Relationships progress to parenthood. Parenting is an art and a skill. Not all parents are skilled in it. And there are some who knowingly or unknowingly go to some extreme levels that prove detrimental to the child.

The same happened with a couple from Surf Coast, Victoria, Australia who fed their child a strict vegan diet from 6 months of age the diet restriction affected the child’s development, growth, and brain formation. But despite this, they have escaped jail terms.

Strict vegan diet and the child from Surf Coast, Australia

Parents of a child in Surf Coast, Victoria, Australia put their daughter on a strict vegan diet. As a result, they starved the baby of her vital nutrients. It affected her growth and development and now she has suffered brain damage leading to cerebral palsy in her.

In August 2018, the baby was taken for a consultation at a Victorian hospital. And the doctors found that the baby was cold and lethargic, had to bruise on her body, and there was dark-colored blood on her nappy.

She had severe malnutrition and at the age of three had impaired physical growth and cognition. Additionally, she could not communicate well and this was attributed to the unhealthy diet that her parents fed her.

The parents and the diet they fed the baby

During the first 6 months of her life, the child’s growth was normal. When she was to be weaned off from mother’s milk, the doctors had advised the parents to feed nutritious weaning foods to the baby.

They also advised formula-feeding. But the parents ignored the doctors’ advice and instead gave her coconut milk, smoothies, fruit juices, and other plant-based foods.

The parents were in their 30s and did not take the doctors’ advice seriously. They continued to feed the baby with a strict vegan diet. The net result was that the child suffered a lot during the growth and development phase. Brain development could not happen normally due to the strict diet restrictions. It led to impairment in cognition and physical growth.

Will the parents be jailed?

Parents are held accountable for what happens to their children. Their actions had led to the child’s undernutrition and cerebral palsy. Normally, they are charged with child abuse and jailed. But luckily these parents whose names cannot be disclosed managed to escape a jail term.

The Judge noted:

“You are in the best position to do that and [the daughter] deserves it,”

The Judge could see that now the parents have realized their mistake and started taking good care of their baby. He did not give them a jail term since the baby was still dependent on both for care. But they face a conviction and have to do 12 months of community correction term.

The father has to do 75 hours of unpaid work. Both of them will have to undergo mental health treatment under their community orders. Both were guilty of causing a grievous injury to their baby.

The father of the child was a strict vegan himself and hence he thought that he should also only give a vegan diet to the baby. The mother too had adopted the father’s diet regime and did not oppose it when he implemented it on their little daughter.

The parents also have a younger son but are divorced now.

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