NEWBORN VEGETARIAN?!

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  • Perisylpha
    Perisylpha Posts: 139
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    my fear is that she is YOUNG, and she is being supported (well, will be being supported) by her mother... not her boyfriend or herself. and i dont want her to be so overwhelmed that she half-commits to this.

    .......

    i just dont know if her priority is the health benefits or the 'mind set' of the child being a vegetarian, and THAT is what scares me....

    1) If you're concerned with her half-committing to a healthy diet, have you thought about teaching her some vegetarian recipes that you know and love? Or perhaps as a gift, buy her a quick/easy vegetarian cookbook? I checked on Amazon, and there are several "Vegetarian Baby" and "Vegetarian Child" cookbooks available for a decent price. I would consider checking these out, and if possible, buying one or two for her. I'm sure they also include some nutritional information about how/what to feed the baby...but of course, none of that would replace visiting her doctor/pediatrician.

    2) Have you asked her what her priority is? Sit her down, explicitly address your concerns, and maybe just try to talk it out?

    2) i did, but she is SO WORRIED about 'losing' her boyfriend, she is basically willing to do anything to keep him.... and i think thats why this vegetarian toddler thing leaves such a 'bad taste' in my mouth. She also will be letting the child know that....

    1. santa clause is not real
    2. easter bunny (all of those) are fake
    3. Thanksgiving is 'a croc' and they wont be celebrating it
    4. god is fake
    5. religion is all fake
    WTF

    i'm worried that the ONLY reason she is doing this is because of her boyfriend, and i dont thinks its for the healthy benefits it could possibly have. I mean, she never talked this way before dating him, and now EVERYTHING this douc** says is like 'gods word'

    How awful to strip away all the magic from childhood.
  • DatEpicChick
    DatEpicChick Posts: 358 Member
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    How awful to strip away all the magic from childhood.

    i know =[ and the sad part is that when i talked to her about it, she didnt WANT TO... but she is going to because that is what he wants... its like a master and slave situation almost...

    but i'm glad to hear that the vegetarian diet for kids is pretty usual... that leaves one less thing for me to wonder about. obviously she will talk to the doc, but at least there is no like 'obvious' danger for the wee one.
  • Ttopeka
    Ttopeka Posts: 160
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    i know =[ i just want the best for her... she wants so badly not to be a single mom (which is completely normal) i just wish the dude would step up... i wouldnt hate him nearly as much if he would step up for her and stop being a kid... its time to be dad and be apart of the decisions and put his family first, instead of telling her what she is going to do... and i understand why she goes along with it... but it drives me mad

    I think she's just enabling his bad behaviour, though; she's LETTING him tell her what to do, how to act, etc. without expecting him to have any real responsibilities himself. I can understand that she does not want to be a single parent, but what kind of family is it when there is no respect for one another? She has to stand up for herself and say, "Hey, this is NOT going to work. So shape up and be a father, or thanks for the monthly child support check." -- because by allowing him to dictate her behaviour without him actually playing the father role is doing herself/the baby NO good.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    What kind of meat do you think one gives an infant?

    And, no, being veg is not any more expensive than eating meat. If you do it right, there is no need for supplements. A small child can be healthy and veg for not a lot of money.

    i have a 15 month old little girl. And she tries everything, spaghetti, chicken nuggets, baked chicken, all kinds of crock pot recipes. oh and YES she has had the dreaded HOTDOG (scary sounds ensue). being a child is about trying NEW things and parents encouraging them, and if they chose to take some of those things away that is FINE. My issue with the situation I POSTED ABOUT is the fact that i dont think her reason for the diet is for health, and what other people thought about the issue or if they knew anything about young ones and diets.

    Your thread title is "newborn." I've never heard of a newborn eating meat.

    Just sayin'.

    Anyway, my best friend is one of four children raised veg and believe me, their parents were far from rolling in dough. They're all (physically) healthy adults. Their emotional/mental health is another story, but nothing to do with their diet.

    I'll also point out that your friend may not have a choice in the end. My parents were veg when I was born. They had to start eating meat again because I absolutely refused to eat vegetarian when I was little.

    Ironically, I chose to become veg a few years ago, but my parents have never gone back to it.
  • brendansmom1
    brendansmom1 Posts: 530 Member
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    In a nutshell....education. If she is well informed on what types of combination of foods that she should offer to her child to ensure that the child is getting he proper nutrition they need to thrive....then there will be no reason for concern. That should be what is important...not weather or not he/she will be raised as a vegetarian.

    Some kids are really tough....finding something they will eat is a challenge at times....she will face struggles, just as we all did. I swore my son was going to waste away due to malnutrition when he was about 3 because he was such a picky eater. Will that be better or worse for her? No, kids are kids.....

    Anyway, like I said...it's all about being educated. Much like many of the other "issues" we have in this world...if people would take the time to be educated....well, wow...imagine what the world would be like! LOL
  • SlimBananas
    SlimBananas Posts: 124 Member
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    I love the fact that multiple vegetarians have equated meat with hot dogs and McDonalds McNuggets, as though that's the only option to feed a 3 day old meat-eating infant.

    Anyone who isn't incredibly biased want to weigh in? You're definitely not going to get any good advice from someone who can't look at the issue with even a basic element of objectivity.


    lol thank you, thats what i was saying everyone keeps talking about hotdogs and nuggets, all she wanted to know is if it was healthy and if anyone had been raised or have raised a child that way, she wasnt asking how much it was or how bad supplements were..lol..people get so high strung on here.
  • LottieLou13
    LottieLou13 Posts: 574 Member
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    I barely ate meat as a kid. I remember my mum making me sit at the dinner table for about an hour because I wouldn't eat my steak. At 10 I became vegetarian, this was back when there was barely any vegetarian food available and I practically lived on nut roasts and vegetable burgers
  • guppygirl322
    guppygirl322 Posts: 408 Member
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    Lots of kids are raised vegetarian. As long as she isn't raising the child on potato chips and granola bars, it will be fine. Protien from eggs, milk, cheese and beans are all wonderful. My daughter decided to become a vegetarian when she was 6. All on her own. She went from eating steak and chicken legs with white rice or potatoes, to eating salad, broccolette, carrots, beans, eggs, brussel sprouts, eggplant....the list goes on forever. She is much healthier because her diet is more varied.

    She shouldn't ditch the vegetarian diet. She should ditch the boyfriend.
  • DatEpicChick
    DatEpicChick Posts: 358 Member
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    i know =[ i just want the best for her... she wants so badly not to be a single mom (which is completely normal) i just wish the dude would step up... i wouldnt hate him nearly as much if he would step up for her and stop being a kid... its time to be dad and be apart of the decisions and put his family first, instead of telling her what she is going to do... and i understand why she goes along with it... but it drives me mad

    I think she's just enabling his bad behaviour, though; she's LETTING him tell her what to do, how to act, etc. without expecting him to have any real responsibilities himself. I can understand that she does not want to be a single parent, but what kind of family is it when there is no respect for one another? She has to stand up for herself and say, "Hey, this is NOT going to work. So shape up and be a father, or thanks for the monthly child support check." -- because by allowing him to dictate her behaviour without him actually playing the father role is doing herself/the baby NO good.


    BAHAHAHAH. sorry i LOL"D. he has ANOTHER baby he doesnt take care of who is almost 3 years old... that poor girl has never seen a CS check and probably never will. this lucky guy is in a 'band'. theres no way to get any money from him at this point...

    and i agree with you.. .but its a hard place to be... you know? i cant just TELL her to break up with the dude, that is NOT what any pregnant girl wants to hear... and someone already told her that, while she was at my house, and the poor girl broke down... she just wants to have a family... and shes pretty much willing to do anything to make that happen... and thats what scares me... the vegetarian thing, the change in her beliefs and stuff... its almost like desperation instead of being educated on how it will affect that baby and stuff...

    which is why i was asking for peoples insight on this website, because i had never heard of toddlers being vegetarians... but there seems to be PLENTY of people who know of (or were) vegetarians at that age, so i'm sooo glad to hear that it is completely healthy (if she does it right)... now its time to get some education under her belt about he subject if its something she is really determined to do!
  • DatEpicChick
    DatEpicChick Posts: 358 Member
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    ALL (well most)... OF YOU GUYS HAVE MADE ME FEEL SOOOO MUCH BETTER ABOUT THIS SUBJECT.

    Now at least i know if its something SHE wants to do for HEALTH benefits that i can be there to help her get some education on it and help her on it in the long run... thank you guys. i knew i could count on the people on this site to know something about this!

    i really appreciate it and now i have much more peace of mind.
  • Ttopeka
    Ttopeka Posts: 160
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    Oh yeah -- whoops. Forgot about the "lack of job" bit :P

    I know she wants a family, and I know I can't possibly imagine what she's going through, but YOU try to be her family. Just try to be there for her, despite the fact her decisions aren't always coming from the right place. Support those decisions, but try to lead her in the best/healthiest direction if possible. If she has the love and support from her friends like you, I hope one day she'll realize that is much more important than the jerk of a sperm donor she has.
  • tiggersstar
    tiggersstar Posts: 193 Member
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    When I was pregnant I was vegan and I breast fed my baby and then moved onto soya baby formula. For the first year she was vegan like me. Then I changed her diet to be vegetarian to open up the options more. She has been brought up vegetarian and she 16 now and it hasn’t done her any harm. If anything she was always healthier than her meat eating friends who came to our house and didn’t even know the names of half the vegetables and wouldn’t try them either. She was always active and healthy.

    I recall my doctor and health visitors saying my baby could not possibly get the correct nutrition if she did not eat meat. I just put their comments down to being uneducated and discriminatory. This was 16 years ago, being veggie is much more acceptable now. I would hope your friend doesn’t get the same rubbish advice I did.

    Let your friend do her own thing. If it doesn’t work out for her, she will change to something that will. Trust her to know what’s best for her and her baby. If she is just doing it as her bf wants it, she will not keep it up long.
  • Spanaval
    Spanaval Posts: 1,200 Member
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    She also will be letting the child know that....

    1. santa clause is not real
    2. easter bunny (all of those) are fake
    3. Thanksgiving is 'a croc' and they wont be celebrating it
    4. god is fake
    5. religion is all fake
    WTF

    i'm worried that the ONLY reason she is doing this is because of her boyfriend, and i dont thinks its for the healthy benefits it could possibly have. I mean, she never talked this way before dating him, and now EVERYTHING this douc** says is like 'gods word'

    I don't believe in any of that, my child will be raised similarly, and we also eat a primarily vegetarian diet. Seems to me you're making value judgments.
  • mohanj
    mohanj Posts: 381 Member
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    For generations our families are vegetarians including my grand children who are less than 2 year old. It is a myth that you have to eat meat to get the required protein and nutrients. It is not necessary to take the vitamins /supplements unless it is needed.
  • savbentley
    savbentley Posts: 103
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    LOL Cheyanne people really like to jump down your throat huh? Gosh some people on here are so condescending when you were just asking a simple question..
    Not that I'm a perfect vegetarian, but just based off personal knowledge there is absolutely no problem with raising a child as a vegetarian if the mom does her homework and does it correctly. I'm not really sure what supplements you were taking, but honestly they aren't usually needed if you balance the diet correctly, and fake meat isn't needed either. The baby can get protein from things like dairy products and iron from dark greens. My diet is so much cheaper not including meat, I barely have to spend anything on food because I just stock up on frozen/fresh veggies and fruit and nuts, yogurt, ect. I don't usually eat any special foods and I don't take any supplements other than a multivitamin. I get bloodwork done two times a year and my levels are usually perfect (my iron was a little low last time but I hadn't been eating well). Like someone said, as long as the mom doesn't feed the kid potato chips and pasta 24/7 to compensate for not eating meat, it actually really does have it's health benefits. Kids raised on a HEALTHY vegetarian diet tend to be slimmer and more active, and eliminating red meat in particular reduces cholesterol which results in less heart problems down the line, and it reduces risk for some cancers. Meat really isn't needed.

    Sounds like the mommy needs to do some serious thinking, but when it comes down to it it'll probably take the babydaddy screwing up for her to figure out she's not being true to what she wants to do. Hopefully it all works out but I think you should just try to be supportive for now and let her do her thing. :)
  • bm99
    bm99 Posts: 597 Member
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    my fear is that she is YOUNG, and she is being supported (well, will be being supported) by her mother... not her boyfriend or herself. and i dont want her to be so overwhelmed that she half-commits to this.

    .......

    i just dont know if her priority is the health benefits or the 'mind set' of the child being a vegetarian, and THAT is what scares me....

    1) If you're concerned with her half-committing to a healthy diet, have you thought about teaching her some vegetarian recipes that you know and love? Or perhaps as a gift, buy her a quick/easy vegetarian cookbook? I checked on Amazon, and there are several "Vegetarian Baby" and "Vegetarian Child" cookbooks available for a decent price. I would consider checking these out, and if possible, buying one or two for her. I'm sure they also include some nutritional information about how/what to feed the baby...but of course, none of that would replace visiting her doctor/pediatrician.

    2) Have you asked her what her priority is? Sit her down, explicitly address your concerns, and maybe just try to talk it out?

    2) i did, but she is SO WORRIED about 'losing' her boyfriend, she is basically willing to do anything to keep him.... and i think thats why this vegetarian toddler thing leaves such a 'bad taste' in my mouth. She also will be letting the child know that....

    1. santa clause is not real
    2. easter bunny (all of those) are fake
    3. Thanksgiving is 'a croc' and they wont be celebrating it
    4. god is fake
    5. religion is all fake
    WTF

    i'm worried that the ONLY reason she is doing this is because of her boyfriend, and i dont thinks its for the healthy benefits it could possibly have. I mean, she never talked this way before dating him, and now EVERYTHING this douc** says is like 'gods word'

    How awful to strip away all the magic from childhood.

    Puke. If the only magic a child gets out of their childhood is an adult constructed FANTASY you are doing something wrong. Childhood is magical and wonderful WITHOUT lies like Santa and the Easter Bunny.
  • pdworkman
    pdworkman Posts: 1,342 Member
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    Interesting thread. Well, to answer the OP, my kiddo has been vegetarian since birth. He has always been a tall boy, and I can remember one of the old gents at church asking me when he was three or four if all I fed him was raw meat, because he was growing so fast. Just made me laugh.

    He has always been within the appropriate growth curve, has been 70th percentile or above for height, and 50th or above for weight. He is 13 now and several inches taller and 20 pounds heavier than I am, with some really nice muscle. (Mind you, he is adopted, his bmom was taller than me, but he's taller than her too.) He enjoys playing sports and has plenty of energy for his activities with his friends.

    Because he is adopted, he was formula fed, not breastfed. He has celiac and allergies, so he has had a number of other food restrictions as well, but has thrived physically, particularly since going off of gluten and dairy. Being a teenager, he is currently somewhat anti-vegetable, but he still eats a good variety. If he doesn't feel like salad, he will eat extra peas and carrots. He loves fruits and the grains that he can have, and will slurp down lentil soup in a blink. Favourite foods are pizza and burgers, of course. Pretty much a normal kid!

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