raising your kids vegan
Posted by taneika on Jan 06, 2007 · Member since Oct 2006 · 15 posts
My fiance and i have had many discussions about raising our kids vegan. I was just wondering if anyone on here has done this and what their beliefs are?
i just worry about taking my kids to daycare and having to wonder all day if they are following the rules I set out...or if someone is feeding them something i dont want them to be fed. I also read something earlier about someone's brother and sister feeding their child meat thinking it would be funny and i worry about those thing happening!
THANKS!!!
Dreena Burton's book "Vive le Vegan!" has many great recipes, but at the back it has a very interesting section on feeding a vegan baby/infant. It's more focused on health than dealing with society - but it is incredibly informative, with cooking guidlines and recipes.
well that was another concern of mine was raising a healthy vegan baby...thanks so much for your replies!
i worked at a daycare/"learning center" while i was in college...we had several parents that had strict request about their baby's and child's diet and what they ate at the center. we ALWAYS honored these request...make sure, really really sure, that you find a NAEYC (nationa association for the education of young children) accredited, they tend to be more reliable...
there's also modified food pyramids for vegans/vegan children, nature - animals, can provide all the essentials a growing body needs!
best of luck!
I always had a stash of snacks for my son at his schools/daycares. I typed up a list with his picture on it (in case of new staff) with things he coudn't eat on it. I asked them to let me know if there was going to be something special like pudding or icecream and I would bring my own in for that day. Most of the time it was fine, but things do happen.
Also, I found when I was looking for good daycares, some places actually had days like "mcdonald's fridays" or "hotdog wednesdays". I would avoid those and stick with ones that just have packed lunches everyday.
You just have to do the best you can do and not fret about it. Feed him/her vegan at home and do the best you can do otherwise, but if a bit of casein gets in him now and then, know it won't kill him. Worrying about it will just cause undue stress (I've been there!). Unless you are a stay at home mom and home school your child, there are no guarantees. He will still have a healthier diet compared to all of the other kids in the class! My son still remembers the time that the babysitter gave him eggs (he was only 2).
I have actually eased up a bit and now as long as the snack isn't obviously not vegan (like cheese, egg or something junky like goldfish) I tell them he can have it (just don't tell him its not vegan). I figure when he is older and can comprehend ingredients better he can make those choices on his own (he is almost 6 now).
He has always been fine with eating something different than everyone else-it was just part of the daily routine. When asked about snack he would say something like "my kids had goldfish, and I had my crackers".
One of my most proud parenting moments was when we were at AAA and there was a picture of Ronald McDonald on the wall and he asked me "who is that scary clown?" He was 3 or so and people looked shocked that he didn't know! I was beaming!
My advice is don't choose to not raise your child vegan because you think it won't work. Just do the best you can do, and you will be doing right by your child!
Unless you are a stay at home mom and home school your child, there are no guarantees.
Of course you can't guarantee that your child will stay vegan always even if you put every bite of food in his mouth personally. What I meant was, if you are going to trust someone else (even a family member) to care for your young child and feed him while you work, you can't be guaranteed that that person will stick to your "rules", and there is no sense fretting over it! :)
Chances are, my child will not be vegan as an adult, based on statistics. Most people don't end up like their parents (thank goodness!).
Goldfish are the worst.
I have never let my children eat them and we are L/O.
Someone, somewhere managed to convince society that those salty little crackers were okay for kids and they are considered standard kiddie fare.
The bad thing is the "health food" stores are now filled with all sorts of vegan junk food. Okay, so no TRANS FATS, but still 10 to 12 g of fat per serving and filled with salt. You still need to be diligent about reading labels.
thanks to everyone for the replies!