Vegan baby- what’s ur thoughts?

[France2000]

Ok, so I’m a vegan. Hate milk and meat, in my opinion we’re not supposed to ingest it. But I know babies need milk, although I’m not convinced an entirely different species’ breast milk is the answer lol. Has anyone raised a vegan baby? Looking for advice on the subject, thank u x

[greenelephantscarf]

The only supplements you need as a vegan is B12 and the reason meat eaters don’t is because the animals they eat are given B12 supplements.

this is a myth that always comes up in these discussions.

[mooncuplanding]

kitten

You remind me of jehovahs witnesses who refuse blood transfusions, such is your indoctrination

[Sethis]

You can’t undo feeding them dead animals, it’s morally wrong to force a human to consume flesh without their consent.

Bollocks.

Sorry.

Show me a child, any child, anywhere in the world, who turns down food with animal content just because it's animal content. I don't know a child alive who would refuse a chocolate bar because it has milk, which comes from cows, and cows are treated badly, so we shouldn't use milk, and we shouldn't buy chocolate... the kid wants the chocolate bar. Period.

Consent doesn't enter into it. You're projecting your opinions onto children that "flesh" is somehow abhorrent and to be avoided. You might have valid reasons for thinking this, but no 1-3yr old is going to give a toss unless you set out to brainwash them from day 1.

I'd go so far as to say that withholding food that they (and every other child) enjoy is more morally wrong than letting them eat what they want - within reason. How much did you enjoy being the only child at the birthday party not allowed to eat cake? Was that Ryvita an acceptable substitute? Did it make you feel like you were having just as much fun as all the other kids?

I think not.

[LoniceraJaponica]

"tbh I think a diet that requires supplements or highly processed fortified foods to be sustainable can't be ideal"

I must admit to feeling uncomfortable about this.

[frenchchick9]

Do some research, op! If this is so important to you, why wouldn’t you get as well informed as possible?

[NOTthepinkranger]

You can get B12 from fortified cereals, some soy milk or take a supplement.

B12 is not given to meat

[fermezzlabouche]

The story about the parents whose toddler developed rickets is nothing to do with being vegan they are simply unfit parents and absolute idiots. They had a picky eater and fed her porridge for more than one meal a day.

[WaxOnFeckOff]

Okay, I've not read the story and undoubtedly the parents are idiots, but one of the main causes of rickets is lack of calcium and porridge (nowadays) is usually made with milk so surely if they weren't vegan then 2 bowls of porridge a day would have not been a contributing factor?

[fermezzlabouche]

I'm assuming they were adding either a non fortified alternative milk or water to non fortified oats.

[kikisparks]

It’s absolutely fine (as long as baby is either breast food or given suitable fortified infant formula until 1 year old minimum). I was raised vegetarian and a lot of people thought I would need meat but me and my brother (over 6 foot) were not malnourished in any way. We had a (superted ) multivitamin every day but imo all children should have a multivitamin vegetarian or not.

This guide is amazing and what I would use static1.squarespace.com/static/59f75004f09ca48694070f3b/t/5a5a4935ec212dd5067a0622/1515866446317/Eating_well_Vegans_Oct_2017_final.pdf

[kikisparks]

@NOTthepinkranger farmed animals are often given b12 hence why livestock b12 supplements exist

[kikisparks]

@LoniceraJaponica all children age 1- 4 should be getting vitamin supplements (this has been the recommendation for decades). Most omnivore diets need fortified foods you just aren’t aware of it. All non organic cow’s milk has vitamin D added and most bread has iron added as an example.

[kikisparks]

@KittenCamile you’re getting a horrible time on here- on the vegan board which is meant to be a safe place for vegan support!

You’re doing an amazing thing and I wish you and your child all the best

[anitagreen]

You can get goat milk powdered in Sainsbury's for new borns

[kikisparks]

@anitagreen that wouldn’t be any more vegan than cow’s milk powder though?

Personally if I had a baby and couldn’t breastfeed I’d use a cow’s milk formula but I’d try my hardest to breastfeed first (as long as it was recommended and baby was doing ok). The definition of vegan is not to exploit animals as far as possible and practicable, as PP said baby formula is like medicine if it’s necessary you use it.

[derxa]

www.troylab.com.au/product/vitamin-b12-sheep-cattle-500ml/
This is given to animals who have anaemia not a routine dosage. They are animals who can get ill just like humans. We gave our sheep a trace element supplement this year because of the hard weather conditions which affected the soil conditions and the general health of the animals.
The cost of this is considerable so we wouldn't have done this if unnecessary.

[Elephantgrey]

The links about vegan babies who died or were taken into care were all victims of severe abuse. The 7 month old should have been mainly breast or formula fed. Most Brest fed 7 month olds are vegan anyway as they are still being introduced to food.

It is fine to bring your child up vegan if you can breastfeed. The first steps nutrition link a previous poster shared is really good with nice recipes and nutritional advice.

If you are not breastfeeding there is no dairy free formula. As previous posters have suggested even formula for babies with a dairy allergy contain animal products.

[WaxOnFeckOff]

I think the general message is that it's perfectly possible but it needs to be very carefully managed and monitored. Idiot and neglectful parents always exist, but the fact remains that excluding so much from the diet of a growing child makes malnutrition much more likely. Living from bowls of porridge whilst not ideal would be unlikely to result in rickets if whole cow's milk had been used. Everyone is entitled to their stand and to choose what to feed themselves and their families. However, they need to dO it with their eyes wide open and ensuring health always comes first.

[AFistfulofDolores1]

Please, please don't use soy. It mimics some hormones and is entirely unhealthy in regular doses.

[MockneyReject]

So much misinformation, so much defensiveness - as is usual in these threads.
Plus, of course, the usual years old cases of neglect where the idiot parents veganism is irrelevant.

“No matter how many times they want to say, ‘We’re vegans, we’re vegetarians,’ that’s not the issue in this case,” said prosecutor Chuck Boring. “The child died because he was not fed. Period.” (quoted from one such link, posted by a PP to 'prove' her personal opinion).

I know several vegan children, all who turn down down treats because they contain animal products, and I reckon most children would do the same, if they knew the truth. Us vegans/vegetarians are used to being accused of 'brainwashing' - by parents who knowingly mislead their children to get them to eat stuff that children would otherwise refuse.

I hold my hands up to right up to forcing my views on to my children, though. Tolerance, non-violence, female equality, atheism, kindness to animals and old people, amongst others. Whilst I hope they'll continue to share our family values, if they want to eat meat or vote Conservative, then they'll make their choices armed with the available information.

I've yet to meet a meat eating family who raise their children vegan, so as to avoid forcing their beliefs on to them, btw.I

OP, it's perfectly possible. Like any other parent, you need to arm yourself with knowledge and information. If say breastfeeding is a crucial part of that as, obviously, it does away with any need to give cow's milk formula.
All the best, with whatever compromise you decide on.

[bluesky45]

Im not vegan but I am vegetarian, dp eats meat. Some pp have suggested you will need to give your child a 'normal diet' including meat. I really don't think this is the case at all. My ds eats very little meat. Between us, me and dp said that if I was cooking, ds would eat what I was eating and if dp cooked, ds would eat what he was eating. But we often eat as a family in which case it is usually vegetarian. Sometimes dp will add meat to his portion e.g. macaroni cheese with broccoli and dp will add ham for him. Ds will refuse the ham and choose for himself at 1 year old to eat a vegetarian meal. As I said though, he does eat dairy but I think once you finish breastfeeding (if you manage to) then you can give alternative milks.
If you are eating as a family, there's no need to cook your child something different to what you are eating as long as its still balanced.

[Elephantgrey]

The little girl with rickets only weighed 10lbs at 1 year old. This suggests very severe neglect rather than her being a picky eater. The most likely scenario is that the little girl was not breastfed or given a suitable infant formula. While cows milk would make very little difference in this case as the baby would have been severely malnourished from birth. The parents must have known that she was not thriving.

The op is asking for nutritional advice for her child so posting these scare stories about vegans is very unhelpful.

[WaxOnFeckOff]

I didn't post them, but I disagree it's unhelpful. It's always good to look at all aspects in order to make proper informed choices. A scare story for it's own sake isn't helpful in particular but it does stick in your head in order to ensure that you do the right thing for your child. I'm not saying that excludes a vegan diet. It's not enough just to stop eating meat or stop eating dairy and just carry on eating "normal" meals without those ingredients. It's about seeing what a full nutritious diet needs to contain and making sure that your diet contains those things. It's easier to be "accidentally" healthy when eating everything as by luck not necessarily judgement, you are more likely to get everything you need. I'm not a vegan or a vegetarian but I respect others rights to put what they like into their own mouths.

[Isitwinteryet]

@MockneyReject "if they want to eat meat or vote conservative"

Had a good chuckle at that! 😂