If you're a teenager you're probably not planning to have children soon but you may have them some day and you will then have to decide whether to raise them as veggies or vegans. If you do, the following information will come in handy. If not, you could always recommend it to a friend.
To read about veggie kids Phoebe, Frances and Jessi or vegan twins Angus and Hamish and why their mothers believe their kids diets are the healthiest and most natural on Earth, click here*. To read or order the Viva! and VVF guide their stories came from, click here*.
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Many nutritional experts recommend that all women avoid meat, dairy products and eggs during pregnancy even if they're usually meat eaters because of the risk of food poisoning and causing the baby to develop food allergies. Foods containing high levels of caffeine or artificial sweeteners have been suspected of contributing to miscarriages and birth defects but studies have proven inconclusive so simply exercise caution with them. Smoking and drinking alcohol are both clearly harmful for your baby so should be avoided as should medicine of any kind unless absolutely necessary. Nuts and wheat should be avoided if there's any history of allergies to them in yours or your partner's families. Providing you eat a varied plant-based diet including fresh fruit and vegetables, soya products, beans, pulses and grains, you and your baby will get everything you need to stay fit and healthy until the birth.
If possible, your baby should be breast fed at this age. It will boost their vulnerable immune system and promote the vital mother and baby bond. Your maternal instincts and your baby's sucking reflex, strongest in the hours just after birth, should make breast feeding easy and if you are struggling, your midwife or health visitor should be able to advise you.
If you must bottle feed, ask your doctor to recommend a suitable dairy-free formula milk as most are designed for older babies. If it's practical, open your shirt during feeding so your baby can be close to your skin. Either way, feed your baby as regularly as they demand and do not introduce any other form of nourishment, solid or otherwise.
Your baby should now be ready to start taking other liquids. Dilute pure fruit juices with water (boiled and allowed to cool) and give your baby no more than half a teaspoon full before or after feeding. The lunch time feed is ideal as, if you return to work, it will be the first feed which is entirely milk-free. When your baby has become used to taking full teaspoons of juice, gradually introduce larger quantities from a small cup and not a mug with a feeder lid attatched.
Your baby may begin to be less satisfied with their liquids-only diet or they may be happy with milk and juice. If your baby seems ready, you might consider introducing small amounts of vegetable puree from a flat, shallow spoon. Begin with only half a teaspoon full, before or after one of the main feeds- corresponding to breakfast, lunch or dinner. Again, lunchtime is ideal if you intend to return to work. Increase the quantity very slowly to avoid overwhelming your baby's digestive system and give the food at the same feed each day. It's advisable that you don't introduce several different foods at once and that whatever you feed is low in sugar and salt. At this stage, solid food is not to be seen as a source of nourishment and breast or formula milk is still to be given at every feed.
You may now feel ready to begin weaning but there's no need to stop breast or bottle feeding entirely. Your baby's iron stores will now be very low so add some iron-rich foods to their diet. Puree made from green vegetables, pulses or dried fruit will provide plenty of iron as will black treacle and nuts, if nut allergies do not run in the family.
Feeding a wide variety of foods is now safe but you should take precautions. Introduce new foods gradually and give them in small quantities. Ensure all vegetables are thoroughly scrubbed beforehand and provide nuts in the form of smooth butters or pastes only. If you are bottle feeding, reduce the quantity of milk you are giving or eliminate it entirely from one feed as your baby takes more solid food. If you are breast feeding, your body should respond to your baby's reduced demand and your milk supply will gradually decrease.
It is likely that your baby is now eating a variety of fruit and vegetables in addition to having regular breast or bottle feeds. If you have not already, increase the variety in their diet by adding vegetable proteins such as lentils, mashed up beans, baked beans in tomato sauce, tofu, yeast extract, Brewer's yeast, milled seeds, wheatgerm and soya joghurt.
It is likely that your baby will take a dislike to some of the foods you offer but be persistant, perhaps they simply need time to adjust. If their dislike persists, look for a cause. Brewer's yeast should always be of the de-bittered variety and soft tofu such as the traditional Chinese style is likely to be more popular than the more widely available solid tofu.
Remember that your baby's digestive system is still too young to handle salt properly and that it is wise not to give infants foods too high in sugar or additives. Mashed beans and baked beans in tomato sauce should not be given to babies under eight months old and wheat should be avoided if allergies run in the family. Your baby may want to eat a little of what you eat at mealtimes and this is fine. Simply put aside a small portion of food for them before adding spices or seasonings and mash it up with a fork.
When your baby begins to take all of the above solids happily at the feed you originally chose for weaning, you can introduce solids to the other feeds in the day until they are all eventually milk-free and begin to puree the foods less as your baby gets used to their texture. The only feed which should remain solid-free is the feed before bedtime. Give breast or bottle milk as usual and do not be in too much of a hurry to stop. Your baby will probably stop taking this feed when they are ready, usually at around twelve months but many babies are still having this feed as they approach their second birthday.
When your baby begins teething, introduce some harder 'finger foods' such as sliced apple, carrot sticks, bread and rusks. Whatever you choose, ensure the slices are small and never leave your baby alone while eating them as they are a choking hazard. Most babies begin teething at between six and eight months old while others don't start until later so the time to introduce these foods will vary from baby to baby.