Hi Sophie. An interesting one! You are certainly far more ambitious that I would ever be (speaking as a Mum whose middle child consumes very little apart from meat, fish and milk). From the “ethics” side of it – I guess my gut feel is that there are enough things we make kids feel guilty about as it is, without throwing meat into the mix. I reckon that making them vegetarian now due to your own ethical concerns could give them feelings of guilt for the rest of their lives. But that’s just me.

From a health and nutrition point of view I have asked the advice of dietician and spokesperson for the Dietician’s Association of Australia Julie Gilbert, who runs the Brisbane-based Solutions Food Management. And Sophie, the good news is that there are no health problems with encouraging your children to adopt a vegetarian diet.

“Under twelve months of age I wouldn’t recommend placing children on a vegetarian diet, mainly because at that stage they really need the proteins and fat that are available in meat,” says Julie. “However a parent could easily put in place a healthy and nutritious vegetarian diet for two and four-year olds.

According to Julie the main issue is making sure that your children still get enough iron and protein in their diet, which you can do by ensuring that they eat plenty of:

• Wholegrain bread and cereals
• Nuts
• Legumes and pulses
• Green leafy vegetables (such as spinach).

“Also make sure that your kids get plenty of Vitamin C –rich foods as this will help them to actually absorb the iron that they’re eating,” says Julie. “And Calcium is the other concern; if you are using soy milk then make sure that you get one that has been fortified with calcium.

Also remember that children still need saturated fat in their diets, so don’t exclude fat-rich products such as avocado and nuts.”

So there you are – no adverse health consequences. Good luck with your endeavour, Sophie - but don't make the kids feel too guilty either way!

I'm 23 weeks pregnant and have been an 'ethical vegetarian' for almost 13 years. DH on the other hand eats meat, but not too often (and only free range/organic, cos that's all I will buy!).

We get asked all the time if I will try to make our baby vegetarian. Our decision so far has been that we will feed our baby the organic free range meats, and when they are old enough to explain where meat comes from we will let them make their own decision. For the record, I was "old enough" at age 4 to work out where it came from, and of my own accord cut back on meat from that point on, cutting it out completely at age 22. But that's just me.

I think as long as the child has a choice, and the parents do everything in their power to create a healthy, balanced vegetarian diet, then it can work. But to force a child to vegetarianism (even though I obviously agree with the ethical reasoning of it) seems a bit like forcing a child into a religion before they are able to understand its principles.

Our whole family is vegetarian. I have never fed my kids meat and they are very healthy and happy.

I'm very careful about the combination of foods we eat. I try to make sure that we have a good combination of protein, carbohydrates and fresh vegetables. My kids are very happy with the food we make. One of their favourites is a lentil salad with tomato capsicum and feta - my DD2 wolfs it down. We also eat eggs, tofu, tempeh and I make my own rye and wholemeal bread. We never eat fast food or white bread and eat very little processed food. We have a vegie garden and cook most of our meals from scratch.

I've told the kids that they can eat meat at other people's houses if they want to. I would cook meat for them if they really wanted me to but that's never happened - they're just not interested. I give them a multi vitamin and we take flax seed oil for omega 3.

It works well for us!

Similar situation. I'm vegetarian and partner isn't. DD will be given meat to eat till she chooses otherwise. I think it would be unfair not to do this as a kid brought up not eating meat may be put off by the taste so it's not a real choice later whether they want to be vege or not, plus being vegtarian has a not of social consequences which I'd prefer her to voluntarily take on ie difficulties attending social events/organising special meals etc.

What a dumb answer from the so called expert. Under 12 month olds don't need meat. All they really need at that age is breast milk, food is only a supplement until they are much older. Your children will be perfectly healthy on a well balanced vegetarian diet especially if you include lots of good fats from whole milk, butter, yoghurt and cheese as well as fruits like avocado, nuts and eggs. Personally I think diets that contain plenty of animal protein and fats are healthier but there is no reason you can't have very healthy happy veggie kids!

There's the environmental angle too - if we want to live sustainably we just can't afford to eat meat every day unless it is free-range/orangic (we feed the kids free range chicken and kangaroo meat).

Good on you - I say go for it!

And you did say vegetarian, not vegan, so milk and milk products, and eggs, included.

Perfectly do-able.

All good if you/ your kids don't have bowel dieases like Crohns'.

I don't eat meat or eggs, because I don't like the taste or thought of it, but I can't claim not to eat it for ethical reasons, as I still buy it for my DH and DD1 who love their meat.

I last ate meat at age 12, and the day I turned 13, I told my Mum "I no longer wanted to eat meat and she couldn't make me" (attitude???)
Mum agreed that I could stop as long as I never tested low in iron. I still don't eat meat (now 35) and have never been anaemic, even through 2 pregnancies.

I do however feed DD1 meat - she can make her own decision to stop eating it when she is older if she wants to, but I can't see it, she LOVES meat and eggs.

I think if you are cooking it for DH, you may as well give it to your kids, and they can decide for themselves - you have to be very careful with food combining and healthy diet to maintain iron levels when you do not eat meat, and this might be harder with small children.

Hazeltree, I don't think the Dieticians' Association expert was suggesting that you should feed lots of meat to your 12 month old as much as saying don't put them on a vegetarian diet (which, for strict vegetarians would possibly also exclude milk).

My DD is almost 3 and never eats meat. She's a fussy eat and lives on plain rice, pasta, fruit and fish fingers.

I don't see that a vegetarian kid would have a worse diet.

I've been vegetarian since I was 12 but ate very little meat before that as my Dad was vegetarian so we only ate meat when at other people's homes. I have never had any health problems apart from being a little low on vitamin B12 at one time but that was easily treated.
I have ummmed and arrred regarding my daughter's diet, she is now 10months, but all of the baby books, doctors and MCHN I have consulted have been very supportive of having her on a vegetarian diet.
My hubby isn't vege but we always eat vege meals at home. He will usually order meat if we eat out. He has offered her small tastes of whichever meat he has but she has pretty consistently rejected everything, apart from sausages. Although she is a good eater and will eat everything else very happily - vegies, cheese, fruit, yogurt etc.
It is my understanding that in the long term vegetarian diets are actually healthier - lower heart disease risks, and less temptation from fast food as it is often meat-based.

I grew up vegetarian and have always been very healthy. My mum always told me I could try meat when I was older but I never wanted to as I grew up loving animals and was told the truth about where meat comes from. My kids (one aged 6 and one 14 months) are vegetarian too. DH is not vegetarian but is happy to eat and cook vegetarian food at home. He eats meat when we eat out, and when we have the occasional BBQ at home. We have a very healthy diet. DH has been a bit anaemic recently following a nasty flu, so he's taking iron tablets. The only time I've had to supplement my iron was when I had malaria.


Well, you could also say that feeding a child meat is forcing the child into a meat-eating lifestyle. To me it's just doing what you feel is right for your family, not forcing something on your kids. A colleague of mine once accused me of imposing my beliefs on my child and then went on to tell a story about how they killed the pet rooster at home and the kids ate it - I said "Well, that's you imposing on your kids your belief that it's ok to kill and eat your pet"


I agree with this. Most vegetarians have milk & dairy products. It's vegans who don't.

I have been a mostly-vegetarian since I was twenty and still have trouble digesting red meat, so I eat very little. I have never had an iron deficiency even when pregnant. I made sure my daughter's first foods (from six months) were easy to digest and full of vitamin c and good fats - avocado has always been a favourite as has broccolli and rice - and I was slow to introduce dairy and meat.
She was breastfed until two years old, so as another lady has said food is just a supplementary issue while breastmilk is your primary food - but even if you wean before 12 months [I mean fully wean, as opposed to both breastmilk and solid foods being given] you absolutely do not need to stuff your tiny baby's immature digestive system with hard to digest meat proteins. There are lots of sources of protein that are easier on a baby's tummy.
My daughter has never eaten much meat, although she loves fish, and has a weakness for sausages in bread when we go shopping! She is tall for her age and has never had any iron problems. She does take a calcium supplement and a Vit B12 supplement, because she is a bit intolerant of cow's milk, but she eats eggs, yoghourt and tofu, which is also good for calcium. She eats a huge range of vegetables and pulses/beans because she always has, so I never have to worry too much about food combining.
The only thing I would say to beware of is that there are a lot of vegetarian "product" foods like vege sausages, vege burgers etc that are full of soy. Drinking a lot of soy milk and eating a lot of soy products is not recommended because they contain phyto-oestrogens - these are hormone disrupters and dangerous for children to have too much of, and for women as well as they can impact on fertility. Even tofu is supposed to be used only in moderation.
I wish there was more awareness of this or at least some debate about it as a food safety issue but not as yet, and of course food producers like to use soy as it is cheap and filling.
It's not a problem if your kids just get to like eating vegetables and pulses and don't go for the "pretend meat", "pretend dairy" types of foods that are made of soy protein.

daviesjv - from what I can tell reading the blog the "expert" said babies under 12 months need meat, so unless she was misquoted she is just stupid.

but then I don't believe in dietetics at all its generally all nonsense about avoiding saturated fats and eating a low fat high carb diet full of vegetable oils which I think is really dangerous.

I've been a vegetarian all my life, literally, my mother was vegetarian before and during her pregnancy with me and I was brought up not eating meat. I'm now 6 months pregnant with my first child and still vegetarian.

I didn't find that it was too difficult socially to be vegetarian as a kid, I mean I could still quite happily eat fairy bread, chips and jelly snakes at birthday parties! I still don't find it that hard, except that I get a bit sick of having to justify being vego, no one ever seems to ask meat eaters to justify why they eat meat, and given the huge amount of resources required to eat the huge amounts of meat that most Australians, I reckon that position takes more justification.

My husband does eat meat, but he won't bring meat into the house as he prefers the clarity of home being meat free and only eating meat when at a restaurant or someone's house.

We've discussed it at length and will bring up our child vegetarian, though they can eat meat at friend's or relatives houses or when we go out. But we're going to be totally honest about where meat comes from. If/when our child decides they want to eat meat, I'll take them to see an animal slaughtered.

Icky? Possibly, but if you can't watch it, you shouldn't eat it, that is just intellectual dishonesty of the highest order and that is NOT a trait I want to encourage either in myself or my kid.

For those of you wondering, I am healthy. I've never been anemic, though twice my iron stores (not serum iron) have been a little low, though the causes of this were well defined and I'm no more prone to this than my meat eating friends. By B12 has always been fine too.

I'm also of above average height, at the upper end of what those height predictor charts suggest based on your parent's heights. So there was obviously enough nutrients going in for my genes to work with to build me well. My hair and nails both grow quickly and strongly (which means I get enough protein). My BMI before getting pregnant was 20.5, which is healthy.

So based on my own experience and genetics at least, my child should be fine.

If my child does want to eat meat, I'll be encouraging that they eat kangaroo, chicken, fish, rabbit, duck, calamari etc. As opposed to beef and lamb, both of which take more food and water to produce a kilo of meat and burp a lot of methane (a greenhouse gas, more powerful than CO2).

And finally, my mother was perfectly happy to discuss meat eating with me, and all of my siblings eat at least some meat, this hasn't caused any problems in the family.

Happy eating!

Huh? How does that work?

We are vegetarian family. My 3 yr old son has never eaten meat. We are very healthy, happy and guilt-free!

I would go forward being aware that plants do not give the same amounts of protien and iron as to animal products, even when you you have vitamin C and that children due to growth of cell and muscles and brain tissue need higher amounts then is expected for their size.

I would also note that if your grains and rice are not soaked properly with warm water and an acidic eliment such as vinegar, whey, lemon juice etc which neutralizes phytic acid, an anti-nutrient that prevents absorption of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and copper. Your child will not be getting the nutrients they need even if the product contains a supposed amount of the product.

Do it but watch your child and be honest with yourself if your not preparing the meals properly, not soaking the food or your child is not eating enough. I personally would opt for lacto-ovo-vegetarianism for a child due to the inclusion of eggs a very powerful source of vitamin B12 which is often very hard to obtain via a vegan or even a Lacto-vegetarian diet.

Surely you can explain it and why you don't eat it rather than graphic vision (presuming you are talking about a small child)
Sounds a little too much like you are trying to brainwash your child into being a vegetarian especially when the child is not old enough to have the adequate perspective.

I did some vegetarian cooking classes with Sanitarium and I remember being told that getting enough protein in a vegetarian diet is not at all difficult, but iron is the thing you really need to watch.

I know a couple of vegetarians who later decided that they would have meat, but their systems couldn't really cope with it after going without for so many years. I wonder if that would happen to the kids so even if they later decided they wanted to eat meat, it might not actually be an option.

I have a mostly vegetarian diet, tho not strictly, as I have been eating fish once a week since I became pregnant. Apart from the one serve of fish, I don't eat meat or cook it at home. My DH occasionally cooks it, and then DS can eat it if he chooses to. Also if we are out then I let DS eat what he chooses within reason. He also eats the regular meals at child care, which sometimes contain meat, and his grandparents give him meat. I actually feel better that DS does eat some meat because I am not totally confident that the vegetarian diet I mostly provide him with is balanced enough. I am so busy with study and work that although I do cook a fresh meal with plenty of veggies each night, I am not very creative with alternative protein sources and I think he would probably not get enough protein without the meat and fish.

Sorry, but I think that's a really strange thing to do.

I think it's odd that some have referred to it as "forcing" a child to be vegetarian. If you don't, aren't you "forcing" them to be omnivorous? Such a silly concept. Do they think the largest group of Buddhists (Mahayana) force their kids to be vegetarian? Nope. They simply raise their kids to eat in a healthful way that falls in line with family beliefs. Isn't that what we all do?

Personally, I'm not a vegetarian. We eat meat with probably 1/2 of our meals. But I wouldn't hesitate at all to provide a vegetarian diet for future-kiddo. Can't get much healthier than a diet rich in vegetables, grains, good starches, fruits, nuts and legumes. After breastmilk is off the table, so to speak, I don't even have an issue with children being raised responsibly vegan.

It is harder work, as a parent, to ensure full and proper nutrition when "common" protein/iron sources are off the menu but, with an educated approach, it can be a very healthy way to live...at any age.

Farming children see animals slaughtered all the time. Not that many generations back, children only ate meat if they helped mom and dad hunt/kill/raise/butcher etc the food. Aversion to understanding the origins of your plastic-wrapped sausages is a modern sensitivity and really a bit disappointing.

For the record...I'm a meat eater and future chef.

Hi. I'm just replying 'from the other side'. My hubby has been a vegetarian for about 36yrs now (since he was about 7yrs) and I am a meat eater. He has never asked me to become a vegie and really he'd have a snowballs chance in hell of me doing that. LOL. We have a 6yr old daughter and the thought has never crossed my mind about making her a vegie too like her daddy. I feel that children need meat/chicken/fish etc to grow healthy and its wrong of the parent to deny that. If, one day, she comes up to me and says mummy, I don't want to eat meat anymore then thats fine. I respect her decision. I truly think though there is no chance of that happening as she loves her corned beef and chicken too much.

Getting the family to change their eating habits, to me, is a difficult thing. If my hubby decided never to drink full cream milk again and he only wants soy, then so be it. Doesn't mean I have to drink it. I tell my daughter that only she knows her tastes and she is allowed to have food she likes and dislikes and its not for me to say you can't eat broccoli because I don't like it. I let her make up her own mind.

Most days I end up cooking 3 different meals. A vegie one for hubby, a meat one for daughter and a light version for myself. No big deal

Which part of a fish is not meat?

My point was not intended to weigh in on the fish vs meat conundrum but to say my non-vege child can have a more limited diet than a vege child. Having said that, I know some veges who think all animal flesh is meat and others who consider fish as not meat (like nutritionist, hence the separate food categories).

Clearly you have a definitive answer on the subject that the rest of the world hasn't caught up with yet. I congratulate you.

Wow that whole reply was just one big crock.

Don't make your child feel guilty? Seriously? And children under 12 months need meat? I think you need a new professional!!

I am vegetarian and have let my kids choose. We don't have meat in the house but they are allowed to eat it at others' houses if they choose to. They know where it comes from.

It is extremely easy to have a very healthy and balanced vegetarian diet. Most people/children do not NEED meat they just like it. Fair enough but there is no need to try and accuse vegetarians of depriving their children or guilting them into it because you wouldn't be vegetarian. I could say it's just as bad to bring up a child to be a meat eater but I wouldn't because it's not. We all do what is best for our families and the decision to not eat meat does not harm anyone.

I don't get the whole 'making decisions for your child or forcing them to do something is wrong' angle. Don't we make decisions for our children that reflect our values almost every minute of the day? From what they wear to their hairstyles to schooling to TV programs to whatever else. If you are vegetarian, it seems natural that your children would be so too. If you are religious, it seems natural that your schooling choices would reflect that.

I am vegetarian, DH is not, our 3 children are. They are actually almost vegan as they have a dislike of dairy products but are fine with eggs. From a health point of view, vegetarians have a significantly lower incidence of many conditions and diseases that cause death. Coronary disease and heart attack, diabetes, a gazillion types of cancer to name a few.

So don't be concerned that your kids are missing out on anything at all.

Seeing that your dh will still eat some meat I'd probably allow them to choose. My eldest has been vegetarian for years and #2 & #3 sometimes eat meat. If they ask me to cook it for them I do. Personally I'd prefer them not to because I think meat's disgusting but they can choose for themselves eventually. One thing I find odd is that people tend to think that in a vegetarian family you should feed them meat and let them choose to be veg later. Why not feed kids a veg diet and let them choose to eat meat later? That's what I basically did.

I used to be a vegan so I know where you are coming from.
The first thing I would do is see a nutritionist and get the cold hard facts.
Being a healthy vego takes alot of preparation, research and hard work at first.
I made myself very sick doing it the wrong way.
I think it would be great if you could get your kids to eat mainly nuts, veg, fruit and wholegrains but in my honest opinion they need some free-range meat.
You can get enough iron, minerals etc from fruit, veg, seaweed, nuts, wholegrains and pulses and you have to eat alot more of it and its going to be very hard to get your kids to eat all of that food that they need to stay healthy.

i beleve its your childs choice if they want to eat meat and u shoukd give it to them till they are old enough to decide for themselfs as it is good for you

I think it's funny that "Sophie" has recently decided to take the ethical high ground on eating meat after X amount of years, and then decides that her children should automatically adopt those same beliefs - with little or no understanding.
Glad my mother wasn't so selfish.



What a (in your own words) DUMB answer.
What happened to not giving children under 5 NUTS???
What about children with lactose intolerance, or egg allergies???
So instead of feeding an 'under 12 month old' meat you suggest nuts,eggs, milk and cheese??
Think about it, it's not rocket science hun.

Riiiight....because no one grows or changes as they age and decides to adopt new principles that will improve their lives. That works for moms just as well as kids. Sorry you weren't raised in a household that encouraged personal change and growth.



Children under 5 are more than welcome to have nuts and seeds in paste/butter form. So, almond butter, tahini, etc are excellent protein sources for kids.
And most children are NOT egg or lactose intollerant. Even a good chunk of those whose parents -claim- they are, actually are not. And most children under 12 mos get 100% of their nutrition from whole fat milk...their mother's.

Dear gawd, my fellow omnivores are making us, nutritionally informed meat-eaters, look really bad. Please educate yourselves.

I wonder how those vegetarians for "ethical" reasons are going to cope if, having explained to their children where meat comes from, the kids don't care and want to eat it anyway. It seems to me that some think that other people don't really appreciate where meat comes from, because if they did, they wouldn't eat it.

Having grown up on a farm it was pretty obvious that the chops, steaks and roast chickens were the same animals that I helped my Dad go feed, and even watched him kill in some cases. "Can I have a pet lamb Dad?" "No, we don't make pets of farm animals. We sell them or we eat them."

I don't see a problem with raising your kids as vego if that's what you want though. It is important to make sure that they are eating a range of protein sources to ensure they get the essential amino acids, but in general, vegetarians are much more aware of these things than omnivores and this often means that vego kids eat a better diet in terms of this than other kids.

Edited for clarity.

What has guilt got to do with it?

I have been vegetarian/vegan for almost 20 years. I intend to bring my children up the same way. The issue isn't about guilt - it's about teaching children respect for animals at a young age. I think religion imposed on children is more guilt-inducing than introducing children to an ethical lifestyle.

Children eat what the family eat- so if there is no meat on offer, no meat is eaten.
Hopefully the dietician has been misquoted- children under 12 months do not need meat. Any ADA accredited dietician will tell you that.

My family are all vegetarian- have been for generations (Indian descent). Never anaemic or stunted in growth. I think the anemic/stunted brain development line comes from people where meat is an important part of their cultural inheritance. They have a period of difficult times (such as a war or poverty/famine), end up having very little meat during this time, and then associate a meat free diet with the poor health of difficult times.

On a personal note- I have 3 children. DH eats meat, but doesn't cook, and I don't cook meat. DS1 and DS2 are not my biological children, were brought up vegetarian, and continue to be vego (are now 18 and 17). DS3 will occasionally eat a bit of stir fry chicken in a chinese restaurant or a bit of fish, but has a distinct preference for vegetables, legumes and nut pastes. He refuses red meat. If my children wanted to eat meat- they can, but I won't cook it for them as it is not one of our "family" foods. We eat out a lot.

Most people's lives are dynamic, and people open to vegetarianism will go through periods where they are vegetarian, and periods where they eat some meat, and back to vegetarianism. Same should be expected of our children.

I think that you are being totally unfair on your kids. YOur children should have their choice of food just as you and your hubby do. Agreed that right now they do not know the difference between right and wrong but unless they develop a taste bud how will they know what food they desire and what not. It is true that there is no health problem in being a vegetarian but the more variety of food that you involve in your kids' diet the more diferent kinds of minerals and proteins they will get. But, if you see that your children eat the veggies with delight and no fussing then you can very well go ahead with your plan of turning them into vegetarians.

I thought that was just whole nuts...?

IMO I think a child should be offered at least a bit of meat in their diet, until they are old enough to choose for themselves (be it 4, 12, 16 etc). I guess I'm in the "we're omnivores" camp. We evolved with meat in our diet, and I think while it may not be essential to survival, it is part of a healthy development in childhood.

I am vegetarian, and have been for more than 10 years. My wife isn't, but we don't eat meat at home. We've had to have this discussion with regardto our 3 month old. He won't be eating meat at home. I don't think that is unfair on him, or 'forcing' him into holding my world view - it's my job to shape his ethical framework after all.

When the time comes, if he goes to a McDonalds partyand has burger, that's fine - it will be up to him to choose his own path. I won't prepare meat though, and it won't be cooked in our house. It's disquieting enough to give bones etc to my dog and cat, but as pure carnivores it is deeply unfair for me not to give them what they need.

Even if the OP has recently become vegetarian, she still has a right to decide what is cooked and eaten in her house, and that includes the food prepared for her kids.

I only eat fish once in a while and my DD will only be eating fish too, no other meat. I think humans can survive with or without meat perfectly well. If people went out and hunted an animal to eat, that could be a good source of meat, but the reality is most meat is factory farmed and so full of poisons, hormones, medicines etc. And yes, people just dissociate because of how meat is presented, all packaged neatly. It's revolting and I think feeding my child factory farmed meat would be akin to feeding her coke out of a bottle. I can catch a fish and kill and prepare a fish so I think it's OK.

It's not forcing your beliefs anymore than any other decision you make for your child. Are you forcing them to go to church until they decide otherwise? Forcing them to go to a private school until they decide otherwise?

I was not eating meat (except fish) long before I got pregnant and I had a great pregnancy and an 8lbs 12 baby who continues to thrive. It's unecessary, especially if your body is used to it.


I know for a fact if my step-kids got their choice of food it would be ice cream and red cordial for breakfast and sausages and chips for lunch and dinner. Children need guidance.


Absolutely.

I'm glad to see so many people are raising their children vege. They will be the healthiest children and have a better appreciation and respect for life and the environment.

As would her meat-eating husband surely.

To be honest, I don't see what her problem is. She is a vegetarian, her husband isn't. Why not cook some meals for the children including meat and some without? For the life of me, I cannot see why one person's/parent's choice of diet has to impact 100% on everyone else in the household. Why does it have to be all or nothing for goodness sake?

Like many who have already posted, my husband and I debated over this issue. I have been vegetarian for over 25 years. My husband isn't much of a meat eater and our household has always had a vegetarian diet - he normally chooses fish when we eat out, though occasionally chicken or something made with mince. We were always both in agreement that it was up to the children to decide when they were old enough to, but the debate was how to start them....he wanted to include meat and I didn't. In the end, the debate was never really solved - but bottom line is that I do all of the cooking, so I continued to cook vegetarian for the whole family. The only exception I made was to include some fish once a week or so. DD1, now 6, loves fish and has chosen to eat some chicken (though I do notice more often than not, she doesn't eat much of it); she doesn't want to eat any other meat. DD2, aged 3, doesn't even want to try it; she doesn't really enjoy fish either.

I don't think that I have imposed anything on them. They have just fitted into what our household was already doing. I'm sure that most families are the same....I mean, if parents don't like fish, for example, the children probably don't eat it either as it wouldn't be included in the weekly menu. Likewise, children will normally take on the religion of their parents and other lifestyle habits and values of their parents (eg. being environmently consious or not; sporty or couch potatoes) just as part of fitting into that family.

I don't eat meat (ecological & ethical), my partner does. At home, until bub started solids, we always ate veg. Now my partner cooks a red meat stew once a week - he & bub have a stew dinner together, and about four mini 'stew-packs' go in the freezer for bub's lunches through the week.

In over twenty years of not eaqting meat I've had a problems with low B12 a couple of times (including when I was pregnant) - so I actually am concerned about making sure my bub gets enough B12 - meat is the easy answer for her.

Compromise with my partner is that the meat is organic - he's fine with that - almost all t he other animal products that we eat at home are organic.

When my baby is old enough to discuss ecological ethics, we'll have the conversation, an it will be her choice.

ther is a brilliant book by Joanne Stepaniak, and Vesanto Melina
Raising Vegetarian Children
it addresses all ethical, nutritional, and social aspects and has great recipies and meal plan suggestions. It has examples of nutritous eating for a day for different aged children and covers vegetarian, lacto ovo vegetarian and vegan diets.

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/97806...m=9780658021558

Both my husband and I are vegetarian [we eat dairy, fish and eggs] and our 22 month old also is. We have been vegetarian for 9 years because we believe it is a healthier option long term, plus we are doing our bit for environmental sustainability!
In the time we have been V, I've not been sick [I used to suffer terribly from sinusitus and flus] and our little one has been the picture of health.

From the moment we started him on solids we had green veg in lunch and dinner, he eats fish and tuna, eggs like they are going out of fashion, dairy and beans.
His iron levels are high and he is ver active and bright.

I think if done properly you'll have a very happy and healthy child!!

Off topic - you are not vegetarian - you just don't eat red meat - can you see the difference? By saying you are vegetarian but still eating fish perpetuates this myth that veggos just don't eat read meat. Hence why I am still served up fish as a vegetarian option at restaurants - drives me insane!!!

The exact term for what the PP described is not just someone who doesn't eat red meat. they also don't eat poultry or game. The term for it is Pescetarian. Most people just don't know the word so they say they're veggie+fish. Bugged me both as a vegetarian and later as a pescetarian. Here's some info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pescetarianism

My family are strict vegetarians and we don't even consume onion, garlic, chives, shallots, leeks and asoefaetida. Bringing up kids as a vegetarian is the most ethical thing. I have three kids - 15 1/2, 12+ and 10 month old baby and there're all vegetarian since conception. All of them are fabulously healthy and they love their food. The key is that, you must know what to eat. In fact, nobody could believe that my youngest son is a vegetarian as he has a lot of strength. He started to stand with aid when he's 3 months, crawling when he's 4 months, climbing up the stairs at 7 months and going down the stairs now at 10 months - extremely active and healthy. Both my older kids knew why human being must be a vegetarian and the importance of being one too. The fact is that as human being, we're supposed to be a vegetarian and there's an abundance of vegetable and protein available for us. So, no need to worry. Most importantly, is, listen to your heart and know what is the right thing to do. If you need any help, let me know. cheers, Be

Just curious... I know very little about vegetarian eating, but why don't you eat the above?

From http://www.greengourmet.com.au/garlic_&_onion.html

Garlic & Onion Info Sheet

The Ultimate Purpose of initiating Vegerarianism by ancient sages in China and India, is to regenerate the divine benevolence or Universal Love which is a pure character inherent in the nature of man to the Enlightened Truth that all life form both human and non-human are offsprings of the one common Heritage. That is, the Life-force that activates the bodies of man and animals originates from the same source. In "Vegetarian Recipies", five spicy scented vegetables are not used. They are onions, garlic, leek, spring-onions and chives. These pungent vegetables contain five different kinds of enzymes and when eaten, will not only induce offensive reactions physically and mindfully but also spiritually, as they have harmful dissipating effect upon the primeval breath of the five organs. Namely: - the lungs, the heart, the spleen, the kidneys and the liver. Unwholesome consequences if onions, garlic, leek, spring-onions and chivesi) Repellent breath while talking and strong body odour,ii) Usually loathsome odour from perspirations and bowels - dischargediii) Stimulate lustful gratifications when eaten cooked.iv) Aggravate agitations, anxieties and aggressiveness when eaten rawONION - disperse the primeval breath of the element of METAL - harmful to the LUNGSGARLIC - disperse the primeval breath of the element of FIRE - harmful to the HEARTLEEK - disperse the primeval breath of the element of EARTH - harmful to the SPLEENCHIVES - disperse the primeval breath of the element of WOOD - harmful to the LIVERSPRING ONIONS - disperse the primeval breath of the element of WATER - harmful to the KIDNEYSExtracted from "The Unfolding Truth of Man and the Universe Plus Vegetarian Recipies" by S.H. Lorna Wong