your family had their turn with their own children, now it’s your turn. I’d have one serious conversation with them and tell them to back off and if they don’t respect your decision, then see less of them.

Jesus h Christ. Vegetarian babies don't need nutritionists 😆

I have a lot of veggie friends and they’ve never raised their children to be vegetarians because they worried about their protein and iron needs growing up. They let their children make a choice as they got older. Only one has chosen to be veggie. The rest enjoy meat.

ultimately OP naturally we are omnivores and really people expect you feed your child an omnivore diet until he can choose for himself, rather than having your wishes put upon him.

but you don’t want to hear that, and you want him to be veggie. Die on that hill. It is your child, your choice.

p.s you can ensure the iron and protein needs are met by not stuffing him full of quorn crap. You know this already, so I’m sure you have good ammo for telling them to butt out.

That’s what she said she would be doing. Read the thread.

@Foxtails hogs on the massive derailing of your thread.

dear family, you’ve made your feeelings clear as have we - his actual parents. You are making catching up an unpleasant experience by continuing with your objections and I feel that I’d rather not be around continued complaints. Please respect our decision and let’s continue enjoying each others company.

they can happily whinge about this and future parenting decisions in private but no negativity or continuous whinging to you both.

Presumably so too then is my Hindu friends who are raising pure vegetarian children, having themselves been raised vegetarian from birth.

Do you also have a problem with that?

People are so weird when it comes to meat and children's diet. Just look at the poll on this thread!

We are weaning and our DC eats the same stuff as us, that is completely normal OP.

People will argue that you aren't exposing your child to different foods or that they can't be healthy. But you never hear them say it for other types of food. I know plenty of families that don't eat fish, spicy foods, rice, fermented foods etc but that is seen as completely normal.

OP, you will continue to be called controlling and cruel on this thread. My advice is to ask your doctor or pediatrician and get their all clear to convince your parents.
Having said that, I dont think you should take drastic measures like reducing contact or going NC.

Great reply!

Frankly your family need to be told firmly not to impose THEIR views on you and your child, and start stepping back, pointing out that their behaviour is upsetting you so much that you don't want to see them.

At 8 months old, your baby won't really be up for meat anyway - it's a tricky texture. My two didn't really get into until 2 or so. My friend raised her boys veggie, as she has been so all her life and she doesn't even know how to cook meat. Her DH eats meat, and on starting school, so did her eldest son (who is now full on carnivorous!). Choices are made as and when they are capable, and in the meantime eating healthy meals alongside their parents is very important IMO. I'm sure your vegetarian meals are far healthier than chicken nuggets and chips...

It's the parent's ethics, not the child's ethics.

As long as the baby is getting adequate nutrition, it is not your family's business OP. Tell them that the topic is no longer open to discussion, and if they bring it up, just say, I'm not discussing it, have a nice rest of the day, and switch the conversation and leave.

You want to impose your beliefs on your child, it always happens with parents but it’s still not always great, you want to create taboos and beliefs in your child life and diet (because he won’t have the intellectual skills to understand vegetarianism at his age), that is not good.

Learn to give him agency rather than create your meat free mini me. Learn to stay neutral, keep cooking vegetarian for him but if he happens to eat some meat outside, with relatives, let him. Don’t forbid him to try meat, don’t judge him if he does, don’t blackmail him with your preferences, let your own beliefs take a step back and let him be him.

Ignore them OP, and anyone else. My DS has been a vegetarian since birth and is now a huge and healthy teenager. No wasting away without meat funnily enough. People who think no one can survive without meat are ridiculous.
You family are entitled to their opinions but unless they’re the ones making the food for your child day after day then they have no say in what you feed your child.

Its reasonable for a parent to make a decision to exclude a food on ethical or moral grounds. Are you depriving your child from an important culinary experience by not giving them foie gras if you think foie gras is cruel? What about if you don’t feed them horse meat?

If you’re supportive of parents choosing not to feed their kids those foods on ethical grounds, then you can presumably see the basis on which parents choose to feed no meat on ethical grounds.

Yanbu. I’m a meat eater but provided your child is getting sufficient nutrition then carry on. Every time a family member gets on your case about it, shut them down immediately- “not this again, l’m changing the subject” just don’t enter into discussion.

I’m vegan and kids dad is veggie. We feed the kids a veggie diet and they eat a great range of stuff with more than enough protein. Everyone makes choices for their children, vegetarianism is just as valid choice as meat eating. So far neither of ours are interested in eating meat but if they decide to at a later date it is up to them. Our household is meat free though.

Nursery even a few years back had no issue accommodating a veggie diet btw.

If you do this, I would enlist a nutritionist that specializes in this area. Growth during this time is very important and you need the right fat/protein combinations. Also, iron very important and dairy stops the body from absorbing it.

I would not make a baby child vegeterian. I would give them the option when they are done growing at 14/15 years old......

Ah well, I know quite a few.
TBH, while I encourage children to try foods, I won't force them to eat things they've tried and disliked more than once. I love most veggies but if anyone tries to feed me aubergine I'll refuse every time. 🤢🤢🤢

It’s about respecting parents wishes until baby can make their own choices! Surely you can see that.

It’s the same as saying “no screen time for baby” and if someone then did screen time with baby that would be disrespectful. Not hard to understand.

Plenty of vegan babies these days! I've known lots of vegan babies/pregnancies/adults who grew up and have been vegan since conception.

I am vegan. I brought up 4 children as vegetarian years ago when everyone thought it was weird. They are still veggie as are their partners and children. My husband stopped eating meat years ago. My closest friends have turned vegetarian. They are all healthy. There is just no need for anyone to eat meat and I don't think it is healthy. Your child will do fine on a vegetarian diet. Do a little research to make sure all food groups are included which isn't difficult. I think it is strange how lots of people see eating meat as a normal diet. I feel I am the normal one and that having an animal killed so you can eat a bit of it's body when you don't have to is not normal. I'm sounding a bit like a preachy vegan here but I am really not. I go out with large groups of friends or work colleagues who eat meat and just do not discuss it, some of them would not even know that I am vegan. Only saying how I feel here as lots of posters seem to assume meat eating is the default diet. Some in laws just love to have a bit of control over anything and how you deal with that is down to your personality type. I told my inlaws not to give my kids any meat which they said they went along with but I'm not quite convinced that when I wasn't around they were fed some. I didn't make a fuss, equally if they went to a party and I wasn't around if they ate a chicken nugget or something I wouldn't stress about it but I would never have bought or cooked meat for them.