Hi all! My little daughter (1 year) goes to a creche in Geneva. i am vegetarian, and i would like to raise her vegetarian as well, although i am willing to compromise on some fish. However, today i heard at the creche, that if she doesn't eat the meat she will only get 'polenta with carrots' as a lunch meal, which saddens me. As Geneva is a very international place, i had thought there would be more kids out there with alternative diets.
Has anyone else come across this problem and if so, what was your solution? i appreciate any advice!

You could provide the lunch for her yourself. This is standard practice for babies who cannot eat what is normally offered.

That reminds me of a funny story at my son's daycare when he was little. One of the kids was a vegetarian and her parents got their knickers in a right twist because one of the other kids had given their daughter all the turkey slices he'd slid out of his sandwich at lunchtime.

To the OP, I echo Tom's advice to provide your own but be prepared that your child might inadvertently scoff meat if it's left out on a plate or (as stated above) it's actively handed out by another child...

When my son went to krippe they only had meat/ fish twice a week and it was vegetarian the rest of the time. Can you ask how often they serve meat or fish and as Tom1234 suggests supply lunch (or an addition to her lunch) on those days.

Polenta - the secret tool of meat eaters to turn veggies into carnivores...

@CarlosR, it's evil!

Thanks everyone, i will talk to the creche about providing her lunch myself. At least part of the time. She has already been at this creche for 8 months now, and is seems the bigger kids are fed meat/fish every day.

I think it can't hurt to ask what the cook provides. However, if she's having bottles of milk or is breastfed, then polenta plus carrots, plus snacks and milk would be a fairly decent meal for a 1 year old. - not sure exactly what you are expecting - polenta's a pretty decent protein/carbohydrate source, and it may well have tomato or cheese sauce through it - that would be a cultural thing...

Personally, I don't have much interest in polenta, as it's not one of my own 'cultural' foods, but that doesn't mean it's not nutritious or interesting to a 12 month old (some of the kids at our childcare love it - especially the Italian kids)...

I think if you pay for the lunch, they should provide it for you according of these specifics preferences.

In our school (ok, not in CH), our daughter is served something else when they have pork. And those with diet conditions as well.

Not in Geneva, but my creche went out of their way to accommodate, also because the meal really is not cheap at all. Talk to them and see what they can do, apart from your packing your little one her own food. But honestly, carbs and veggies will be what your little one will get anyways, as a vegetarian, even at home, no? So, I would be happy in her age to load up on polenta and carrots, it is fun to eat, too. You can always chip in with proteins at home for dinner.