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We had to write about this blog post on raising a vegan child, not only because it’s a great post, but also because our own 2+ year old won’t stop pressing play on Rasine’s audio clip — it is truly adorable! He is loving hearing another human his size uttering the very same words he says so often himself: “I’m vegan”.

Yes, our own pre-schooler is a vegan and has been since the day he was conceived and, even in a place as liberal and veg-friendly as our city is, he’s still the lone vegan fella his size/age.

In general, he’s really ok with it. He knows what’s vegan and has yet to express interest in eating the foods that other kids eat. This is largely due to the fact that we always try to carry around vegan snacks and favorite foods no matter where we go; if anyone were to whip out a snack or buy some treat along the way during an outing, we’ve got him covered.

The lunch he has at preschool is one we pack for him and one that always garners the (positive) attention of both teachers and other students. We also always prepare some birthday treats (usually cupcakes) for birthday parties and school birthday circles.

Anyone who harbors concerns on raising children vegan should take comfort in knowing it isn’t as difficult as might be imagined. This entry on veg blog is informative and inspirational and is worth a gander, or better yet, a bookmark.

Other vegan parents out there are encouraged to share stories, collective wisdom and, of course, tips and tricks!

Glenny’s has brown rice, cane juice sweetened, certified organic and vegan, marshmallow treats to upstage those preservative-laden, high-fructose corn syrup sweetened, non-vegan Rice Krispies treats offered by Kellogg’s.

In looking at the list of ingredients for Glenny’s brown rice marshmallow treats, you’ll find that it’s not only significantly shorter than that for Rice Krispies treats, but it doesn’t contain a whole list of cryptic chemical compounds, and nearly every ingredient is prefaced with the word “organic”.

As the VeganBits website points out, junk food, vegan or not, is still junk food, but I’m still glad to see a classic “kiddie” treat available on the market that can be strategically whipped out to show your favorite omnivores that being vegan does not mean living a life of ascetic deprivation.

Buy them online at Glenny’s in vanilla, chocolate, peanut caramel, or in a variety pack.

Hat tip to Vegan Family Living for making us aware of their existence!

I can personally vouch for the quality and charm of the aluminum SIGG cup! As parents, we were/are wary of Bisphenol-A present in so many plastic baby products, including sippy cups. So, we found some alternatives (including Kleen Kanteens and the Thermos Foogo), but we liked the SIGG cups the best. They’re functional (lightweight and insulated) and fashionable!

There are many SIGG styles to choose from, and some are in limited edition, but if you’d like to have some of the proceeds benefit StopGlobalWarming.org, purchase this special edition cup from their SIGG partner site. It’s only $21.99 and you’ll be able to proudly count yourself among those who are not contributing to the 2.5 million plastic water bottles being disposed of every hour in the United States.