Vegetarian Baby? -- Advice from a seasoned mom

[Guest guest]

My kids are 16 (boy) and 11 (girl), and vegetarian from birth,

minimal animal products. They both became vegan by choice in 2000.

Both very healthy, athletic and smart. And very picky, so they don't

have an optimal diet (lots of bread and soy and as many veggies and

beans and fruits as I can get into them!) They are both head-strong

and noncompliant types so we have food struggles (especially my son).

Anyway, my point is that even though they don't eat the " best " diet,

they are doing OK (except for problem below)!

 

As a seasoned mom, I have some advice for all of you young mothers

out there. Try not to give your children processed, packaged, soft

foods until they know what they are and it's unavoidable. I'm

talking about pasta, bread, cookies, etc. Get them used to textures

and tastes and chewing at an early age while they are still breast

feeding or using formula. Make your own baby food using one of those

hand baby food grinders at the table. Don't just try to get

" calories " into your kids through processed foods. I made that

mistake with my son. He got soooooo picky at 13 months old (he

stopped breast feeding on his own at 6 months) and was soooooo skinny

that I did that. I gave him bagels, pasta, pancakes, etc. because he

wouldn't eat anything else. Most of the problem was that he was in

day care and I didn't get to control what he ate for a large chunk of

the time. I should have tried harder! Now, even though he eats better

than he ever did (salad and veggies for dinner, fruit for snacks,

mostly all whole grain bread) he suffers from occasional severe

constipation (he goes, but doesn't get it " all " out apparently --- he

has gotten backed up into his ribs!). I really try to limit " white "

products, but when he gets them, he goes " nuts " over them. It's tough

because he's a teen old has a mind of their own and denies that he

has a problem (outwardly).

 

So that's my story! Any advice from moms even more " seasoned " than

me, in dealing w/ insolent teens? I admit to being part of the

problem for making too big of a thing about food over the years. But

what else can I do? We have made progress in the eating department

from my not giving up on him completely!

 

Take care and good luck with your little veggie!

 

Tracy

 

 

 

On Oct 19, 2006, at 9:27 AM, Amy Merwin wrote:

 

> Dear All,

> I'm new here and have a question about raising a vegetarian baby.

> My son, Kyle, was 3 months premature and is doing great now. He's

> now 6 months (3 months adjusted) and we're going to start solids

> this weekend. His pediatrician seemed concerned that we (his

> parents) are vegetarian (she assumed I'm anemic which I'm not) and

> said he'll need meat to get enough iron. I believe you can get iron

> from other sources and was wondering if anyone else has experience

> raising a baby vegetarian from birth (premature or full-term). He

> has a meeting with a dietician and I'm reading as much as I can-

> just hoping to get some of your stories.

> Best,

> Amy

> Geneva, Switzerland

>

>

[Guest guest]

I am a big fan of sneaking foods. Cook a pot of chili with lots of veggies and

beans (you can put some in a blender to hide them further). Cook a pot of soup

with veggies, barley, etc. Do you use brown rice and whole wheat pastas? Make

a pizza (we like the rice mozarella cheese) with shredded carrots and broccoli

under the sauce and cheese; it helps to prebake the crust for a few minutes so

it doesn't get soggy.

 

Good luck!

 

Tracy Childs <tracychilds wrote:

My kids are 16 (boy) and 11 (girl), and vegetarian from birth,

minimal animal products. They both became vegan by choice in 2000.

Both very healthy, athletic and smart. And very picky, so they don't

have an optimal diet (lots of bread and soy and as many veggies and

beans and fruits as I can get into them!) They are both head-strong

and noncompliant types so we have food struggles (especially my son).

Anyway, my point is that even though they don't eat the " best " diet,

they are doing OK (except for problem below)!

 

As a seasoned mom, I have some advice for all of you young mothers

out there. Try not to give your children processed, packaged, soft

foods until they know what they are and it's unavoidable. I'm

talking about pasta, bread, cookies, etc. Get them used to textures

and tastes and chewing at an early age while they are still breast

feeding or using formula. Make your own baby food using one of those

hand baby food grinders at the table. Don't just try to get

" calories " into your kids through processed foods. I made that

mistake with my son. He got soooooo picky at 13 months old (he

stopped breast feeding on his own at 6 months) and was soooooo skinny

that I did that. I gave him bagels, pasta, pancakes, etc. because he

wouldn't eat anything else. Most of the problem was that he was in

day care and I didn't get to control what he ate for a large chunk of

the time. I should have tried harder! Now, even though he eats better

than he ever did (salad and veggies for dinner, fruit for snacks,

mostly all whole grain bread) he suffers from occasional severe

constipation (he goes, but doesn't get it " all " out apparently --- he

has gotten backed up into his ribs!). I really try to limit " white "

products, but when he gets them, he goes " nuts " over them. It's tough

because he's a teen old has a mind of their own and denies that he

has a problem (outwardly).

 

So that's my story! Any advice from moms even more " seasoned " than

me, in dealing w/ insolent teens? I admit to being part of the

problem for making too big of a thing about food over the years. But

what else can I do? We have made progress in the eating department

from my not giving up on him completely!

 

Take care and good luck with your little veggie!

 

Tracy

 

 

 

On Oct 19, 2006, at 9:27 AM, Amy Merwin wrote:

 

> Dear All,

> I'm new here and have a question about raising a vegetarian baby.

> My son, Kyle, was 3 months premature and is doing great now. He's

> now 6 months (3 months adjusted) and we're going to start solids

> this weekend. His pediatrician seemed concerned that we (his

> parents) are vegetarian (she assumed I'm anemic which I'm not) and

> said he'll need meat to get enough iron. I believe you can get iron

> from other sources and was wondering if anyone else has experience

> raising a baby vegetarian from birth (premature or full-term). He

> has a meeting with a dietician and I'm reading as much as I can-

> just hoping to get some of your stories.

> Best,

> Amy

> Geneva, Switzerland

>

>

[Guest guest]

I can't help but laugh... I'm imagining this poor 16 year-old boy sitting down

to a yummy piece of pizza, picking it up and a bit of carrot falls out...

" YOU....! "

 

Kadee Sedtal

 

robin koloms <rkoloms wrote: I am a

big fan of sneaking foods. Cook a pot of chili with lots of veggies and beans

(you can put some in a blender to hide them further). Cook a pot of soup with

veggies, barley, etc. Do you use brown rice and whole wheat pastas? Make a

pizza (we like the rice mozarella cheese) with shredded carrots and broccoli

under the sauce and cheese; it helps to prebake the crust for a few minutes so

it doesn't get soggy.

 

Good luck!

 

Tracy Childs <tracychilds wrote:

My kids are 16 (boy) and 11 (girl), and vegetarian from birth,

minimal animal products. They both became vegan by choice in 2000.

Both very healthy, athletic and smart. And very picky, so they don't

have an optimal diet (lots of bread and soy and as many veggies and

beans and fruits as I can get into them!) They are both head-strong

and noncompliant types so we have food struggles (especially my son).

Anyway, my point is that even though they don't eat the " best " diet,

they are doing OK (except for problem below)!

 

As a seasoned mom, I have some advice for all of you young mothers

out there. Try not to give your children processed, packaged, soft

foods until they know what they are and it's unavoidable. I'm

talking about pasta, bread, cookies, etc. Get them used to textures

and tastes and chewing at an early age while they are still breast

feeding or using formula. Make your own baby food using one of those

hand baby food grinders at the table. Don't just try to get

" calories " into your kids through processed foods. I made that

mistake with my son. He got soooooo picky at 13 months old (he

stopped breast feeding on his own at 6 months) and was soooooo skinny

that I did that. I gave him bagels, pasta, pancakes, etc. because he

wouldn't eat anything else. Most of the problem was that he was in

day care and I didn't get to control what he ate for a large chunk of

the time. I should have tried harder! Now, even though he eats better

than he ever did (salad and veggies for dinner, fruit for snacks,

mostly all whole grain bread) he suffers from occasional severe

constipation (he goes, but doesn't get it " all " out apparently --- he

has gotten backed up into his ribs!). I really try to limit " white "

products, but when he gets them, he goes " nuts " over them. It's tough

because he's a teen old has a mind of their own and denies that he

has a problem (outwardly).

 

So that's my story! Any advice from moms even more " seasoned " than

me, in dealing w/ insolent teens? I admit to being part of the

problem for making too big of a thing about food over the years. But

what else can I do? We have made progress in the eating department

from my not giving up on him completely!

 

Take care and good luck with your little veggie!

 

Tracy

 

On Oct 19, 2006, at 9:27 AM, Amy Merwin wrote:

 

> Dear All,

> I'm new here and have a question about raising a vegetarian baby.

> My son, Kyle, was 3 months premature and is doing great now. He's

> now 6 months (3 months adjusted) and we're going to start solids

> this weekend. His pediatrician seemed concerned that we (his

> parents) are vegetarian (she assumed I'm anemic which I'm not) and

> said he'll need meat to get enough iron. I believe you can get iron

> from other sources and was wondering if anyone else has experience

> raising a baby vegetarian from birth (premature or full-term). He

> has a meeting with a dietician and I'm reading as much as I can-

> just hoping to get some of your stories.

> Best,

> Amy

> Geneva, Switzerland

>

>

[Guest guest]

LOL! You really hit the nail on the head! But he likes broccoli and

carrots and my kids are used to me putting " funky " things into their

food and having whole wheat pizza crust, etc. We make calzones w/

artichokes, broccoli, sauteed tofu and pineapple. Soy cheese melts

better in a calzone then it does on a pizza (it dries out and just

sits there in shreds, depending on the brand) He doesn't like soup,

though. He'll eat a small bit of soup with a huge bite of bread and

stop eating soup when the bread runs out (or even before if you know

what I mean!). Frustrating as all get out! He does like veggie chili

in a bread bowl, though It's the only way he'll eat chili! I put

refried beans in the chili. Tricky, eh? I'd like to develop or find

a good recipe for veggie soup with pureed beans that irresistibly

delicious. FYI, navy beans will dissolve in soup if you cook it long

enough Also red bell peppers in soup are absolutely delish and my

kids won't touch them raw. Anyway, even though he's impossible to

deal with in a lot of ways, he's a great kid. He plays competitive

soccer at the highest level (looking to play in college), takes the

hardest AP courses in HS and gets all As, so battles at home are

minor considering what a lot of 16 year olds are like! He's also

younger than all the kids in his grade (Nov. b-day) and made the J.V.

team as a freshman. Being a vegan is not a setback! It's an

advantage. Both of my kids rarely get all of the bugs that go around

and when they do, their immune system is strong and it's gone much

sooner than for most. (Knock on wood!)

 

Bottom line: all kids are different about food and eating. Some will

eat anything. You will probably not find out what kind yours is until

around 3 or 4 years old. Kids can become finicky at any age. It's

totally normal and natural. Pay attention to times of growth. This is

when the appetite should really increase and it's a good opportunity

to have your kids try different foods. At 3 and 4 kids are not

growing much, so it's natural that they won't want to eat much. My

advice about holding off on bread, etc, sticks.

 

On introducing food, but holding off until the baby shows interest is

always a good advice. My son was a great eater as a baby. He loved

eating until he was 13 months, then he had other things to do His

appetite started to pick up when he was around 14. Now he eats a lot,

and he's really growing and he's filling out and getting very

muscular. He was short for his age and quite thin until he was around

14. Now he seems average in height, but thinner (of course). But he

looks good. No belly like some of the other kids are starting to get

already.

 

On the subject of iron: My son was low on iron at 9 months. I started

feeding him rice cereal mixed w/ baby apple juice (fortified w/ vit.

C) or later orange juice and that helped because C helps the body

absorb the iron in the cereal. Also a liquid vitamin for awhile, I

think. The problem w/ formula and breastmilk mixed w/ the cereal is

that the calcium binds w/ the iron. You don't need to feed your child

meat! If your kids are picky, definitely get a multivitamin. My kids

swallow pills now, yea!

 

Good luck!

 

Tracy

 

 

 

On Oct 20, 2006, at 8:19 AM, Kadee M wrote:

 

> I can't help but laugh... I'm imagining this poor 16 year-old boy

> sitting down to a yummy piece of pizza, picking it up and a bit of

> carrot falls out... " YOU....! "

>

> Kadee Sedtal

>

> robin koloms <rkoloms wrote: I am a big fan of sneaking

> foods. Cook a pot of chili with lots of veggies and beans (you can

> put some in a blender to hide them further). Cook a pot of soup

> with veggies, barley, etc. Do you use brown rice and whole wheat

> pastas? Make a pizza (we like the rice mozarella cheese) with

> shredded carrots and broccoli under the sauce and cheese; it helps

> to prebake the crust for a few minutes so it doesn't get soggy.

>

> Good luck!

>

> Tracy Childs <tracychilds wrote:

> My kids are 16 (boy) and 11 (girl), and vegetarian from birth,

> minimal animal products. They both became vegan by choice in 2000.

> Both very healthy, athletic and smart. And very picky, so they don't

> have an optimal diet (lots of bread and soy and as many veggies and

> beans and fruits as I can get into them!) They are both head-strong

> and noncompliant types so we have food struggles (especially my son).

> Anyway, my point is that even though they don't eat the " best " diet,

> they are doing OK (except for problem below)!

>

> As a seasoned mom, I have some advice for all of you young mothers

> out there. Try not to give your children processed, packaged, soft

> foods until they know what they are and it's unavoidable. I'm

> talking about pasta, bread, cookies, etc. Get them used to textures

> and tastes and chewing at an early age while they are still breast

> feeding or using formula. Make your own baby food using one of those

> hand baby food grinders at the table. Don't just try to get

> " calories " into your kids through processed foods. I made that

> mistake with my son. He got soooooo picky at 13 months old (he

> stopped breast feeding on his own at 6 months) and was soooooo skinny

> that I did that. I gave him bagels, pasta, pancakes, etc. because he

> wouldn't eat anything else. Most of the problem was that he was in

> day care and I didn't get to control what he ate for a large chunk of

> the time. I should have tried harder! Now, even though he eats better

> than he ever did (salad and veggies for dinner, fruit for snacks,

> mostly all whole grain bread) he suffers from occasional severe

> constipation (he goes, but doesn't get it " all " out apparently --- he

> has gotten backed up into his ribs!). I really try to limit " white "

> products, but when he gets them, he goes " nuts " over them. It's tough

> because he's a teen old has a mind of their own and denies that he

> has a problem (outwardly).

>

> So that's my story! Any advice from moms even more " seasoned " than

> me, in dealing w/ insolent teens? I admit to being part of the

> problem for making too big of a thing about food over the years. But

> what else can I do? We have made progress in the eating department

> from my not giving up on him completely!

>

> Take care and good luck with your little veggie!

>

> Tracy

>

> On Oct 19, 2006, at 9:27 AM, Amy Merwin wrote:

>

> > Dear All,

> > I'm new here and have a question about raising a vegetarian baby.

> > My son, Kyle, was 3 months premature and is doing great now. He's

> > now 6 months (3 months adjusted) and we're going to start solids

> > this weekend. His pediatrician seemed concerned that we (his

> > parents) are vegetarian (she assumed I'm anemic which I'm not) and

> > said he'll need meat to get enough iron. I believe you can get iron

> > from other sources and was wondering if anyone else has experience

> > raising a baby vegetarian from birth (premature or full-term). He

> > has a meeting with a dietician and I'm reading as much as I can-

> > just hoping to get some of your stories.

> > Best,

> > Amy

> > Geneva, Switzerland

> >

> >