Vegetarian babies need good sources of iron, protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D and zinc.
Iron is less easily absorbed from non-animal sources, but good vegetarian sources include pureed apricots, molasses, lentils, fortified cereals, eggs and green leafy vegetables. Serving vitamin C at the same time increases the amount of iron absorbed.
Dairy products, beans, peas and soya products such as tofu are good sources of protein. Eggs are another excellent source of protein and iron. Hard boil them and then stir them into chopped or pureed vegetables. If there is no history of food allergies, then peanut butter is a great nutrient dense food after 6 months.
Vitamin B12 is only found in animal foods, so dairy products and eggs are a good source. Otherwise use specially fortified foods such as soya milks, low-salt yeast extract or veggie burgers.
Vitamin D is found exclusively in animal foods, so a supplement may be needed. It can be found in dairy products, eggs, fortified foods such as margarine and some cereals, and is also made by sunlight on the skin.
Pulses, wholemeal bread and egg yolk are good sources of zinc.
Quorn products can be useful for vegetarians, but they shouldn't be the main source of protein for young children as they are relatively low in calories and high in fibre, which fills the baby up too quickly and can also interfere with the absorption of minerals. Textured vegetable protein is hard for young children to digest and can also be high in salt.
We are not vegetarians but we don't eat that much meat. Hope some of that information is useful for you.
