Weaning as a vegetarian

[Mirshid]

Hi my dd is 19 weeks and I'm not intending to wean her just yet just planning ahead! I have been a veggie for the last 15 years and would ideally like to bring my dd up as one until she is old enough to make up her own mind but I'm concerned that she will miss out on essential nutrients etc as I cook a lot with quorn which they recommend you don't offer until 9 months. I am also a bit clueless when it comes to cooking meat although dh is a meat eater.
Any veggies out there with any tips or advice.

The Vegetarian Society has a good fact sheet on vegetarian babies, which I had a good read of before I started.

I got into the habit of cooking with lots of pulses, beans etc eg red lentils, green lentils, split peas, chickpeas, etc etc. Egg and dairy are also obviously a good idea to include. I use rapeseed oil for cooking as it is high in omega 3-6-9. You can also add things like wheat germ and flaxseeds to food to up the omega 3-6-9 as well. I give plain full fat Greek yoghurt which is high in protein, instead of the sugary "children's" yoghurts that you can get.

Hummus is a staple for us, as is marmite and nut butters - you can get a variety of different nut butters from places like Holland & Barrett. I use tofu for cooking occasionally but it's not my favourite so we don't have it too frequently. I sometimes use paneer in curries which works well.

Large sections of many countries have a vegetarian diet from birth, and it's a perfectly healthy way to bring up a baby.