About these resources
I’ve talked to many parents, caregivers, and healthcare providers who are concerned about babies who are on vegetarian or vegan diets, so I created a few resources as free options. I fully support anyone raising vegetarian or vegan kids, but it’s hard to find good information on doing it safely right from the start.
These resources are intended for general information only, and should not be taken as individual nutrition guidance or medical advice. It’s always a good idea to consult with a dietitian, family doctor, or pediatrician, about your baby’s individual nutritional needs. These are intended for healthy term infants without chronic conditions: babies born pre-term, for example, may have different nutritional needs.
Special thanks to my nutrition student volunteer, Tia Duesling, for her fantastic layout and graphics work on these resources!
Plant-based diets for babies
Vegetarian or vegan diets, when they’re planned well, are nutritionally adequate across all life stages, including pregnancy, while breast/chest-feeding, and for babies and children. Dietitians of Canada and the American Dietetics Association both hold this shared position, and state that plant-based diets can provide life-long health benefits. You can read their position statement here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12778049/
Plant-based diets do carry some risk of nutrient deficiencies, though, and need to be planned well, especially for babies and children. For some babies, vegan diets may not be safe or adequate.
Sample food day for babies (6-9 months) on a vegetarian diet
Download this free resource with a visual graphic of meals and snacks, with a print-friendly text version as well. This day shows examples of ways to get adequate protein, fat, iron, and other nutrients that are sometimes low in lacto-ovo vegetarian diets, and is based on the nutritional needs of babies 6-9 months old.
These are just examples—you don’t need to feed your baby these foods, and you can customize them with foods your family already eats.
Sample food day for babies (9-12 months) on a vegetarian diet
Download this free resource with a visual graphic of meals and snacks, with a print-friendly text version as well. This day shows examples of ways to get adequate protein, fat, iron, and other nutrients that are sometimes low in lacto-ovo vegetarian diets, and is based on the nutritional needs of babies 9-12 months old.
These are just examples—you don’t need to feed your baby these foods, and you can customize them with foods your family already eats.
Sample food day for babies (6-9 months) on a vegan diet
Download this free resource with a visual graphic of meals and snacks, with a print-friendly text version as well. This day shows examples of ways to get adequate protein, fat, iron, and other nutrients that are sometimes low in vegan diets, and is based on the nutritional needs of babies 6-9 months old.
These are just examples—you don’t need to feed your baby these foods, and you can customize them with foods your family already eats.
Sample food day for babies (9-12 months) on a vegan diet
Download this free resource with a visual graphic of meals and snacks, with a print-friendly text version as well. This day shows examples of ways to get adequate protein, fat, iron, and other nutrients that are sometimes low in vegan diets, and is based on the nutritional needs of babies 9-12 months old.
These are just examples—you don’t need to feed your baby these foods, and you can customize them with foods your family already eats.