Vegetarian baby-yes or no?

[dache]

I am a vegetarian for a few years now and if it was all up to me I think I wouldnt give her any.
But dh loves his meat. And he thinks that she needs meat.
He already feels like Im making all the decisions about her food choices  so I dont want this too to be an issue.  (he complains that I refuse everything he suggests and yet he refuses to read a little bit more about babies with MSPl and reflux )

What do you think about it? Any mommy there with a vegetarian baby?

[cath~]

not done it myself but the NHS (the UK national health service) has this advice about making sure your LO gets all the nutrients (esp iron) they need if you are bringing them up on a vegetarian diet:
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/vegetarian-vegan-children.aspx#close

so I guess as long as you make sure LO gets everything they need then it shouldn't be a problem

[Hedgehog17]

Hi,

My DS is also MSPI (had reflux when younger), and because of that I have to give him meat because he can't have any protein from dairy - no cheese or yoghurt here  Most LOs get a lot of their protein from dairy! Unfortunately a LO just can't eat enough beans to get sufficient protein that way, as an adult vegan can, so it's just not feasible to avoid meat when they can't have dairy unfortunately 

When she's older she may choose to be vegetarian, and she may even be able to tolerate some dairy which will certainly make it easier, but I personally wouldn't make that choice for her now.

My DS may well become vegetarian when he's older as he really doesn't like red meat at all! Fortunately he loves chicken and eggs so can get protein that way at the moment  I don't mind at all if he becomes vegetarian, as long as he knows to eat enough protein from beans 

Hope that helps a bit 

[weaver]

Both of my LOs have been veggie all along, now aged 4 and 2.

I'm vegetarian and I'm perfectly comfortable making that choice for them. It's not like meat-eating isn't making an active choice for them too I would've been VERY uncomfortable with feeding them meat, it's just not an option for me.  They are very healthy, rarely ill. 

You need to do what is right for you and your family.  One of my goals when deciding to have children was to ensure that their environmental impact was as low as possible and their lifestyle as compassionate as possible.  Those are core values for me, changing them would be changing who I am and not teaching them the lessons I want them to learn. So that is something to bear in mind too.

[dache]

You all make good points!
Hedgehog, you are right about protein intake being limited already because of the lactose intolerance (which is quite bad). So that is something to think about.
But then on the other hand this makes a lot of sense to me.

One of my goals when deciding to have children was to ensure that their environmental impact was as low as possible and their lifestyle as compassionate as possible.  Those are core values for me, changing them would be changing who I am and not teaching them the lessons I want them to learn. So that is something to bear in mind too.

How will I explain to her that I am giving her to eat something that mommy doesnt?! But daddy does?
Anne is your dh a vegetarian also?

[~Karen~]

I've been a vegetarian for 30 years, dh isn't.  My kids do eat meat, although not loads.  I wanted it to be a decision they made for themselves if they ever want to. 

[mycatmonet]

I was veggie when pg with dd. Coincidentally she has never liked meat and would never eat it until recently. So she did just fine on a meat free diet!

[*Ali*]

Is it MPSI (Milk Protein and Soy Intolerance) she has or lactose intolerance? Or both?
Just wondering if she can have soy products and lactose free milk products.

There is a regular mum at my play group who is raising her son as a vegan and although it takes a lot of research I think it is definitely possible. There are things vegan/vegetarian kids can eat beside beans that contain protein like nuts and nut butters, whole grains, quinoa (a complete protein), lentils, peas, hemp and soy (if they can have it).

Are you happy for her to eat eggs? Fish?

I'm not vegetarian although I find the notion admirable. I think if I were a vegetarian for ethical reasons I would also refuse to buy and prepare meat for my kids if I could provide for their needs some other way.

[malenka]

I'm vegetarian, but the rest of the family isn't. DH, who is almost 5, has never caught on to the fact that I don't eat meat because we've never made a big deal about mealtimes or talked about me being vegetarian. For me, it was important that he not know too young, because I wouldn't want him to choose to eliminate a food group because I did - imagine him deciding not to eat fruit or veggies.

[weaver]

Dache, I've never prepared meat in my house. OH wasn't vegetarian when we met but since we moved in together (14 years ago!) he hasn't eaten meat at home, and rarely when we were out together.  My attitude was that he could buy it and prepare it himself if he wanted it, clearly he didn't want it.  He has eaten meat occasionally with his mother, but has now moved away from that entirely.  He isn't one for labels, so he wouldn't call himself vegetarian, effectively he is though.

It's a different situation if your DH is a committed meat eater and thinks your daughter "needs" to eat it.  I don't think she does, and lots of people agree, but you and DH need to work it out between you.  You will also need to research your daughter's intolerances - if she is lactose intolerant, Ali is right to say there are lots of lactose free cheeses, milks, yoghurts available, and tofu of all sorts, as well as nuts and beans and lentils and eggs!  If it's MPSI, it's another story entirely, it's far more restrictive. Again as Ali says, it might be good to look at vegan diets, just to get to started thinking about it.

imagine him deciding not to eat fruit or veggies.

This is not really comparable  - there is no ethical reason for not eating fruit or veg.

[malenka]

This is not really comparable  - there is no ethical reason for not eating fruit or veg.

Of course, but sometimes logic is difficult with little ones and they ignore the "why" and just focus on the result.