Can I raise my child as a vegan?

[muddlethroughmumma]

I myself have been vegan for nearly a year, and all throughout my pregnancy I was shamed for being vegan even though if anything my baby's growth and our health was off of the charts, can I raise my child to be vegan or would it be seen as limiting his diet in a wrong way, don't get me wrong have had soy protein as meat alternatives in foods to ensure we are still consuming a balanced diet so there wouldn't be any limitations on his diet. If anyone else is raising their children as vegans or vegan their self I would appreciate some advice. xxx

Of course you can. It’s perfectly healthy although I wouldn’t be using substitutes etc.

look on the vegan society’s website for information on a healthy diet.

Can you? Yes.

Should you? No. Children need a balanced diet and it's hard to get enough alternative protein into children. There are dairy free formulas if that's a choice you want to make but give your child options as they grow and let them choose for themselves.

My friend has 4 children, youngest is 2 I think, and they're all vegan. She's careful with their vitamins. Personally I think veggie with low dairy would be more comfortable. Eggs and a bit of cheese or yoghurt.

It’s pretty selfish , vegetarian until mid teens.

Can you? Yes, of course you can, and if your child isn’t fussy then there are plenty of protein and calcium options to ensure they have a proper balanced diet.

But morally, I’d let them choose their own food whenever they’re old enough. Ie, if they want to try chicken nuggets aged 3 when you’re out then I’d let them, and if they get to 8 and decide they don’t want to be vegan then you should also respect that.

Lastly, don’t tell anyone, you’ll get too many unwanted comments!

Yes ! Definitely and it’s really healthy !

check what vitamins you need to supplement though (b12 I think)

you can get plenty of protein from things like nuts and legumes

vegan baby led weaning is great too - baby just eats what you eat.
there’s no vegan formula but wysoy is the closest it does contain non vegan vitamin d though (from lanolin I think)

thrtr are some great fb groups for vegan weaning / vegan kids

Will you be breastfeeding for a long time?

I think you need to think carefully about nursery/school later on. Both of the vegan children I knew had huge issues around food including stealing food from others, hiding food and eating off the floor. I don’t think these behaviours are inevitable but I do think it’s important to think ahead to social situations your child will be in and how you will support them with that.

It can be done. But to be done healthily you're pretty much committing to extended breastfeeding.

cook as you please and need in your own home, please don't insist friends and family support vegan cooking for you or your child.
the "is this birthday cake vegan type", "please can you order a vegan pizza for my child" is isolating.

Not necessarily! After age 1 alpro 1-3 is perfect or if avoiding soya then oatly barista
these contain the right amounts of fats and iodine needed

Vegan alternatives to pretty much everything are readily available plus if you go to asda they are no more expensive as they match the free from prices to regular ones

Also if you ask schools will prepare a vegan menu for a child as it’s a protected belief

at our school the vegan menu is as varied as (and often matched to !) the regular menu

It can be hard enough at social events keeping a toddler away from dairy products so vegan would be very difficult at birthday parties when young and such events.

My DD has a dairy allergy. It's a pain. From a practical perspective I think it'll be difficult especially once your child goes to school - we had to show letters from the gastro consultant advising dairy allergy otherwise they wouldn't adapt the menu. Birthday parties are awkward - we always take back up food and treats. Organised easter egg hunts impossible. And that's only with excluding dairy... I wouldn't want my child to feel excluded by choice.

We have done many vegan parties !! You’d be surprised how many ‘party’ foods are vegan anyway !
party rings and Oreos !!
fruit ! Veg sticks and houmous
sandwiches made with dairy free spread
easy to get free from cakes in any supermarket !
i could do a vegan party spread and tbh if I didn’t say I don’t think anyone would notice

I have a child with egg and milk allergy (so was basically near vegan anyway!)

we took party food with us just to avoid cross contamination and we always managed Easter hunts you can get so many df treats now I appreciate a standard organised one may be different but at home it would be doable as such a huge range in the shops for vegan Easter same with Xmas we had no issues with vegan options of things like chocolate coins etc etc

Quorn do nuggets (just check as some are egg free and some contain egg)

We are veggie but mostly vegan. DD been same as me since birth. Basically vegan but with occasional cheese and chocolate. She has a limited palette so we have really struggled to give up the cheese / chocolate side of things, pizza etc being some of the few foods she will eat (and not the vegan versions which she rejects). I tried more recently to cut out cheese etc but am struggling due to her rejection of many foods in general. I think it depends on the child and how open they are and their general food preferences. If they are fussy it could be harder, so maybe keep a more open mind about some foods. Some are easy to give up (milk, yogurt) and if my DD had a wider appetite I would jump at it 100%. So we are happy with slowly moving towards 100% but it's not easy. I am trying though. It's about striking a balance. On the other hand she's never had meat, eggs etc and rarely milk since born. that has been no bother to us at all.

My DC are allergic to dairy, soya and eggs. It's very hard to get the right amount of protein, calcium, iodine etc. Even if they could have soya I wouldn't want to feed them it so that makes things quite tricky if you're also meat free. Calcium for example can be gained from lots of leafy veg but they eat a few spears of broccoli and some green beans of an evening, maybe an orange. The rest of their calcium has to come from artificial supplemented sources, like fortified breads and milks.

It's not something I would choose for them.

When it comes to school, other people bring in cakes on birthdays, chocolate is handed out a lot, there are cake sales, ice cream at the summer fete, chocolate at the Xmas bazaar etc. Yes you can provide alternative sometimes but 9/10 my DC get left out. Remember schools are also nut free so that also limits you on school lunches and snacks, no nut milks, no it butters, anything like nakd bars, all banned.

In your shoes, I would do vegan at home, as it's your diet. I don't believe in cooking x amount of meals to cater for everyone every day so it's just how your household is.
But, once your child is old enough and able to choose foods I would let them choose what they want to eat at school, parties and even restaurants.

Be open, supporive and relaxed around your childs food choices to prevent any issues or disorders.

Yes, you can absolutely raise your baby just fine on a balanced vegan diet. The hardest part will be dealing with other people’s opinions!

If you don't give them dairy after breastfeeding then your child will most likely become lactose intolerant so you may need to allow some dairy frequently if you want them to be able to choose.