Vegetarianism and weaning...

[muddylettuce]

Help me get my head round this please! I'm vegetarian, my dp isn't but doesn't eat meat at home for general ease, we eat a lot of meat substitutes. After some discussion we decided we would feed dd meat. I feel it's her decision to make particularly as I'm not vegetarian for animal welfare issues (although feel strongly about free range and the right treatment of animals) and dp just wants her to get all the nutrients she needs. Dd is now 8 months and weaning well, she eats an ever increasing variety of vegetables, meat, fish and fruit but she has been diagnosed with a cows milk allergy in the last two months. At the moment we do a combination of purees, soups and finger foods for breakfast and lunch. I am going to introduce dinner soon and ideally I'd like the whole family to eat the same meal, I worry that making one meal for me and one meal for dp and dd might encourage fussiness?Having said with her allergy it appears more difficult to do... my mind boggles at having to take into account a vegetarian and a dairy free diet! What do other vegetarians do?

Well, I'm vegetarian but my DP isn't (although he was for a long while in the past, before I met him). As I do all the cooking and am with my DS for all his meals, I cook vegetarian food for all of us. My DS is vegetarian, as I decided that he could ask to eat meat when he is old enough to understand and decide for himself. I'm quite confident that he is getting all the nutrients he needs from a (lacto-ovo) vegetarian diet. I give him a multivitamin daily as a just in case as well.

I couldn't cook meat/fish for my DS/DP really as I wouldn't be able to taste it, and haven't got a clue about cooking meat anyway having been a vegetarian for 20plus years.

I don't necessarily think that cooking two different meals would encourage fussiness, as you could make two slight variations on the same things. Eg a meat chilli for your DP/DD and a bean/soy/quorn chilli for you. Avoiding dairy would make things trickier but there are dairy substitutes that you can use in place of cheese, milk etc. My DP eats meat when out of the house, or on weekends when he will cook bacon/sausages etc for breakfast. He's ok with eating vegetarian the rest of the time, basically because I'm cooking for him so he's grateful anyway! Plus he likes vegetarian food as a hangover from having been veggie himself.

But I'm not quite sure why you couldn't just cook a vegetarian dinner as you do at the moment? Your DD would still have opportunities to eat meat at breakfast/lunch, and it would make your life easier.

I guess I could cook one evening meal for everyone, I was just worried about feeding dd meat substitutes, they form a reasonable part of our diet. I read somewhere I shouldn't be feeding her them because they are too low in fat?

I would look at changing your diet so you aren't using so many substitutes. We aren't vegetarian but some favourite veggie meals here with our children are:

Risottos ( butternut squash/ mushroom/ broad bean/ pea)

Black bean quesadillas

Butterbean stew

Spanish omlettes

Lentil bolognaise

Aubergine pasta

I would stick to vegetarian and just let her eat meal out if you want

We are the same as you me veggie DP only eats meat when out. We did blw so less need to cook differently and we rarely use meat substitutes (although ds now 16 mo as the occasional quorn thing)
We have offered meat out and about often refused and the occasional toddler ready meal now e.g plum little foodies microwave things jerk chicken!
I would just adapt your diet a bit and go with the flow.

Just cook you all meat and dairy free meals. You can then enjoy them together and don't need to cook separate things. The are thousands of healthy and protein rich vegan recipes online. You do not need meat to eat well.

Near substitutes are fine if she is getting fat elsewhere in her diet.

*meat

Thanks for everyone's input. I will try and cook more vegan meals in the evening and maybe just the occasional meat/quorn thing. Just have to educate dp as he does the shopping! X