Vegetarian babyCreated By babybaby1001 on 22 September 2008

My 2 year old daughter is a veggie but is also really fussy, it's so hard to get her to eat anything at all! I always try her on new things and cook new dishes for her, my mother in law if great too - she makes a big effort to make veggie grub for her but it more often than not ends up in the bin untouched. She is not unhealthy or underweight but just seems to have a very small appetite and a reluctance to try new things. It has only been like this in the last few months, when she was on the jars of food she ate pretty much anything so I am hoping it will get better when she gets older. She does love her fruit though so I know she is getting enough vitamins from that, blueberries, mandarins and strawberries being her favourite. I just worry about her protein intake and don't want people criticising me and saying she would be fine if she ate meat. Anyway, if anyone can advise me on how to get her to try new food, or can reassure me this fussy stage will pass I'd love to hear from you!

I've been veggie for 5 years now and my 16 month old son is being brought up veggie too (my husband is also a strict vegetarian). He is doing really well and his diet is very varied, he eats pretty much anything and his favourite foods are mushrooms (in any form), cheese, spinach, anything in a tomato based sauce, etc etc. He is well versed in the tastes of herbs and mild spices and enjoys lentils and occasionally quorn (at nursery). I think it is the best possible start for him and feel that it is so lovely that he is not 'contaminated' by meat. My parents have accepted that this is the best route for him esp with the levels of hormones and other dodgy chemicals in meat these days. He especially loves fruit - preferred over the option of cake! I think it is the best start in life...

Hi just thought I'd encourage you by telling you that my 20 month old is thriving on being a veggie. Her favourite finger food is probably houmous in pitta bread fingers, though mini muffin pizzas go down quite well too. She likes dahl curry, mild bean chilli, tomato pasta dishes, scrambled egg(with marmite on toast) and particularly likes crusty french bread. For puddings she has fronage frais, yoghurt, banana, fruit pots, etc. She eyes up what my husband and I are eating all the time, to see if it looks more interesting than what she's got, so I try to give her pretty much the same as us where ever possible (we eat vegetatrian at home, but husband eats meat when we are out sometimes).

If you are eating a balanced vegetarian diet as an adult, then you know the rules to apply to a baby/toddler. As to parents, and others, who think I should be giving her meat I say... you change the nappies then (apparently they are alot more smelly if babies eat meat!); my Mum was convinced I would become ill when I became a veggie more than 20 years ago... obviously she has had to change her opinion on that.

Bottom line - it is healthier,cheaper and more environmentally friendly to be a vegetarian, so stick to your guns and then if your little angel chooses to eat meat when they are older, then that's fine, but they'll have to cook it themselves (my rule with my husband!).