Diet from age 1-2years old
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2012 9:46 am
Hi everyone!
I so enjoyed reading Dr. McDougall's newsletter about feeding kids! I am 37 weeks pregnant with our first child and am looking forward to breastfeeding my little boy and then feeding him a whole foods, plant-based diet.
That said, i have a couple of questions that weren't really addressed in the newsletter:
For anyone who has raised their children vegan from day 1:
1) Were you able to breastfeed through 2 years? If yes, how often did you nurse per day from age 1-2?
2) Did you do anything specific to make sure the under-2-year-old was getting enough fat for brain development? I know children after age 2 don't need more fat than adults do, but i do know that even McDougall and Jeff recommend breastfeeding until age 2 because of the increased need for fat in an infants diet. Standard advice is to replace breastmilk with whole fat dairy milk. No thanks! I don't buy that that is necessary, but i do think i will need to be aware of getting our little guy enough fat while his brain is rapidly developing...especially if i end up not breastfeeding past the 1st year.
I am not sure if i will be able to breastfeed past 1 year, and i am already trying to think about how i will meet my nutritional needs between 1-2 years. After that, i think i understand well enough how to meet his nutritional and caloric needs.
Thanks!
lfwfv
I so enjoyed reading Dr. McDougall's newsletter about feeding kids! I am 37 weeks pregnant with our first child and am looking forward to breastfeeding my little boy and then feeding him a whole foods, plant-based diet.
That said, i have a couple of questions that weren't really addressed in the newsletter:
For anyone who has raised their children vegan from day 1:
1) Were you able to breastfeed through 2 years? If yes, how often did you nurse per day from age 1-2?
2) Did you do anything specific to make sure the under-2-year-old was getting enough fat for brain development? I know children after age 2 don't need more fat than adults do, but i do know that even McDougall and Jeff recommend breastfeeding until age 2 because of the increased need for fat in an infants diet. Standard advice is to replace breastmilk with whole fat dairy milk. No thanks! I don't buy that that is necessary, but i do think i will need to be aware of getting our little guy enough fat while his brain is rapidly developing...especially if i end up not breastfeeding past the 1st year.
I am not sure if i will be able to breastfeed past 1 year, and i am already trying to think about how i will meet my nutritional needs between 1-2 years. After that, i think i understand well enough how to meet his nutritional and caloric needs.
Thanks!
lfwfv