vegetarian babies

[agatha]

DD (a girl! I have a daughter! I still can't believe it is true!) is now 10 months old. We have started giving her little strips of tofu and carnita to eat. Our nurse told us to wait until 1 year, our ped says that 10 months is ok. To tell the truth, I can't remember what we did with DS. Those of you with veggie babies, what are/were they eating at this age, protein wise?

[jools42]

Breastmilk has plenty of protein, so we didn't look to food as a protein source, but just an experiment in flavors and textures for them.

I think I may have let them try a mashed pinto bean or two at that age...just squished flat and plopped on their tray, and sometimes it made it to their mouths and sometimes it was fingerpaint. :)

[agatha]

To tell the truth, every time I see a piece of tofu thrown on the floor I think 'there goes 1 euro', or something similar :)
Our practice nurse denies that there is much protein in breastmilk at this stage. She is a different nurse than the one we had with DS, where there was no problem. I just can't remember when protein became an issue with DS. Haven't tried pinto beans yet.

[kokoro]

Dr. Sears says the majority of nutrition should come from breastmilk or formula for the first year and that food is just about learning to take in texture. I believe La Leche League says the same. D didn't even start solids until 9 1/2 months (tried starting at 7 1/2 months and he had reactions.) They actually recommend kids who have an atopic history wait up to even 12 months to start solids.

Breastmilk doesn't get less nutritious. At 10 months I wouldn't worry about protein. I'd hope my baby would learn to love all sorts of veggies and fruits and that these would stay life-long. :)

A baby girl sounds so nice. :) I'm glad for you.

[agatha]

She is absolutely delicious. We are so lucky :) Thank you.

Like I say, I can't really remember what we did with DS. I am sure it wasn't an issue, but you know what it is like when you get that seed of doubt from the practice nurse :)

All this aside... do you ever think that maybe you should have delayed some foods more with DS? I don't mean this in a blame way, obviously, but you know what I mean. Is there anything that you would do differently with a second child, maybe?

[Debra]

DD (a girl! I have a daughter! I still can't believe it is true!) is now 10 months old. We have started giving her little strips of tofu and carnita to eat. Our nurse told us to wait until 1 year, our ped says that 10 months is ok. To tell the truth, I can't remember what we did with DS. Those of you with veggie babies, what are/were they eating at this age, protein wise?

He was exclusively breastfed until 10 months. His first table food was avocado. :) Then I think it was bananas. Basically, we just picked off food from our plates for him to try out.

[agatha]

There is no way I am wasting avocado on a 10 month old :)
Bananas are big here too.

[Debra]

There is no way I am wasting avocado on a 10 month old :)
Bananas are big here too.

LOL! I'm in Southern California where they literally grow in trees. :p Are they very expensive or rare where you are? (Aren't you in Spain??)

[Vicky]

He was exclusively breastfed until 10 months. His first table food was avocado. :) Then I think it was bananas. Basically, we just picked off food from our plates for him to try out.

How can your oldest be 12 years old already??????

[Debra]

How can your oldest be 12 years old already??????

I don't know!! :sob:

Thanks Vicky. :) I do love them boys!

[kokoro]

She is absolutely delicious. We are so lucky :) Thank you.

Like I say, I can't really remember what we did with DS. I am sure it wasn't an issue, but you know what it is like when you get that seed of doubt from the practice nurse :)

All this aside... do you ever think that maybe you should have delayed some foods more with DS? I don't mean this in a blame way, obviously, but you know what I mean. Is there anything that you would do differently with a second child, maybe?


Aw, I'm sure she is. :)

No, I don't think I should have done much different. I would try to do some things differently in the future but the latest info is that it doesn't seem to matter or at the least that they can't say *for sure* that it matters. I have heard that avoiding peanuts, nuts, and shellfish in the 3rd trimester can help prevent allergies and maybe dairy and eggs in the first few months of breastfeeding. If I have another child I will do this and more but I don't know that it would make a difference. I would add to the above that I would also avoid probably all the top 9 allergens in the USA in the 3rd trimester and maybe even from earlier in the pregnancy (certainly I would avoid sesame which is one of D's allergies) and I would probably avoid all these at least the first few months of breastfeeding. I would cautiously intro them back to my diet and watch for what I now know are signs of food allergies and whisk my child to the allergist at the first of any possible signs for evaluation.

Genetically our family has the odds stacked against us. Nearly every person related to DS on both sides has some or all of the following...*severe* seasonal allergies, *severe* animal allergies, stinging insect allergies, food allergies, eczema, asthma, etc. If you have even *one* relative with any of these your chance of having a food allergy goes up hugely. So, D really had the cards stacked in this case. He has food allergies, environmental allergies, severe cat allergy and maybe to other animals, too, and very mild asthma.

Oh, and even though they now say it doesn't matter when you intro highly allergenic foods (or rather that there is no proof that it makes a difference) I'd still wait until about 6 to intro peanuts, tree nuts, sesame and shellfish (probably wouldn't ever feed shellfish due to family history of it anyway), close to that for other seeds, 3 for fish, 2 for dairy and eggs and 1 1/2 or 2 for soy and wheat. I don't know if this helps but I would be very worried a baby couldn't explain if there was a funny feeling of feeling of swelling/tightness in the throat, etc so the later introed-the better IMO. And I'd probably want the child tested first before I fed any of the top 9 although they don't recommend that. And I might do the first feeding of some of these (esp peanuts and sesame) in the ER waiting room. lol

[kokoro]

I don't know!! :sob:

Thanks Vicky. :) I do love them boys!

it is amazing! They look so grown up and handsome! :)

[ADDled]

DD (a girl! I have a daughter! I still can't believe it is true!) is now 10 months old. We have started giving her little strips of tofu and carnita to eat. Our nurse told us to wait until 1 year, our ped says that 10 months is ok. To tell the truth, I can't remember what we did with DS. Those of you with veggie babies, what are/were they eating at this age, protein wise?
I couldn't tell from the o.p. whether you were asking whether it's OK to feed her protein, or whether it was OK to NOT feed her protein LOL!

Either way - it's OK. Just so long as you nurse her first, so she doesn't fill up on solid food, which is substandard to breastmilk, you can feed her whatever nutritious food you like.

All babies are different. I had a baby that didn't eat much of anything, even though we offered, until he was about a year and a half.

This baby I have right now is 9 months old and he eats everything and anything. He's had chicken and turkey and even a little bacon. He's had all manner of beans and tofu. He frequently eats avacado, banana, apple, grapes, etc. The only thing I haven't fed him, really, is honey, berries, and large quantities of dairy (trace dairy on prepared food I'm not worrying about). ETA he doesn't get nuts either, obviously

Basically, he gets a little (or a lot LOL) of whatever the rest of us are eating just so long as he can gum it up or I can mash it a little. He is really enjoying his food (you should see him "mmmmmm" over it LOL) but if he weren't (like Jody as a baby) I wouldn't worry because breastmilk is the most important food for a good long while - it's got the perfect balance of protein/carb/fat and all the right nutrients for that baby right now.