FAQ: What to feed babies & toddlers on a plant-based diet

Danika, a reader & new vegan, sent me the following message recently.

(A few notes:  “ward” refers to her congregation at church.  Also, as you know, I’m not a registered dietitian.  I’m a mom of four, & I’ve had a lot of (recent) experience with breastfeeding & feeding babies & toddlers.  This post is for informational purposes only.  For changes to you or your babies diet, seek guidance of a health care professional.)

Danika writes:

It has been a wonderful two months, with yummy food. We are in it for life, this is not just a fad diet for me. I was 3 months postpartum at the time I started eating vegan and I was already at my pre-pregnancy weight, so changing my eating was not about loosing weight but, it just happened. I have dropped under my pre-pregnancy size and I have a whole new problem, not being able to afford new clothing!

I have 2 questions for you.

My son is 5 months old and I would like to know where I could read about breastfeeding how and when to introduce solids. I plan to make my own baby food and I plan to breastfeed as long as I can. But I just don’t have any resource to learn what to do and when. I don’t want to just talk to women in the ward because they aren’t into the natural stuff and they use store baby food.

Also, my husband is pretty much on board with everything. He watched forks over knives with me and has been reading some of the stuff I have found. Heres the question: do you know of any sources where he could read about men’s vegan journeys? like body builders maybe? Somewhere he can read and receive confirmation that he is getting enough protein and give him other snack ideas.

He is having a hard time finding replacements for his old “healthy” snacks of hard boiled eggs, protein shakes, cottage cheese and yogurt  We don’t have any of that in the house anymore but he is worried he will loose his muscle. We bought some brown rice protein but it is really nasty- I  think we will try soy next time.

My response:  

Congrats on the new baby and getting to a healthy trim weight. You look fantastic!  (She sent me a picture.)

I’m so glad you found my site & that it could be of use to you.

As far as advice for your baby, I will tell you what I have done & what has worked for me & my kids. I nurse exclusively for the first 6-8 months. I try to hold off giving solids for as long as possible, 1) because it’s easier to nurse than to feed 2) The earlier you introduce a variety of solid foods, the more risk of allergens (or of them developing allergies later). I think all the old-school schedules of feeding your child rice cereal, then vegetables & meats, then cheese, blah, blah, blah aren’t very useful.

As soon as it was apparent that my kids were very interested in solids (usually by the time they have their first couple of teeth, around 7 months or so), I introduce simple, soft fruits & cooked vegetables. Bananas, avocados, peaches, applesauce, steamed broccoli, are some of the foods my babies ate a lot of.  Around 8 or 9 months I’ll introduce a few more foods, like mashed sweet potatoes or rice cereal, mashed peas or green beans, or tofu (although watch for any signs of allergies or intolerances to soy). Babies, when breastfed, don’t need a lot of variety when they start eating solids. That will come soon enough.

Around 1 year, I’ll add more foods, especially things like non-dairy yogurt (coconut or soy) & beans. Puffed rice & puffed millet, and gluten-free cheerios are also great foods for older babies. Brown rice cakes, too. I avoid giving my babies: wheat, gluten, nuts/seeds, strawberries, & citrus, until they are about 14-18 months (my youngest is intolerant to gluten, we found out the hard way because we were giving her wheat crackers which gives her a rash & diarrhea).

I also fed my babies simply. As long as they were nursing, I knew they were getting most of their nutrition from my milk so I didn’t stress too much about food. Both of my daughters ate mostly bananas, avocados, & rice cakes before they turned one. They tried a few other things, but I found it’s better to nurse as much as possible & the food acts as a supplement, more for the experience & exposure to new things, than for the nutrition (since most of their calories & nutrients came from my milk.

About your husband.  Tell him: 1) He’s awesome to want to eat plant-based & support you & 2) to look into Brendan Brasier. He’s a vegan tri-athelete with a book out. Very fit, very buff, & 100% vegan with lots of great tips for guys wanting to eat plant based.

You also might want to check out Dreena Burton’s site, she has a series on how/what to feed kids.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions!

♥♥♥

Do you have a question for me?  Send me a message via facebook or twitter, or email.  I’d love to hear from you.


Comments