Vegan baby

[Expecteddeclathon]

In your opinion, is it ok for a baby to be vegan from weaning (6 months)?

When pet birds whose eggs we don’t eat (like parrots) lay eggs you’re advised to leave the eggs there until they naturally lose interest in than after several days (and then put your egg in the compost, I guess). The reason is that if you take the egg away (which wouldn’t happen in the wild) they will just lay another, and another, and another. And that’s apparently not good for their insides.

So if I had a pet bird, either parrot or hen, I’d be wanting to do what was best for them, so I guess that’s what I’d do.

The baby is absolutely vegan if it's breastfed.

I have an almost 7 year old and almost 2 year old, both vegan from conception, feel free to ask me questions - both full of life, very healthy and happy.

The only friends I know who tried gave up due to their babies always being sick and not putting on weight.

I would prefer to give my child an organic free range egg than some weird soya chemicals but each to their own.

No because vegans need to take vit B12 supplements are are often short on iron. Both are necessary for brain development. How about letting the child decide when they're older. Also please ask a non-biased paediatrician. There was a story a few years ago of a baby who died because they were only fed fruit. Don't risk your child being short of nutrients and ask an expert.

I don’t want a long lecture about how terrible it is that I use biodegradable animal by products in shoes and clothing and then when we’re in the subject I’ll get a lecture about my meat eating. She has a bit of a blind spot in this area but is otherwise nice.

It's none of my business.

Eggs are edible for far longer than ‘several days’.

I‘d be sad to waste good eggs.

Yes, I believe it can potentially be ok. BUT with the caveat that you will likely need to supplement and also plan their diet extremely carefully. Kids can be fussy, and eat so little, that can make it harder to get the appropriate nutrient rich food into them.

I am mostly vegan, as is my husband. We are not raising our child vegan, but vegetarian - and if she wishes to eat meat when she's older, fair enough. And even with that, I did loads of research (even as a lifelong vegetarian with a biology background) and we also booked a private consultation with a nutritionist when we were weaning to ensure we were covering everything she needed. She's thriving, tall, healthy, strong, smart. But I honestly think we'd struggle if she was vegan. Other kids might be different; I know one child raised by vegans (who I believe do let them eat dairy and eggs at nursery), and I also know one vegan child who failed to thrive and was referred.

honestly, I think restricting foods or deeming some foods ‘allowed’ and others ‘not allowed’ can program your child for eating disorders. So it would be a hard no from me. Actually, I’d even go as far as saying that modeling restricted eating isn’t great for kids. It doesn’t help them develop a healthy relationship with food

I’m sure I’ve seen a case of a baby dying from being on a restrictive “vegan” diet. It’s incredibly cruel to deny them vital nutrients 🫤

What about eggs? There high in protein and Good source of Vitamin D (bone/immune health), B vitamins, selenium (immune), iron, and omega-3s

This comment is *chef's kiss

Interesting that the topic of "choice" always comes up when we talk about raising babies/children as vegan, but not about them making the choice to eat animals/animal products?!

Why do we assume eating animals and animal products is the norm/baseline? I offered my child the choice when she was old enough to start knowing where food comes from, and the choice was "would you like to start eating meat?" not "would you like to stop eating meat"

(FYI - she chose not to start eating meat, because she loves animals)

So make sure you don’t deny them vital nutrients and make sure you don’t kill them

most - the vast majority- of poorly fed children today who are being denied vital nutrients and stuffed with dangerous chemicals that have no place in food are on an omnivorous diet

Madness

we live in a society full of disorderd eating - junk food , UPF, more than half the calories in the uk come from crap not food and none of us were brought up vegan

unrestricted eating is killing us, making us fat, triggering all kinds of cancers

just the first taste of some UPF messes children up

In my opinion: No, a baby shouldn't be a vegan. HTH.

I think it's a bad idea. We're omnivores and there's no way of obtaining B12 from plant sources so there's no way anyone can say that this is a nutritionally optimal diet. Obviously I understand it from an ethical point of view but this is your baby and they have to come first. I think you have to be very careful of 'all or nothing' thinking here. I'd be furious if my mum had made this choice for me.

I posted studies pointing to issues with bine density, educational performance and nutritional deficiencies. I don’t care of people are vegan or not, I do care that people are taking care of their kids. OP posted this on an open forum asking for opinions.

I’m not going to say theres nothing wrong with raising a vegan child because the evidence suggests that actually veganism in children presents easily avoidable risks to their wellbeing. I do think that from some of the comments from vegans about veganism being super healthy is wrong, clearly wrong when you have to supplement aggressively in small children and it makes me think actually some parents who choose vegaanism for their kids don’t actually know what they are doing. Completely acknowledge that other parents do a good job of mitigating the negative aspects. But lets not pretend it’s actually good for children. If the primary concern was health then your kids would be eating fish.

From what I can see, many vegans wouldn't eat eggs even from rescue chickens because of 'all or nothing' thinking. They have to be the perfect vegan.

But obviously eating standard free range eggs isn't ethical because they're not really free range. Maybe Burford Browns would be a reasonable compromise.

Thing is I am not vegan or veggie and I am not comfortable with a vegan baby - but I still find some of the omnivore comments quite bizarre edging on deranged

I can’t imagine vegans would have pets. That would be exploitative, surely?

What a ridiculous comment. Human milk is designed for babies, cows milk is not. It’s quite depressing how non vegans try to put vegans down or catch them out in some way. Cows milk is meant for their own babies. Not the human race.

Fish? With the heavy metals?

It's a point of debate - lots of vegans consider pets not vegan. Some think if you rescue an animal that might be OK. I fall into the former camp I think - I don't see keeping pets as vegan.