There is nothing wrong about eating a vegan or vegetarian diet. Many health professionals would even argue that it is a very healthy way to eat. Adults who choose to eat that way should be given the credit they deserve for making a wise decision for their bodies. Babies, on the other hand, do not have a choice about what they eat – and just have to have whatever their parents feed them.
Milk is an essential part of any baby’s diet. Not only does it provide water to keep the infant hydrated, but it also provides carbohydrates, fats, and a lot of protein to keep the baby nourished. Milk, however, is not part of a vegan diet. So when one set of parents decided that their five-month-old baby was going to be vegan, they proceeded to feed him nothing but mashed potatoes. Now their little baby is on the brink of death after being severely malnourished because of the parents’ ignorant assumptions about infant nutrition.
31-year-old Robert Buskey and 20-year-old Julia French decided to ignore their baby’s doctor’s orders and feed their child a vegan diet. However, by the time of the baby was five-months-old, it had hardly gained a pound since birth, which is very scary. Because both parents eat a vegan diet, they forced it upon their baby and had fed him only a potato mash recipe they had found online. Because these parents let their child starve, giving him far too little mash than needed, they lost custody of their boy. Now the child is with the Department of Children and Families. Finally, the baby boy is getting the nutrients he needs for his small body and internal organs – including his brain – to grow and function as he needed.
The parents in question lived in Titusville, Florida and subscribed to a vegan lifestyle, which they thought would be healthier for their newborn baby. However, they failed to account for the diversity of nutrients the baby needed in order to grow and be healthy.
Thankfully, Titusville police stopped Buskey and French from causing more harm to the baby. They were charged with suspected child neglect and promptly arrested. Although they have to go through the due process legally afforded to them, police officers needed to take only one look at the five-month-old baby to know how much pain and suffering he was experiencing because of the parents’ neglect. The baby was malnourished and much too small for his age. He also had skin hanging from his extremities because he had not gained enough weight to fill out his growing skin.
The arrest affidavit claimed that the baby could not move and lacked muscle tone. The child was clearly underfed and had a weakened body, which was not strong enough to maintain adequate blood sugar levels or body temperatures. This made the baby extremely tired and constantly cold.
Doctors attested to the baby’s severe state of dehydration. They also reported to police officers that the baby might face long-term consequences for the way his parents treated him. Because he did not get enough food and water in his infancy, he may not develop properly as he grows up. Because these parents did not provide the baby with adequate access to nutrition, he suffered.
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