How to Feed a Baby a Vegan Diet

Breastfeed your baby exclusively to provide the best nutrition until she is at least 6 months old, recommends the American Academy of Pediatrics. If you're a vegan yourself, take a B-12 supplement or eat enough fortified foods, such as breakfast cereals or nondairy milk, to ensure that your baby receives this crucial vitamin necessary for her developing nervous system. After weaning your child, she'll need either a B-12 supplement or adequate food sources to continue receiving enough B-12.

Introduce solids slowly around 6 months. Start with pureed foods, then mashed foods and finally small pieces of soft food. Try banana or pear, rice-based dishes and mashed potato or spinach. Add in iron-fortified oat and wheat cereals, or have your little one try tofu around 7 months for both iron and protein.

Talk to your child̵7;s pediatrician before introducing nuts or nut spreads into her diet. If you have a family history of nut allergies, the America Academy of Pediatrics recommends you wait until she is 3 years old before trying this protein source to give her immune system extra time to develop, thereby reducing the chance of an allergic reaction.

Offer higher-calorie foods and more frequent meals and snacks as your baby grows to help her keep up with nutritional needs. Bean spreads, legumes and mashed avocado are good choices for additional calories. Do not try to limit her fat intake, as omega-3 fatty acids are necessary for brain function, eye health and cardiovascular health. Because these fatty acids are most often found in animal-based sources such as fish and eggs, offer her alternatives such as soy or vegan margarine.

Ensure your child is getting enough vitamin D, calcium and zinc by having her eat plenty of dark green leafy vegetables, whole-grain bread and drink calcium-fortified orange juice. Each of these nutrients is essential to your child̵7;s health and are not always found in a vegan diet.

Provide a fortified, full-fat nondairy milk to your 1-year-old, if she is growing normally and is already eating a good variety of fruits, vegetables and grains. Toddlers this age often enjoy pasta; small bites of veggie burgers or tofu hot dogs cut into small semicircles; pancakes and waffles; veggie-topped pizzas without cheese; hummus and crackers; and soy-milk-based fruit smoothies.