Can Babies Be Vegan?

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QUESTION:

"My husband and I are vegan and have been for years…we just had our first child and my mother in law is throwing a huge fit because we have made it known that baby will also be vegan…she feels the baby will be nelglected and not get the nutrients she needs and my husband and I have tried to tell her multiple times baby will be fine…she keeps saying if we do this she will try to take baby from us because she should be able to choose whether or not she wants to be vegan…i guess my quesiton is, is she right? is it really that bad for a 6 month old to be vegan? or is she being crazy? everything i know its the healthiest life style and we just want our baby to be healthy but now she has me thinking its basically illegal…"

RELATED: Lala Kent Says Vegan Diet Harmed Her Breastfeeding Daughter: ‘I Felt So Terrible’

TOP ANSWERS (AS SELECTED BY MODERATOR):

The following top answers have been selected by a moderator from hundreds of responses to the original question.

"Ask your doctor. Because it’s typically not recommended to make a baby vegan because it can cause a whole pile of health issues."

"I would talk to your dr. There could be nutrients that baby will be missing bc unlike adults they can’t get their nutrients from a lot of different sources like we can."

"Talk to your pediatrician. I would not recommend a growing baby with a growing brain to be vegan"

"It’s not illegal but it’s also not necessarily healthy for a small child either. I honestly would let your child choose if they want to be vegan or not. Just because that’s how YOU and your husband want to live doesn’t mean that your child will agree. Always let them have a choice!"

"Talk to your pediatrician and nutritionist. It’s not the healthiest life style and some substitutions will have to be made to make sure your baby is getting all the nutrients to grow."

"I wouldn’t make your kid vegan until they have that option if they want to or not, and I would talk to her pediatrician cause a growing baby needs a good diet to get the nutrients they need"

"You shouldn’t force your child to be vegan, your child has to decide on their own."

"I would speak with your pediatrician and nutritionist. Yes they can, I was told it’s not recommended because it’s very difficult for them to get the proper nutrients they need. Especially when they have limited diets for a while."

"Did you and your husbands parents raise you vegan from an infant? I highly doubt it. I’m sure you made the choice to do it yourself. Let your child decide for themselves."

"It should be the child’s choice on if they want to be vegan or not"

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READ ALL ANSWERS BELOW:

You are so wrong here. Babies typically have issues when raised vegan. They are smaller and shorter than meat eating babies. They have vitamin D and B12 deficiencies

Do vegan babies grow slower?

While children on a plant-based diet may have less body fat than meat-eating kids, they’re actually shorter and weaker, a study has revealed. The researchers found a link between shorter heights and lower bone mineral content among vegan children, compared to meat-eaters.
Jun 11, 2021

Why are vegan kids shorter?

These diets lacked calcium, zinc and Vitamin D which overall help support a child’s overall linear growth (1). Children who followed a raw vegan diet overall consumed calories, calcium, and Vitamin D well below the recommended amounts which may have accounted for a slower growth (6).Mar 1, 2022

What happens if a child doesn’t eat enough protein?

Protein provides important essential amino acids that contribute to the mental and physical health of your child. Without enough protein in their diet, your kid may experience the symptoms below in the chart: fatigue, lack of concentration, slowed growth, lowered immunity and more.

I would not do a vegan diet for babies and children. I wouldn’t risk the long term damage.