Vegetarian toddler that hates beans and nuts and wont drink milk. What do I do?!
Vegetarian toddler that hates beans and nuts and wont drink milk. What do I do?
He's allergic to eggs and nuts, and we are a vegetarian family. He hates cheese, milk, formula, soymilk and beans, he even hates pudding and chocolate milk. The only proteins I get get him to eat are soy yogurt and romano cheese(not even parmisan). All he ever wants to eat is fresh fruit, raw veggies and rice. Any suggestions on how I can get him to drink milk or eat dairy? How do I know that he's getting enough protein and calcium?
Additional Details5 months ago
We're vegetarians as part of our family's religion. We did have him tested and he's allergic to most meat products too, so it's not an option.
We've been to the doctor for this and she says he's fine.
5 months ago
Wow, it seems that most of you didn't even read the question. He's ALLERGIC to most proteins. Allergic to the point where he would die if I tired to feed it to him. If I had not already been to the doctor, I wouldn't know that he's allergic.
5 months ago
I really wasn't looking for a lesson in nutrition, I was merely looking for tips on how to sneak dairy products into his food and/or some good alternatives.
I'm pretty disappointed that most of you think I'm some sort of neglectful parent.
My son not only goes to a pediatrician, but an allergist, and a doctor who specializes in vegetarian wellness. All say he's doing fine and in fact more healthy than most kids his age. He's developing ahead of schedule and is in the 95th percentile (height) for his age.
I'm not an idiot who would rely on strangers from yahoo for the health of my son. I'm just the type of person who explores every single crevice of information that I can.
And for those who think that I should give my son dead carcass to eat and let him decide later if he wants to continue eating it or not, why don't you give you kids candy bars and fast-foods and let them decide later if they want to continue with it; but I'm sure you already do.
Answers:
5 months ago
We're vegetarians as part of our family's religion. We did have him tested and he's allergic to most meat products too, so it's not an option.
We've been to the doctor for this and she says he's fine.
5 months ago
Wow, it seems that most of you didn't even read the question. He's ALLERGIC to most proteins. Allergic to the point where he would die if I tired to feed it to him. If I had not already been to the doctor, I wouldn't know that he's allergic.
5 months ago
I really wasn't looking for a lesson in nutrition, I was merely looking for tips on how to sneak dairy products into his food and/or some good alternatives.
I'm pretty disappointed that most of you think I'm some sort of neglectful parent.
My son not only goes to a pediatrician, but an allergist, and a doctor who specializes in vegetarian wellness. All say he's doing fine and in fact more healthy than most kids his age. He's developing ahead of schedule and is in the 95th percentile (height) for his age.
I'm not an idiot who would rely on strangers from yahoo for the health of my son. I'm just the type of person who explores every single crevice of information that I can.
And for those who think that I should give my son dead carcass to eat and let him decide later if he wants to continue eating it or not, why don't you give you kids candy bars and fast-foods and let them decide later if they want to continue with it; but I'm sure you already do.
does he like tofu? My toddler loves tofu...I sustitute in place of meat for a lot of her foods...(we are not a vegetarian family but she just doesn't like meat so i've learned to cook vegetarian for her) I will make her tofu mixed with fresh tomatoes and cucumber..i usually add a little italian dressing..and cheese..you could sprinkle romano on it...
some cereals have added protein...my daughter loves cheerios..and smart start...and raisn bran..and i know she gets a lot of vitamins from that.
also you might introduce fresh fruit smoothies with added protein powder if the doctor says its ok...i dont know what exact protein your son would be allergic to so you would need to talk to a pediatrician about this one...
have you tried mozzarella? you might be able to sneak into something..it is a higher protein cheese (i know you said he doesn't like cheese...)
some vegetables with higher protein are asparagus and spinach
I also found a huge list of protein vegetables that tell how much vitamin/proteins are in each vegetable when you click on it
http://www.highproteinfoods.net/vegetabl...
hope this helps and good luck
hope this helps
Try rice milk, your veggie store should have it. I believe it is called Rice Dreams.
Please, give that child a ham sandwich!!!!
* Honestly, if you had given all of the details initially, like you've done in your additional details "rants" maybe the responses would have been different. We can only respond to the information provided to us.
Let him get hungry and whine for a while. He'll eat. YOU are the parent, and decide what a toddler may and may not do. And BE CONSISTENT! Once he sees that you won't cave anymore, you'll have a much smaller problem. Remember, firm, fair and friendly with kids. Best of luck.
and, beans and rice together make a complete protein.
We use sunflower butter instead of peanut butter, he might like that. We're out right now, so I can't check for you how much protein. Sorry no other suggestions, but I'd make sure he's taking daily vitamins.
Do you think its right to deprive him of certain foods, just because you are vegitarians doesn't mean he wants to be one, that should be his choice.
use rice more and MIX them- I would blend them.
I loved to use avocado and maple syrup and make smoothies.
Give him meat! Have you at least tried the soy meat products in the produce dept.? How about peanut butter or other nut butters? Growing babies need a well balanced diet. Talk to his pediatritian.
You really need to talk to an expert immediately - not yahoo answers. There is way too much risk for your child's brain development at this age to take chances. talk to your doctor or health care specialist!! NOW
Some info here.
http://www.ific.org/nutrition/guidance/...
Just because you're a vegetarian family doesn't mean your young child has to be. He's probably not even getting the right nutrition anyway. You should feed him a well-balanced diet that might include meat until he is old enough to make the choice to be a vegetarian or not.
Put the kid up for adoption!!! At least the kid will have a chance
He absolutely needs more protein than what he's getting, is your pediatrician aware of the fact that you're not giving him meat? Will he eat tofu? You may have to smuggle it into his food, put it in fried rice. Kids go through picky stages, but since your little guy is more at risk of stunted growth, you need some extra help. Hopefully you'll hear from some other vegetarian parents who've been through this. Good luck!
Feed the child meat! Its unfair for the child to not be able to decide, and be held back from experiencing the taste of meat, and there might also be developmental problems-not just medically, but socially.
This is the toughest time to enforce dietary restrictions because toddlers are picky enough, then to limit what they are offered- well it's the difficulty raising children vegetarian. In principle I think it's great, a very healthy lifestyle, but very hard to get the right nutrients when kids don't understand the point of your family's eating habits.
What about soy "chicken nuggets"? Other soy "meat" products like sausages? Barilla pasta now has a version that contains 17g of protein per (adult) serving. Have you tried ricotta cheese mixed with pasta? Also, french toast, where you have really let the bread soak well into the egg is a good way to hide protein and they never know its there.
I'm not questioning your reasons for being Vegetarians - however he may need some meat. Children especially toddlers need the fat and protein in meat for good brain growth.
Have you tried peanut butter??
I know you said that he is allergic to most meat products, but has he been checked to see if he is specifically lactose intolerant, or is that one of the proteins he's definitely allergic to? Maybe he naturally doesn't want milk/dairy because he's intolerant or allergic to it.
As far as the emotive issue of bringing a child up vegetarian, whether for religious reasons or not - I'm all for it. As opposed to the people who think children should be fed meat until they are old enough to decide if they want to give it up, I believe it should be the other way round. They should be fed a vegetarian diet until they are old enough to understand where meat comes from, see a slaughterhouse etc, then decide if they wish to start eating it.
I have some agreement with the person who pointed out that you are the parent, so the child should eat what it is given. The other person who said "toddlers are picky enough anyway" - the reason toddlers are picky is because they are allowed to get away with it by the parents.
When I was a child, a meal was put in front of me and I ate it. If I didn't eat it, I went hungry. When I was growing up, the words "Oh, I don't like that..." didn't really exist when it came to food. I ate the same as my parents at every mealtime, went to restaurants, ate at friends' houses and was never "picky".
I hope you get your son sorted out - a good nutritionist should be able to incorporate your son's vegetarian diet into a good, nutritionally sound plan with possibly some suggestions of how to get foods into him!!
barilla makes pasta that is enriched with omaga 3 and all kinds of good nutrients and you cant taste the difference - i serve it to four kids all the time. there are yogurt drinks that i used to mix with milk to give to my daughter when wshe was weaning from breast milk (she was 2y/o). whole foods has a lot of options, too. mix sauce in with the rice. i became the master of sneakiness - i hide good stuff in all the time. still do. what religion is against meat? the bible ... never mind. not my business. anyway, having help you prepare the food helps.
Have him eat and drink as much as you can. Give him Marmite for vitamin B12 (it might not be a hit at first, but maybe later) and give him other protein sources (maybe Luna bars are a bit too far, but stuff like that). You should give him the Barilla pasta with all that good stuff in it, and try to get him to eat other kinds of milk- rice milk, almond milk, etc.
Best to your toddler!
Woah, this is an issue you need to take to a nutritionist.
NONE of us here on Y!Answers is qualified to answer questions regarding your child's health and safety. I don't care how much any one of us thinks we know, you need to handle this with a professional only.
EDIT- Then why bother asking? As we don't know you, we can only base our answers on the question you give.
To answer your re-revised version of the question, you are the parent, so be one. You child doesn't have to *like* everything you put on his plate, but he does have to eat it.
maybe he could have pediasure,i'm not sure if he'll be allergic 2 that, but its a suggestion! ummmm, multi vitamins, protein supplements ( when he gets older!) i hope this helps u!
Get his favorite food that is a vegetarian food that you can make. While you are making it. Take something dairy or something in good nutrition that he needs or something maybe in high calorie. Try getting him to eat it. If he likes it. Keep doing it and try it with other foods too. I am so sorry that he is allergic to most things of that sort. Try and find one though! All for the health of your son. Get get em'.