In the first few months of feeding a baby solids (from around six months), you probably don't need to question whether or not your child should be eating meat or fish. In the early weeks they are still getting to grips with the experience of eating and sticking to pureed vegetables and fruit will suffice alongside a healthy milk intake.
However, if you are a vegetarian or vegan yourself, you will ask yourself a difficult question about whether you should feed your child along the same diet.
For most parents, there is probably no reason to give a baby anything they wouldn't eat themselves, especially for cultural reasons, unless a baby has particular food allergies which mean their intake of nutrients will be compromised if they do not eat meat or fish.
You will often hear people advise that you should take more care of the child's diet if they are not eating meat and fish but any parent should take care to balance what their child is eating whether they eat meat or not.
Iron
The richest source of iron comes from meat, so children who do not eat it should be getting it from other sources like green leafy vegetables, mashed lentils, eggs a little later and dried fruits when a baby is old enough to chew on these. Having vitamin C at the same time (from mashed fruit as a pudding, for example) helps the body to absorb the iron more efficiently. Food which is high in fibre can make absorption more difficult so think about what your child is eating at the same time.
By the time your child is older, he can enjoy iron-fortified cereals which are a useful option.
Protein and calcium
Pulses and fruit can be a good course of calcium but if your child eats dairy products it makes life a lot easier. Unsweetened yoghurts and fromage frais are easy for babies to eat and mild to taste.
Omega-3 fatty acids
The chief source of these valuable fatty acids is oily fish so if your child doesn't eat fish like mackerel, sardines, herring, they need to get these from other sources. A lesser amount can be derived from eggs, and oils like flax oil offer some in a 'short-chain' form, but these aren't as efficient as the 'long-chain' ones available in oily fish.
Vegans
Vegan families will already be pretty sussed on neccessary nutrients, vital supplements (especially B12) and aware that a healthy diet in the mother can mean that breastfeeding is even more valuable in the first year.
Soya in various forms (including milk) is excellent for calcium, as is tofu and green leafy vegetables.
Although food supplements can be useful, you will always hear a nutritionist start by telling you that deriving the body's essential vitamins and nutrients through food rather than supplements is by far the best way.
For more information on vegetarian diets for babies, check out the Vegetarian Baby website.
