Vegan Moms Raising Vegan Kids

For the last 7 years, I've been a full time preschool teacher and have had a few children who are also vegans. Depending on how vegan you are, it's not to hard to "mimic the foods the other kids are eating." This last year, I had a little boy who would bring cheese pizza, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, meat and cheese sandwiches. From what I understand, it's hard to get a lot of protein when you're vegan. You could also also send nuts and fruits. Snacks tend to be easier because that could be fruits and veggies, etc. . . Good luck!

Hi J., we are a family of 3 omnivores, 2 vegetarians and 1 vegan, so I make mostly vegan meals. Something I often make are tortilla rolls that I slice into wheels. My kids love these. I do some with peanut butter, bananas, sunflower seeds and raisins, then a couple days later I do some with avacado, vegan cream cheese, and apples. There are hundreds of possibilities! You could also make hummus sandwiches, pb&j sandwiches and veggie burgers for her.

I have an excellent book called Vegan Lunch Box by Jennifer McCann. She also has a website www.vegalunchbox.com which has great ideas. Another book I recommend is called Vegan Family Favorites by Erin Pavlina. Both books and the website have really fun ideas for lunches and food that kids will eat.

In general, her food will be different from the other children's. But if she has a good understanding of why she is vegan, she will grow to be confident being different from her peers. Definitely talk with her teacher. Hopefully this will be a learning experience for the entire class!

Hi J.,
This is a challenging situation. There is one boy in my kids class that is vegan and can not partake in many of the lunches, snacks and special treats given during school. It has worked out that the mother spoke to the teachers and when there was an event that folks were bringing in cupcakes or cookies, she would make something comparable (as you mentioned) and it would be served at the same time the other kids were being served.
The teachers made it clear to the kids that he was vegan and this is what it means and this is why they choose to eat this way. It was helpful to put it out in the open so the kids didn't slam him with questions and put him on the spot of 'why do i eat this way?'
My suggestion is to make sure that your daughter is confident in why she is vegan and what that means that she can and can't eat, and also be clear with the teachers to address this to the whole class as a positive. Who knows, if you're in some type of montessori program, it's possible the teachers could do a vegan day (a potluck where everyone brings in something vegan for a shared lunch)...
good luck.

My thought is that your daughter is pretty young. I'm not so sure most 3 year olds are going to feel "different" as much she is going to be curious about what the other kids are eating. Most of what the others are likely to be eating are prepackaged convenience foods, unfortunately. Perhaps allowing her to include a 100% juice box or some other prepackaged treat will lessen how curious she is about those other colorfully packaged things the others are eating.

Also, ask your daughter what she wants in her lunch. Lunchtime is probably not the best time to try out a brand new recipe. Familiar choices will make her more likely to eat happily. Give her a couple of choices and have her help assemble her lunch so it's "hers". One of those Bento boxes with little compartments (as pictured on The Vegan Lunch Box) would be perfect for having her put her crackers, nuts, veggies, fruit, etc. in. Anything dip-able like hummus or a vegan "Ranch" dressing or even applesauce and graham crackers will be more fun for her to eat.

I think the more matter-of-fact you are about her lunches, the less likely she'll be to question it. Something like, "Some kids eat school lunch, some kids eat a packed lunch," will work just fine without having to justify the actual dietary choices, especially at this age.

Hi J.,

I'm a mom to a 6yr old ovo-veggy and the class I teach at our day care is the 1-3yr olds. Like it was said before, at 3 it's not so much that she'll feel like her food is different. Most kids at that age aren't heavy omnivores. All 6 of our kids are required to bring their own food for the day. I see lots of yogurts, PB & J, fruit of all sorts, cheese, crackers, edamame (mine prefers it in the pod so she can have the fun of popping them out), soups, noodles, beans & rice, and left overs from dinner the night before.

Please make sure to let her teacher know of your dietary requests. Many kids have food issues of some sort these days. I always keep some cupcakes in the freezer for those party emergencies. Occasionally, a child in my class may run out of food in their lunchbox. I keep a stash of Cheerios & banana chips in my desk for that reason. You may ask the school if you could leave something like that especially for your daughter in case she runs out, or her lunch spills onto the floor.... happens a lot!

Don't feel shy about your daughter's needs. Teachers are used to working around nut, dairy, and other food allergies. If you make sure you're prepared for those "treat days" your daughter won't feel any different.

Enjoy!

My daughter-in-law is vegan and has been sending her kids to school with food for some time. If you are interested, I'll ask her to let you know how she does that.