Question about neighbors who have an infant on a strict vegan diet?!

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LOL @ the morons (like Ward) who actually believe this is a legitimate question.

Babies do cry some more than others so the kid might just be a 'cryer'. Some vegans and vegetarians feed their babies soy milk
http://www.ivillage.com/soy-milk-or-cows…
Some formulas are soy based and this is probably what she should be feeding her baby.
If the baby otherwise looked clean, had on clean clothes and was surrounded by normal baby things, then the baby is probably fine.
Hopefully they are going on the advice of a Pediatrician on feeding their baby correctly.

Perhaps you were confused and what they were pouring was "soy formula". That's what we used for our son and it was completely fine. It was prescribed.

http://www.enfamil.com/app/iwp/enfamil/c…

If you plan to report everyone who follows a lifestyle about which you are ignorant,
and people who feed their children unhealthily,
you're going to be very busy.

There are no nutrients found only in animal products.

I wouldn't suggest reporting them to child welfare. Perhaps the child has a medical condition that prohibits it from drinking breast milk or regular formula. If you're very concerned, bring it up with the parents.

I drank Soy Enfamil when I was a child and I'm fine... Matter of fact both my parents were and still are meat eaters and they fed me that. You'd be surprised how many Soy Formulas there are and how many meat eaters feed their children them.

i would do it.

think about it, if the department goes over there and the baby is okay, thats great. nothing happens. but if there is something wrong, you may have saved that baby's life.

Actually make sure you have your facts straight before you call social services. Soy milk is perfectly safe for infants, in fact there are soy formulas on the market because of children that are allergic to milk. My brother and sister both were raised from shortly after birth on soy formula because of severe milk allergies. Also, how do you know they are feeding the baby a vegan diet, just because you saw them giving the baby soy milk, maybe it just has allergies.
I am not saying don't report them if you have a legitimate concern, but the fact that the baby "appears thin" and was crying does not mean it was malnourished.

The thiness of the baby wouldn't be from what they eat (vegan food) but how much it eats. Yes, infants should be breast fed but it's up to them. Before you go reporting anybody make sure you find out about Soy Milk (fortified) and it's affect on infants, health etc. And also...all babies cry. A lot.

Edit: What's funny is that you put : "....health damage from an unnatural vegan diet that is lacking".
A vegan diet is actually the most natural of all diets. Drinking the 'breast' milk from another species (intended for their own young) is rather unnatural, don't you think?

Vegan.

not enough info. how old is this baby an is soy milk all it consumes or just an occasional switch from the norm, like giving an 18 month old apple juice instead of milk. is it soy formula? also, does the baby have any other health issues that may be affecting it that could cause it to be 'thin'? diabetes? allergies to breast milk or baby formula with cows milk in it maybe? hormone problems? maybe a problem with eating?

you could report them if you think this child is being abused but since this isn't true nothing will happen tp the fake baby.

Properly planned for the child's nutritional needs there would be no problem. Fat babies aren't necessarily healthy babies. The problem is IF the parents aren't planning his meals properly which can happen. Babies and Children have a different set of nutritional needs for them including the amount of fat they need to consume.

If the child looks malnourished not just thin, he prob is malnourished and any child in that condition from Vegans to the family that had steak and cows milk last night should be reported. A vegan diet is natural BUT it must be carefully planned. Please educate yourself on what a Vegan is and what the diet is. If it turns out that the baby is fine, you'll only lose neighbors who could have been friends if you claim their diet is the problem.

I personally wouldn't want to lose a neighbor without knowing what I am talking about. The link explains more about the diet and scientifically states the facts unlike those who express opinions without knowing any fact or citing sources.

You have already stated that you have to have meat in your diet or you will get sick on another post. I'm wondering why since you already made up your mind you are asking this question here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veganism

Please consider talking to your neighbors first, unless you really don't want to be "in their business". If that is really the case please do nothing. You have no idea the can of worms you can open for these people, let alone their child.
A few questions for you - Are you a parent? What is your experience with different children from different cultural/ethnic backgrounds? Do you know anything else about this child? How old is this baby? Could the baby be teething? Maybe the baby is not used to strangers in the home. the baby could be coming down with an ear infection or something even the parents weren't aware of at the time. There could be several reasons the baby seems thin, or "cries alot" none of which should cause a knee-jerk reaction to call the "authorities".
I am a mother of 3 grown children, one was in the 80-90% (percentile) for height & weight, one was in the 15-16% and the other was right at 50%. Mind you these charts didn't take into account their ethnicity. They came from the same home, same parents, same diets (breast-fed) as they got older their diets changed. I had one who ate as much as an adult when she was 2 years old, she drank water like she was dying of thirst! I was more concerned that for as much as she ate she wasn't overweight. I took her to the Dr. they were concerned about Juvenile Diabetes - Thank God she was just a hearty eater, she is not overweight as an adult and has 2 very healthy children, one tall and skinny and one "ave" and stocky.
Another didn't grow - not a pound or an inch from the day she turned 1 to the day she turned 2. By the way she was wearing a size 9 months! You bet I was freaked out!! Took her to the Dr. he said well mom, maybe she's going to be little. - she is healthy and strong, we'll have to wait and see. She is grown now; I think she eats ANYTHING she wants! She works out and is dating a fitness instructor their lives revolve around living life to it's fullest. They eat, drink, workout, and are very active. She knows what to eat and when to eat it. She weighs over 150 lbs, is 5' 5" and looks anorexic! She is solid muscle!!
My son refused to eat the peaches in fruit cocktail as a toddler (he would spit them out) - when he was old enough to talk he explained to me that the peaches made his mouth itch! He was allergic, & he still is. He also had a habit of picking the meat out of his food (spaghetti for example) and was a vegetarian as soon as he could make his preferences known. He has tried the "mainstream" diet and has recently returned to a vegetarian diet, he feels better because his body has a difficult time digesting animal protein. As long as he is educated about his choices and has a balanced diet I'm glad for him.
My point is people are different. What might be considered "good" or "normal" for one person is not Good or Normal for another, children are no exception.
I have several years experience dealing with other people's children as a licensed childcare provider no 2 children are alike, (I have cared for hundreds of children over the years) and I'm sorry to say, the State "authorities" are not always the best 1st line of help for children or their parents - sometimes innocent people get caught up in the system, all too often in fact. A friendly conversation that shows genuine concern for the child and his/her parents can go a long way. You can always call the authorities later if you still have concerns. They will be able to find out who called know that. Oh also - if you live in my state your name will be placed in their database and you will be considered guilty by association.
When talking to parents about questionable behaviors on their part or the part of their child, I always try to put them at ease and play ignorant such as: I noticed you are feeding your baby fortified soy milk, are you vegetarians or does the little one have allergies? I'm just so used to seeing people use powered cow's milk based formula, is this easier for the baby to digest? Is it healthier for him/her? I really feel out of the loop can you help me?

personal experience

I would just ask them first, just go to their house and ask if their baby is a vegetarian, if they wonder why you ask, just tell them you noticed the mom giving the baby soy milk, and you were curious. the baby might be lactose intolerant, or maybe they are giving the baby a vegan diet, make up a story about a friend who tried to raise their baby on a vegetarian diet, and they had to take him to the doctor to make sure he was ok with his protein and iron and everything. I know it's not good to lie, but if they haven't taken their baby to a doctor yet to make sure it's ok not to give it meat or milk, then maybe they'll change their mind.

there's NOTHING more natural then a vegan diet actually. but you're not here for that....

what these parents got wrong is that breast-milk is natural and they didn't HAVE to cut it out and only give soy beverages... although, soy beverages is way more nutritious then the average breast milk... although, LOTS of people decide not to feed their babies breastmilk, up to them... i'm not gonna say that's sad.
and, one thing, soy beverages are usually pretty heavy. and i don't know if it being fortified makes a difference though, but maybe the baby's having more cramps then the average who's simply taking breast-milk. is the baby really ALWAYS crying?

and child services are not human when it comes to reasoning and different life situations. it's all, this study came out from the university so we go like this for a while... oh, another one a month later so we go like this... oh another study, now we run like this.... it's bull. they won't even bother looking up or asking the universities to pass a study on soy for babies before taking the kid away... saying, we're taking the baby just in case and the baby will live from centre to centre from home to home till 18 just because someone had a doubt, you know what i mean.

a year and a half of working for the youth centers of montreal, and quite a bit of research on nutrician.

Report them. This baby is obviously malnourished. Don't listen to the vegans here who say otherwise. Nothing they say is based on science. It's a religion to them.

Edit: You're welcome. Thank you for doing the right thing and putting the child's welfare first. It's very sad some people have been indoctrinated to the cult of veganism to such an extent they are willing to sacrifice the life of an infant.