New dcb is vegetarian - help!!!

[bright sparks]

Just to clear up, there is no such thing as "a true vegetarian". Vegetarianism has evolved a lot and there are many variations now. No animal products is vegan and actually to be a vegan is not simply dietary. It's a way of life. My son is vegetarian through his own choice and if you are making home made non processed meals then it is no more difficult then cooking for meat eaters. If anything it's easier as cooking times are dramatically reduced and you make larger batches without the fear of them going bad as quickly.

As others have said you need specifics from the parents. Rather than a casual chat, ask the parents to make a list of everything the child CAN NOT eat and post it on the fridge. My son wants to be vegan as he has chosen this lifestyle for humane reasons and I have tried to support him as much as possible but have had to put my foot down with a few things. It's not that he couldn't get sufficient nutrition being vegan even as a 10 yr old, even though most people would argue otherwise, but with a busy schedule I don't want to have him undernourished if I don't have time to make him a well balanced meal at every mealtime. He drinks fortified unsweetened almond milk and he eats fish. You want to try getting supplements in a 10 year old for the omegas and DHA lol

There are lots of soy meats, tvp (textured vegetable protein)and tofu which cook in minutes and take the place of meat. It isn't that much more difficult to make a separate pan, although in a daycare it's different having more people to cater for. Also one of the biggest protein packers for vegetarians is beans. You can purée it and add it to EVERYTHING.

A couple of warnings though.... There is a term in the vegetarian community known as "Junk food vegetarian" This is someone who eats lots of cheese. It can be "the automatic go to" but is super unhealthy in regular and large doses. A couple of meals a week but not every day. Why not ask the parents to give you a list of meals they usually make for him.

Lastly, I recommend that you charge a higher rate as it does cost more money to buy the alternatives and while it isn't difficult to prepare, when you have other kids to think of and have to spend more time, it's something they should pay extra for. It's not like you are making a family meal and maybe you have 1 of 2 of your own who can entertain themselves while you prepare. Most people have 5 or 6 plus there own and don't have that extra 5-10 minutes to devote to making a special meal. As the mother of a veggie kid, I wouldn't expect to pay the same rate and would have no problem paying an extra few dollars as a premium to be able to have my child's dietary requirements catered too.