Raising a vegan baby can be tough, that’s why we’ve put together these 6 real-life tips for your little plant based bundle of joy!
1. Get Ready to Start Blending!
When it comes to preparing your own healthy, nutritious and delicious recipes, be prepared to be blending up a storm. Whether you’re making green smoothies, applesauce, veggie blends, savoury soups or sweet treats, you’re going to need a reliable and durable blender. Nutribullets, magic bullets and baby bullets all do a great job at blending raw whole ingredients that some blenders can’t withstand.
2. Experiment with Ingredients
Have fun with ingredients, but be careful not to introduce any allergenic foods into the mix until your baby is at least 6 months old. These include nuts, wheat and soy.
3. Get Input and Constructive Criticism
Share your creations with friends and family, and whip up a batch for them to try and see what the reaction is. Sometimes your baby may not like certain ingredients but another time they will love it, and this is how you’ll learn through trial and error.
4. Healthy Fats are Important
If you are sautéing your veggies prior to blending, and even if you’re not, it’s always a good idea to introduce healthy fats/oils into your baby’s diet for cognitive development and overall well-being. The best choices for healthy fats are organic coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil and organic coconut milk.
5. Be Prepared for The Questions (and Have the Answers)
When certain critics feel the need to drown you in an onslaught of their “concerns” about your baby eating a completely vegan diet, be prepared to have answers. When they ask where your baby gets their protein intake, have all the facts about where exactly you incorporate protein in their diets, and remind them that they are definitely not missing out on a well-rounded nutrient dense diet.
6. Don’t Be Afraid to Try Ethnic Flavours
Many ethnic vegan foods are actually perfect options for your baby! Just make sure that you don’t make any version that are spicy or contain very pungent ingredients. Search up a list of vegan friendly ethnic baby foods to get experimenting with flavours and give your baby a headstart on trying new things.
Raising a vegan baby really starts with you, and the effort you put in now will really pay off in the long run. Getting used to preparing your own foods and having awesome ingredients in your arsenal is the first step. Trying your foods on your baby is another hurdle that takes some adjusting to. Knowing how to react in the face of non-vegan criticisms, will also save you a lot of stress and help you remember that you have your baby’s best interest in mind.