So, what does your vegan kid EAT?

vegan babyWell, a lot of stuff, actually. Here's a list of things my vegan one-year old currently chows down on so far - most days, that is!


Pasta.



Long pasta, short pasta, thin pasta, wide pasta, wheat pasta, rice pasta, pasta stars, pasta squiggles, so much pasta, pasta, pasta that I am tired of making pasta.


Most of the days, it's pasta.


BUT - when it's not just pasta, it's also:


  • Black beans and rice
  • Roasted seaweed
  • Strawberries
  • Kiwis
  • Rasberries
  • Gluten-free waffles
  • Riced broccoli (either from Trader Joe's or homemade) thrown into any rice/pasta dish
  • Sprouted toast with peanut butter
  • Bananas
  • Lots of peanut butter
  • Applesauce
  • Frozen fruit
  • Lara Bars
  • Lentil Soup
  • Smoothies with leafy greens and fruit (I push this every day, especially if she hasn't had veggies)
  • Roasted chickpeas
  • The Pea Snacks from Trader Joe's
  • HappyBaby Puffs (and really anything from this brand that's vegan - I love 'em!)
  • Fruit juice
  • Rice cakes
  • Veggie and fruit squeeze packs (I especially love Beech-Nut's cold puree packs!)
  • Crackers
  • Mama's milk (14 months and still going!)


In terms of HOW she eats, I'm beginning to learn the fine art of embracing some chaos when it comes to the developmental and emotional growth of a 1-2 year old, folks. 


The thing is - my daughter loves MESS. To her, it's not a mess. To her, it's examination, play, and a gleeful sort of trial and error.

She loves to use her fingers to dig into the peanut butter on top of the toast and just see what happens. 


She loves to hold cups all by herself, even if it means spilling most of the liquid onto her clothes.


She really loves to throw food onto the ground when she wants us to know she's done. 


(We're focusing on making the clean up part fun and positive for her - definitely a work-in-progress!)  


Her all-time favorite thing right now? Seeing someone else's plate and eating off of that


I've spent (and probably still spend!) time worrying over how much she's eating, what she's eating, and how she's eating it. 


But at the end of the day, I ask myself - 



Vegan Baby
Does she seem healthy, strong, and happy? 

Did she eat in a positive and fun way?


Is she pooping and peeing the way she needs to? 


Then, ALLLLLLLLLLLLL good.


I think, more important than anything else, our kiddos need to form a positive association to food. For babies around a year old, they want to explore it in the same way they explore their toys - take it apart and put it back together... and then take it apart again. And that is perfectly acceptable for now.


Honestly friends, I'm just happy to see my girl thriving while eating vegan food. It's been easier than I expected. 


Okay, I do cook almost every day and that can tire me out.


BUT - the true ease has been in knowing she's satisfied enough with her vegan diet to have the energy for her day. 


And that's more than enough for me.


If you're a vegan mama, what foods are your go-tos?

Comments

Loved seeing your beautiful baby!! I have an almost-one-year old we are raising vegetarian. While she's not totally vegan, some of her recent favorites are shelled Edamame, cut up broccoli florets (she slurps the cooking water out of them), and Dr praeger's California burgers.