We Raise Our Kids 99% Vegan—And Here’s Why

Parenting is all about being flexible. Before kids, we were “perfect” vegans. Now, three kids later, we do the best we can in each situation. Sometimes that means picking cheese off pizza or letting them have a non-vegan cupcake—and yes, we survive!

Before kids, we imagined nothing non-vegan would touch their mouths. We thought we’d bake vegan cupcakes for every birthday—funny, right? Most days, we’re just trying to shower, with dry shampoo as our BFF. Raising 100% vegan kids at home is easy, but out in the world, we aim for 99%—and that’s more than enough.

Here are five reasons why embracing flexibility makes raising little vegans way easier—and way less stressful—for everyone.

Reason 1: It’s not worth the meltdowns—your mental health is important!

Parents need to keep their sanity. You can pack every vegan snack imaginable, but if a toddler sees a friend eating goldfish, meltdown incoming. Toddlers are little irrational humans who can make life really hard. Sometimes letting a few non-vegan treats slide is worth avoiding a 20-minute tantrum—trust me, that 1% can save lives, especially yours.

Birthday parties are a whole other story. In a small town, vegan cupcakes are often an hour away—not happening when kids scream after 15 minutes in the car. Baking with kids? Nope, I’d rather not cry today. Even if you somehow get a vegan cupcake, kids want what everyone else has, and mismatched sprinkles can apparently ruin the world.

2. We believe we save more animals by making veganism more flexible and attainable.

We used to be strict vegans—perfection was the goal. The problem? We seemed rigid and made veganism feel impossible. Now we focus on making it easy, fun, and approachable. Being flexible helps us reach more people and save more animals. As parents, we want to be loving and non-judgmental. That’s true for our kids and for other non-vegans too. Changing hearts comes from empathy, not lectures. Letting a little wiggle room in tough moments shows we’re human and makes veganism feel doable.

3. We don’t want our kids to feel isolated or have a negative association with veganism.

We want our kids to WANT to be vegan. Forcing strict rules can backfire and make them feel left out. With our first little vegan, we brought Oreos to every birthday party while everyone else had cake. She ended up sitting alone, crying, and feeling like she was missing out—definitely not cool. It broke our hearts to see her feel punished and different. She was too young to fully understand, and we realized changes were needed. Now we focus on teaching vegan values in a flexible, loving way. Our goal is for them to grow up loving veganism, not resenting it or feeling isolated.

4. They are too young to rationalize why they should not eat the non-vegan food.

Young kids just don’t get why we choose veganism. You can’t explain to a toddler that dairy cows are mistreated or that gummy bears have boiled-down bones. If we say no to a Reese’s or some gummy bears, they think we’re the monsters. Sometimes they eat a little, and that’s okay—we lead by example and hope they make the same choices when they’re older. As parents, veganism isn’t about being perfect—it’s about being flexible and keeping our sanity. Parenting is hard, and sometimes bending the rules is the only way to survive the day. A small piece of cake or some goldfish isn’t worth a tantrum or making kids feel isolated. We choose our battles, model our values, and hope they follow in our footsteps as they grow.