Vegan family

[kidlove]

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)

[3xbluemom]

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!

[treeholm]

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.

[playfelt]

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.

[treeholm]

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.

[Crayola kiddies]

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

[Starshine]

Legumes are a great source of protein!

[Inspired by Reggio]

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

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.

[kidlove]

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.

[playfelt]

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.