How to Raise a Vegetarian Baby: Breastfeeding

Vegetarian mothers may wonder whether their breast milk contains all of the nutrients and vitamins that their baby will need. Here are some guidelines to make sure your vegetarian diet is the best it can be while breastfeeding.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. 

   You'll need to make sure you're consuming adequate amounts of vitamin B12. Babies are born with almost no stores of this important vitamin. Lacto-ovo vegetarians (who don't eat any fish or meat, but do eat dairy and eggs) will probably get enough vitamin B12 from eggs, milk, and cheese. However, if you're a vegan (someone who consumes no animal protein at all) you'll need to eat fortified foods or take a vitamin B12 supplement. Alternatively, you could give a liquid vitamin B12 supplement directly to your infant.

2. 

   Your breastfed baby receives vitamin D from two sources: sunlight and breast milk. Vegetarian mothers may worry that they aren't consuming enough vitamin D to ensure adequate breast milk levels. Vegans, in particular, may be concerned because rich dietary sources of vitamin D include: milk, cod liver oil, cheese, butter, yogurt, and fortified foods. A vegan will only consume the last item on this list. If you and your baby are spending some time in the sun, you have nothing to worry about. Ten-fifteen minutes of direct sunlight per day offers more vitamin D than any supplement can provide. And very few infants are actually at risk of having a vitamin D deficiency. However, if a mother or baby has limited sunlight exposure, particularly if they have darker skin pigmentation (which means you'll a little more exposure to absorb enough vitamin D from the sun), then a supplement may be wise.

3. 

   A major marketing campaign is now taking place, aimed at getting breastfeeding women to take DHA supplements (Docosahexaenoic Acid, which is an Omega-3 fatty acid). There is evidence that the typical American diet is deficient in DHA. Vegetarians may be particularly at risk (good vegetarian Omega-3 sources include dark green leafy plants, certain seeds and nuts, and some legumes). However, even when mom is deficient, there is no evidence that breast milk is deficient in DHA.

4. 

   Your baby will breastfeed exclusively for the first 4-6 months, at which time some solid foods can be introduced. Rice-based products, bananas, pears, apples, carrots, potatoes, and spinach are good foods to start with. At 6 months, wheat- and oat-based cereals can be introduced.

[woot]

on 3/2/2009 I was a vegetarian for about five years but only started after my child was in elementary school. At the time I wondered how a very young child would manage if his/her mom breastfed him while eating a vegan diet. Thanks for the interesting discussion.

[bar10dr98]

on 3/2/2009 I am a huge fan of DHA supplements, thanks for the great article.

[Wasatch]

on 3/2/2009 Interesting topic. We have a nursing newborn. My wife is not quite vegetarian but leans that way more than I do. If you go vegan vitamin B-12 for mom is vital.

[Smireles]

on 3/2/2009 Informative. 5*

[sunshine11219]

on 3/2/2009 Great article