My twins are 9 months now and I would like some input on how raw foodists feed infants. I know that breast is best, but I went the formula way from 4 months(no judgement please) and would like to hear from those who have gone before me....thank you

Hi Lainecole,

I have a 14 month daughter who started taking some solids right around 9 months. She still gets plenty of breast milk, and I say so just for your information and not because I stand in judgement of you for using formula )

I have truly been amazed at how well Audrey has taken to any fresh raw fruit (and many vegetables) we give her. Just yesterday I picked a fresh tomatoe the size of a large baseball and she ate the whole thing in less than a minute. She LOVES mangos, orange juice, and especially watermelon. We feed her as much and as often as she wants (save night time) and never force anything on her. We don't use jars or high chairs or utensils. We just sit down on the floor with a towel and some fruit and make a big yummy mess.

This picture is older, she was 9 months last april when it was taken and it was one of the first times she ate solids. It's a good example of how we still do things.



Let me know if you more specific questions.

DannyMacK

Hey Danny, thanks so much for your feedback! She looks super healthy....I wish it was warm enough in England to eat mangoes naked....
I am new to raw eating (have been vegetarian for 15 years) and am getting frustrated as there is NO INFORMATION on raw food for babies, except not to feed nuts and seeds...or greens...and to steam all veg. this is what I have been doing with my twins, but it just doesn't feel right. Did your daughter just 'graze' all day? Did you offer nuts and seeds? Greens? How about fermented foods? Hope not too many questions but you are my only source of info at the moment.

Danny,

What an adorable little girl you have. Always good to hear that parents are feeding their children healthy fruit and veggies raw.

Peace,

Marcos

Go Vegan for your life, your health, the planet and, most importantly, the animals that we share this wonderful world with!

I saw a whole chapter entitled "Raising Rainbow Babies" on how to raise your children on a raw vegan diet in The Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine by Dr. Gabriel Cousens. I skipped that particular chapter though due to it not being applicable to my life - but that whole book was awesome so you might want to start there.

Hi Lainecole,

Let me share a couple of resources with you.

[www.thegardendiet.com]
This is a link to Storm and Jinjee's website. They have 5 children, several of whom have been raw since birth. They also have ebooks and videos worth taking a look at.

[www.vegsource.com]
This is a link to a forum moderated by Doug Graham who recently had a baby girl, Faye, who is 17 months. His wife Roz is also a raw fooder and a good resource. You could post some of your questions here and hope for good answer from Doug. However, I know he recently left for his summer tour and said he might not be online that often for a couple months. Otherwise, he is good about answering questions quickly.

To answer your questions...

Does Audrey graze all day? Yes. An infants stomach is small and needs to eat less quantity, more often than adults do. There is no reason to restrict the frequency or quantity with which an infant eats provided they are only offered the highest quality foods.

Have we offered nuts and seeds? No. A good rule of thumb is that if she doesn't have the ability to bite and chew the food, she is not ready for it. I have heard of some mothers who use nut milks, especially those no longer breastfeeding. I'm not recommending it, or not NOT recommending it, but mention it as a possible food worthy of some more research.

Greens? Audrey likes to chew some lettuce when we are having some, but she's probably consumed 2 entire leaves in her lifetime. Usually it sits in her mouth until the next breastfeeding ) And a few times she's had some apple/celery juice.

Fermented foods? Nope.

SOOOOOOOOOOO CUTE!!!!! She looks so serene!

There's also a book out called Baby Greens about raising raw babies... just came out and I'm waiting for my copy now!