Vegan family

Hi all,
I've had an inquiry from a vegan family. I'm wondering how the rest of you would handle this. I really can't see switching my entire menu to vegan-friendly, so would you expect to have these parents bring the child's food? Have you experienced any issues with one child eating food that is different from what the other children are eating? I certainly respect the vegan philosophy, but I just can't figure out what I would serve a child who can't have cheese or yogourt or eggs.
Thanks!
Diane

In my experience, if one child is eating something different than the rest of the children, it causes problems. The kids always want what the other person has! It's so much easier just to have them all eating the same thing. Another thing, is that if you have the parents bringing food for the child, you're going to end up with tupperware containers you have to keep track of to send home with them/and wash each day, it's just more of a hassle. I respect the vegan philosophy too, but it's not worth my time/effort to accommodate it.

Here's my two cents. Don't do it. :no:

Now, take into account this is from a provider who has done it. At first it seemed like no big deal. And, for the most part it wasn't. BUT, then I had another kid in care who had a REAL (as in medically necessary and not a life choice like being vegan) dietary issue. Now I had TWO kids in care with "special" diets. Try making lunch for five kids and two of them have to be completely different from the rest. It turns into a LOT of work.

And, it is a lot of work from the perspective of impromptu things....so, you make a quick decision, on a beautiful day to head off to the park. Now you have to quickly think of special snack options. Or, when you have a party. Well, if the kid is vegan then cake is out. So is icing (icing sugar involved bone fragments in the production process). Unless you are an exceptional baker and know how to bake vegan style no special treats for that kid.

It seems easy at first but when you are actually in the throws of it you realize just how many things are off limits. For example, at Christmas we made gingerbread houses. I even bought vegan graham crackers. We did up all the houses, were so proud and then vegan mom is a bit upset and reminds me that the smarties on the house have chocolate in them. :eek: Ack, stupid me.

Ya accommodating special diets can be a challenge ~ I generally prefer to 'accommodate myself' cause I have 'control' issues and do not want to deal with Johnny being sent something 'kid friendly' as they call it while everyone else is being expected to eat a veggie stir fry over rice or something ..... but as Judy mentioned I would not enroll more than 1 child at a time with a 'special dietary need' because they often contradict each other and I myself already have a gluten restriction to consider so cannot enroll anyone who has needs that contradict my own like a nut allergy for example.

Also if I had someone on enrollment with a 'choice' restriction and another client enrolled and than later developed a 'medically required' restriction that contradicting providing the 'choice' then I would have to weigh which child's diet I could more easily manage and terminate service to the other client sadly.

It is HARD sometimes to balance individual needs within the needs of the 'group' specially when we are ONE PERSON :(

Thank you all for your helpful advice. I would definitely not consider taking on a child with a nut allergy, that's for sure. I emailed the Mom back and said I can do vegan snacks (since we focus a lot on fruits and veggies anyway), but she would have to pack a lunch. I also serve hummus quite often, which should be okay. We'll see what she says. I looked at my lunch menu and realized that there isn't a single day that doesn't include meat, cheese, or eggs, so that's why I told her she would need to pack a lunch.

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Originally Posted by treeholm

I looked at my lunch menu and realized that there isn't a single day that doesn't include meat, cheese, or eggs, so that's why I told her she would need to pack a lunch.

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Also, no dairy at all. No butter. No chocolate. No sourcream. No yogurt. No peanut butter (commercial brands often contain icing sugar). No milk. Nothing that contains gelatin (gelatin is made from bone marrow - this includes marshmallows). Nothing that contains any whey (comes from milk). No honey. No to some salad dressings (most contain egg yolks as emulsifiers). No tortillas or commercial baked goods because they contain lard.

That's all I can think of for now.

Based on recent news you want to beware red food coloring as well cause depending on how it is created they use some crushed RED Beatles to get that nice red ;)

Well, at least I don't use red food colouring, but yikes! I had no idea the list of things they can't have included honey or whey. I'm glad I told the Mom she would have to pack a lunch, but now I'm thinking the child can't even have crackers with hummus... I guess just fruits and veggies... I do have concerns with the fact that he won't be eating the same food as the other children, and I'll discuss that with the Mom when she comes for her interview. I don't want to be in a situation where he cries at snack and lunch times because he wants the food I'm serving to the others.

I did have a little girl with a nut allergy in my care for over 2 years and I carried an epipen and read every label and was super cautious all the time. But it wasn't a problem for me, just a new challenge.

I have a lactose intolerant boy in my care and the parents are responsible to bring his cheese and milk all the time. I would accept a child with a gluten allergy or a vegan diet into care but I would ask the parents to send all the food. I wouldn't change my entire menu for them.

It is a problem when one child has something different from all the others but if you teach them the reason they will understand. I always tell my children that my lactose intolerant boy has to eat different foods because our food might make him sick and they accept that without any further questions. Actually, they have told other people about it when we are out, ha! And when I had the nut allergy girl in care the other children were helping to look around at the park for nutshells the squirrels had dropped. They enjoyed helping to take care of her.

It all depends on your point of view and routines and of course, your relationship with the parents and how well you can work things out. My nut allergy girl had the most amazing parents who gave me all the tips their doctor gave them. It can be done, but as the other ladies mentioned, you have to weight the liability fear against your honest abilities to deal with the situation.

I wouldnt do it, because of exactly what all the others are sying. even if you tried to have this child bring his/her own food, you also run in to the issue of the others not only wanting what that child has but also, its possible other children could develope the "if he doesnt have to eat it, why do I?" response. that can quickly turn into a chain of trouble. no offense but in this day and age if you want to be different in a social society, get ready for turmoil. Good for them on sticking to vegan living whether its religion or something else, but good luck finding someone willing to go the extra mile. Had a mom come to me the other day for care and said, by the way, my kids dont eat ANY sugar or nitrates. I SAID, no thankyou. :)

nice to here momof4's response, that means you are very kind and caring, willing to go the extra mile for the child and family, so nice. :) i guess after doing daycare for a while you can def build up a little more "gaurd", I wouldnt want to play the game, just sounds like alot of trouble. BUT, if the family is good people and willing to work with you, you can deal with just about anything. (as long as liability isnt an issue) :)

I probably wouldn't. I like to try to accomodate allergies and special diets, but there are certain things I can't easily accomodate because of dietary restrictions in our own family. My son has a peanut allergy, and we're not sure yet about other nuts However, even if he can have other nuts, they are often processed in factories that also process peanuts, so there's the worry of cross-contamination. So, while I am perfectly fine with accepting children with nut allergies, I'd have difficulty with a child who was vegan or on a gluten-free diet, because I know they use nuts, nut butters, nut-milks, nut-flours, etc, and I don't do any cooking or baking with nuts. (although almond milk and flour would be okay for my son as long as the are from a peanut-free factory.) Plus, it's bad enough that I have to read labels all the time to make sure there are no nuts hidden in something. I don't want to have to look for eggs, dairy, etc, all the time too!

3xbluemom: I can see that combining a nut-free home with a vegan lifestyle would be impossible.

I have told the Mom that she would have to pack lunches, but I can do snacks. We'll see if that is acceptable to her. I cannot change my lunch menu to accommodate the vegan lifestyle as I rely heavily on eggs, cheese, and chicken. I have several vegan friends, and they have been giving me snack ideas that don't seem unreasonable. I guess we'll see how it goes. If it becomes a problem, the parent will have to decide whether she needs to find a different daycare. I suspect it isn't that easy to find one that will serve vegan foods only.

I seem to be attracting the find of family who values my philosophy of eating clean: foods as close to their natural state as possible. This means no refined sugar, very little processing, and no white flour. Serving vegan snacks is not a stretch for me at all. I've even made vegan pumpkin muffins once for a friend who was vegan, and they were surprisingly delicious. It's just the lunches I can't seem to wrap my head around, which is where Mom will have to help out by supplying the food.

There are some families that are vegan that allow milk and eggs especially for the children. That is a lot easier to accomodate. Also I would be charging a surcharge for meals since it involves being selective of brands and not just buying what is on sale that week.

I make most things from scratch and don't buy processed foods very often, so the brand thing wouldn't come into play. I usually make my own bread, and I do have a few vegan-friendly recipes. This family said no dairy, so I know milk is out. Eggs are usually out as well, as they are an animal product. As long as she provides lunch, I won't need to add a surcharge. If she says she can't bring lunch, it will probably be a deal-breaker for me and I'll have to turn that family away. I just can't figure out what a child can eat for lunch protein if they can't have eggs, cheese, chicken etc. I'll let you know what she decides. I have no idea if there is another daycare in town that caters to veganism.

What about tofu? Is that an acceptable food? What about the vege burgers? And other vegetarian products ? Are these acceptable for vegan lifestyle?

Legumes are a great source of protein!

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Originally Posted by playfelt

There are some families that are vegan that allow milk and eggs especially for the children.....

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This is a good point you need to get her to clarify what LEVEL she is and how she defines this ~ because some people use the term 'vegetarian' to mean they do not want to KILL animals in order to eat but will eat the 'bi products' they offer aka eggs, dairy and so forth and others who are 'mostly' Vegetarian but will eat FISH but not any other animal meat.

While others who use phrase 'vegan' typically mean that they do not let ANY ANIMAL PRODUCT into their diet ... this term is generally for those more 'hard core' lifestyle.

And than there those who intertwine the definitions or make up their own 'criteria' about what they are willing to eat.

Had to chuckle last night after reading this one...I wonder what that Mom would do if she came to my home? We raise our own meat pigs, and have chickens for eggs and goats for milk. :eek:

You mention baking for the snacks - if you are using pure shortening or canola oil then it should be fine but not if you use butter, margarine, or lard they all contain dairy or animal. Eggs for baking would be out so that limits some recipes. I had a child with a milk allergy and it was amazing the foods that contained dairy that you wouldn't think did. I did get some recipes once from a friend who was vegan for a child with a dairy, nut and egg allergy and some were surprisingly good.

Interesting point about canola oil and shortening... I won't use them because of the processing. I use olive oil, although it isn't necessarily good for baking. I normally use butter and eggs for baking, often with unsweetened apple juice to add moisture and natural sweetness. I believe when I made the pumpkin vegan muffins I had to get soy milk and there was something else... I just remember it cost me a fortune to bake them, although my friend was touched that I went to all that trouble. I could see making a big batch of them and freezing them for the little one. I would just have to hope that the other children are okay with regular muffins.

I didn't read past the first page of posts but I am Vegan and don't serve that menu to my daycare kids (my husband and kids aren't vegan) and it can be time consuming and expensive. Someone with this lifestyle is very passionate about their choice and even more so when it comes to raising their kids in the same way. I wouldn't want to be on the recieving end when their child ate something accidental.
If you decide to pass ~ reffer them to Green Sprouts here in the patch!