Vegetarian and vegan babies

Can babies be vegetarian or vegan?

Yes. The AAP says a plant-based diet that includes eggs and dairy gives children the nutrients they need for healthy growth, and that an egg- and dairy-free vegan diet can also be healthy and complete if sources of vitamin B12, calcium, zinc, vitamin D and iron are maximized.

Vegan diets need the most care. The AAP recommends that a child only follow a vegan diet after talking with your pediatrician, because some vitamins and minerals can run short, particularly vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, vitamin A, calcium, zinc and riboflavin. In the UK, NHS weaning services advise talking to your GP or health visitor before you start weaning a vegan baby (NHS Just One Norfolk).

This guide isn’t a substitute for advice from your child’s doctor or a registered dietitian, who can look at your child’s whole diet and growth.

Milk comes first

For the first year, breast milk or infant formula is your baby’s main drink.

• Breast milk or infant formula can be your baby’s main drink in the first year. If you’re vegan and breastfeeding, your own B12 and iodine matter, because the amounts in breast milk depend on your diet: the NIH says babies of strict vegan or vegetarian breastfeeding mothers might not get enough B12, and that the iodine in breast milk depends on how much the mother gets. US groups suggest a 150 mcg iodine supplement a day while breastfeeding (NIH). Ask your doctor about supplements for yourself, and ask your baby’s doctor whether your baby needs B12 too.
• Formula. Most infant formula is made from cows’ milk (NHS), so it fits a vegetarian diet that includes dairy. For vegan families, the AAP says some parents choose soy formula because it contains no animal products. The NHS says soya formula is only suitable from 6 months, and only if a health visitor or GP recommends it.
• No plant drinks as a main drink before 12 months. Soya, oat, almond, rice and other plant drinks aren’t suitable as a baby’s main drink in the first year (NHS).
• From 12 months: see “Where US and UK advice differs” below. Whatever you choose, use an unsweetened, calcium-fortified drink, and never rice drink under age 5, because of arsenic (NHS). See rice and arsenic.

Starting solids

Plant-based babies start solids at around 6 months, like any other baby. See is my baby ready for solids?

Two things need extra thought:

• Energy. Plant foods are often high in fiber and filling, so a baby may feel full before getting enough energy and nutrients (NHS Just One Norfolk). The NHS also advises against giving under-2s only wholegrain starchy foods. Add energy-dense foods like mashed avocado, smooth nut or seed butters thinned into food (such as peanut butter or tahini), and a little vegetable oil in cooking.
• Protein. Offer beans, lentils and soy foods every day, in safe textures: mashed or well-cooked lentils, chickpeas and black beans, hummus, and soft tofu. The AAP notes that vegan children may need more of these foods than other children. An NHS trust suggests about 2 servings a day of split pulses, tofu or soya products for vegan babies from about 8 months (NHS Just One Norfolk). For young children who don’t eat meat, fish or eggs, the NHS suggests at least 2 portions a day of protein from beans, chickpeas, lentils or tofu.

The key nutrients

Vitamin B12

B12 keeps blood and nerve cells healthy. Plant foods have no B12 unless fortified (NIH). Babies need 0.5 mcg a day at 7–12 months and 0.9 mcg at 1–3 years.

The AAP says vegan children should take a B12 supplement or eat fortified foods, such as some breakfast cereals, fortified soy drink (from 12 months) and fortified nutritional yeast (AAP, NHS). Check labels: choose cereals and yeast extracts with no added sugar and low salt, since babies shouldn’t have added salt, and children aged 4 and under shouldn’t have added sugar (NHS). In infants, the NIH lists poor growth, developmental delays and anemia as signs of deficiency, so don’t leave this to chance.

Vegetarian children who eat dairy and eggs usually get enough (AAP), but the US Dietary Guidelines still suggest asking your doctor.

Iron

Babies need 11 mg a day at 7–12 months and 7 mg at 1–3 years. The NIH says vegetarians need almost twice as much iron, because plant iron is less well absorbed, and the NHS says children who don’t eat meat or fish are more likely to lack iron.

• Offer iron-rich foods at most meals: iron-fortified infant cereal, lentils, beans, chickpeas, tofu, and dark green vegetables like kale and broccoli.
• Pair them with vitamin C, which helps absorption: strawberries, orange, kiwi, peppers or tomatoes (NIH, AAP).
• Your doctor may suggest a blood test if there are concerns about iron or B12 (AAP).
• If your baby is mostly breastfed, the AAP suggests asking your pediatrician about iron supplements; in the UK, ask your health visitor. Don’t give iron supplements unless a doctor advises it.

See iron-rich first foods.

Zinc

Babies and toddlers need about 3 mg of zinc a day (NIH). Phytates in beans and grains reduce zinc absorption, and the NIH says vegetarians and vegans might benefit from a supplement, but ask first: too much zinc is harmful too. Good sources include beans, lentils, soy, whole grains and nut butters (AAP, NIH). Soaking and sprouting beans and grains, and leavened bread, help the body use zinc (AAP).

Iodine

Iodine is needed to make thyroid hormones. Babies need 130 mcg a day at 7–12 months and toddlers 90 mcg a day (NIH). The best sources are seafood, dairy and eggs, so the NIH says people on a vegan diet, or who eat few of these foods, might not get enough.

Iodized salt is a common source for adults, but babies shouldn’t have added salt. Only some plant-based drinks are fortified with iodine (NHS), so check the label, and ask your doctor or health visitor whether your child needs an iodine supplement. Don’t use kelp supplements or large amounts of seaweed to fill the gap: the NIH says too much iodine can cause thyroid problems too.

Omega-3 fats

The omega-3 fats DHA and EPA come mainly from fish, so they’re low in vegetarian diets and absent from vegan ones. The body converts only a little plant omega-3 (ALA) into them (AAP).

Good plant sources of ALA include flaxseed (linseed), chia, hemp, walnuts, and canola (rapeseed) oil (AAP, NHS). For babies and toddlers, always offer seeds and nuts ground, or as a smooth butter thinned into food: try ground flaxseed or ground hemp seeds cooked into porridge, ground chia seeds stirred into porridge and left to soak and thicken, or ground walnuts. Ask your pediatrician or health visitor whether your child would benefit from a DHA supplement.

Vitamin D

Babies need 10 mcg (400 IU) a day, and the NHS range for breastfed babies is 8.5 to 10 mcg. For ages 1 to 3, the NIH amount is 15 mcg (600 IU) a day; in the UK, the NHS supplement for ages 1 to 4 is 10 mcg. Breastfed babies need a daily vitamin D supplement from birth (NIH, NHS).

If your family is vegan, check the label, because some vitamin D supplements and fortified foods use vitamin D from animal sources (NHS).

Calcium

Vegan sources include calcium-set tofu, fortified unsweetened soy drink (from 12 months), tahini, beans, kale and broccoli. Spinach is a poor source because the body can’t absorb much of its calcium (NHS, AAP).

A note on safety

Many plant-based staples are also common allergens (soy, peanut, tree nuts, sesame) or choking risks. Introduce allergens one at a time from around 6 months (NHS). No whole nuts before age 4 in the US (AAP) or age 5 in the UK (NHS), and never give babies or toddlers chopped nuts, whole seeds or thick spoonfuls of nut butter. See allergens and safe food sizes and shapes.

When to talk to your doctor

Talk to your doctor or health visitor:

• before starting a vegan diet, to plan supplements (AAP, NHS)
• if your baby isn’t growing or gaining weight as expected, seems unusually tired or weak, or is slow to reach milestones (NIH)
• if your child refuses most protein foods (see picky eating in toddlers)
• before adding any supplement beyond routine vitamin drops, so you don’t double up

Where US and UK advice differs

• Plant drinks from 12 months. AAP: soy milk is the only plant drink that’s nutritionally equivalent to cow’s milk; other plant drinks aren’t recommended in place of dairy milk. NHS: unsweetened, calcium-fortified soya, oat or almond drinks can be a main drink from age 1 as part of a balanced diet. Both: no rice drinks.
• Soy formula. AAP: some vegan families choose soy formula, though the AAP says there are few situations where it should be chosen over cow’s milk formula; ask your pediatrician. NHS: soya formula only from 6 months, and only if a health visitor or GP recommends it, partly because of concerns about phytoestrogens.
• How vegan diets for babies are framed. AAP: a vegan diet can be healthy and complete if B12, calcium, zinc, vitamin D and iron are covered, after talking with your pediatrician. An NHS trust page says the UK Food Standards Agency doesn’t recommend a vegan diet for babies and very young children because it can be hard to give them enough energy and nutrients, but that with careful planning it can be healthy (NHS Just One Norfolk). Both say to plan it with a professional.
• Routine vitamins. NHS: all children from 6 months to 5 years should have a daily supplement with vitamins A, C and D (unless they drink more than 500 ml, about a pint, of formula a day). Families on the Healthy Start scheme can get free vitamin drops. AAP: breastfed babies need 400 IU of vitamin D a day; for older children, talk to your pediatrician about which supplements are needed. In both countries, B12 for vegan children is extra.