Vegan baby - worried about allergies

[Milsta]

Hi there -

I’m currently just 12 weeks pregnant, but planning ahead for when our first baby arrives next year!

DH and I have been vegan for about 9 and a half years now and we both have always been sure about raising our future children vegan too (until they are old enough to choose otherwise, if they ever do).

I plan to breastfeed initially, however I have been learning more and more about weaning (for when the time comes) and we are super torn about this decision. So I wondered if any other vegan families had any thought/experiences when it comes to this..

I have read quite a bit of research on how, when weaning a baby, introducing common allergens frequently and at an early stage can reduce the risk of them developing these allergies. We had always thought we’d never give our baby animal products from birth, but we are now having doubts as to whether this is a responsible choice in terms of developing allergies.

Even as long-term vegans, mistakes occasionally happen. E.g. food at a party mislabelled as ‘vegan’ when it actually contains milk. Or travelling abroad to a country that doesn’t have the same understanding of veganism and unknowingly likely consuming some level of milk or egg within a dish.
For my husband and I, we have never had any medical issue with this sort of thing making us sick, as we had grown up eating milk/eggs. Obviously we’d be unhappy about it but it was never dangerous.

However, if our baby never eats milk/eggs/etc., they are at a higher chance of developing an allergy and we may not know to be careful with these allergens.
For example, if they have never consumed milk and then one day accidentally eat something at school, a friend’s birthday party, on holiday etc., we wouldn’t have allergy medication ready because we wouldn’t know they were allergic?

I know this is probably just me overthinking things, I really hope it all makes sense, I just feel so conflicted about this. I am really passionate about veganism and hope to instil positive compassionate values in our child.. but I also don’t want to be doing something to put them at risk.

I know it is completely our choice at the end of the day, but wanted to hear some thoughts that cover both sides of the dilemma so I can make an informed decision.

Anyone else been through this and have any stories to share?

Thanks so much!

1. this is the vegan board.
2. breastmilk is absolutely vegan.
3. I’m in my 40s, have never eaten meat, fish or shellfish and never had allergy issues. I’m tall, muscular & strong.
4. my baby is vegan and thriving(we are well informed and proactive about nutrition, including things like choline). He’s walking early, bright and high percentile for weight & height.
5. He’s had peanut butter/kiwi/wheat/treenut butter probably egg in vaccines and a small amount of dairy formula at the start (unavoidable for medical reasons but it didn’t agree with him). My reading on the matter suggests exposure to allergens need to be continuous so limited exposure is not necessarily helpful. And indeed any of us can suddenly develop an issue with certain foods at any point. I myself did in my 30s.
6. Yes vegan formula is available but needs to be imported (e.g. Sprout or the French soya based one).
7. There are a lot of people who don’t understand or hate veganism for a variety of reasons and your post is like a bat signal to them!
8. I was always assumed to be deficient as a lifelong veggie child in the 80s and it was nonsense, the only deficiency I have ever had is vit D (due to living in the UK & wearing sunscreen).
9. the WHO agrees a vegan diet can be perfectly healthy for children - as with any diet, you just need to ensure it contains the right nutrients.

Well said.

It's the other way round with lactose consumption. Historically, humans as mammals wouldn't have consumed milk past breastfeeding. Breastfeeding would have gone on for longer, probably until the adult teeth started coming in. Gene mutations meant that adults with the mutation in Europe and the middle East, where cattle and goat farming became common, could out compete those that didn't.

Op, we have a vegetarian child, so not vegan, but never had issues with party bags or inclusion in events. I swap any unsuitable sweets they are given (including trick or treat) for suitable ones and donate the old ones to the food bank. The school always had vegan marshmallows when doing forest school, as there are other kids that can't have gelatine for religious reasons. Every party we have ever had involves a child with a milk or egg restriction, so I just visit the free from section.

Sadly the male chicks are disposed of at birth/ within the first few days just the same on free range farms. Also ‘free range’ only means the chickens aren’t caged for life (is it 4 or more chickens to an A4 page sized cage? Sorry I can’t remember the exact stats) Free range may mean they have to have access to the outdoors, but that can literally be a tiny square of mud - and most of the thousands of chickens in a vast agricultural barn will never even make it outside.

‘Free range’ is yet another clever marketing phrase to distract us from the horrors that go on routinely in the production of ‘animal products.’

I disagree. I buy my eggs from places where I can see the hens clucking around with plenty of space.

@PolskiFiatYes, that’s good, (supermarket eggs aren’t like that of course) but what happens to the male chicks that are born the same time as the female chicks that lay the eggs you buy?

Might be good to ask the farm owner if you haven’t already. Cockerels are not in much demand to be honest….

Yeah another vegan who knows nothing about farming

I had a vegan on my farm asking why I don’t eat my laying hens a while ago, then demanding to know why I think it’s ok to separate my kid goats from their mother so I can milk them….while the kids are standing right next to the nanny

it’s embarrassing

Which poster are you talking about?

@hamstersarsehello, er… I grew up surrounded by 3 farms and spent loads of time on my best friends grandparents farm, so unfortunately I saw exactly what went on. Partly why I’m vegan! So, what are you implying I don’t understand?