If you are raising a young child without meat it will be important to make sure he or she is getting adequate protein, iron, calcium and vitamin B12. You may know of other children raised on a vegetarian diet without vitamin/mineral supplements, but do you really want to take a chance with your child? It can be difficult to calculate out the adequacy of your child's daily diet and it may help you rest a little easier.

Non-heme iron (heme is iron from meat sources) is a little more difficult to absorb so it is beneficial to have a vitamin C source with it. This could mean you offer a little juice with a fortified cereal or offer broccoli or potato at dinner with a fortified rice or noddle dish. Try to frequently offer beans and enriched cereals these are really 2 of the best sources of iron other than meat. Other foods to include are tofu, peas, spinach and enriched breads, tortillas, rice and pasta. You should be checking the labels as a lot of foods can be enriched. It is true that some of the iron from cast iron cookware is leached out into the food during cooking.

It is okay to continue on formula past a year. I would actually recommend it if you will be offering a vegetarian diet. Please note that between 1 year and 2 years it is important for a child to have more fat in their diet. This is usually done by offering 2 cups of whole cow's milk. The extra fat is critical during this time for brain/neural development. After 2 it is okay to switch to lower fat. If using goat's, rice or soy milk look for the higher fat and also look at the percentages of vitamins A and D and calcium. You want to make sure you are getting a similar amount of nutrition (as compared to whole cow's milk).

I hope this information is helpful for you. This is an important time in your child's development. I would recommend meeting with a Registered Dietitian just to make sure your child's diet is adequate if you are restricting any food groups. [/quote]