What is the recommended order for introducing solid foods to infants?
From birth to 4 months, exclusively breast-feeding or bottle-feeding is recommended. If breast-feeding, a supplement of vitamin D is recommended for the baby. At the 4-6 month point, introduce an iron-fortified infant cereal. To minimize allergy risk, start with rice cereal, followed by oatmeal and barley. Around 6-7 months, pureed vegetables can be introduced. It is recommended to introduce baby to a variety of pureed vegetables before introducing fruit, however pureed fruit can be introduced around 7 months. Around 9-12 months, yogurt and milk puddings can be introduced. Egg yolks may be tried, but it is recommended to wait until after one year for the egg white which can be more allergenic. At one year, whole milk can be introduced. After 2 years, lower fat milks are considered acceptable.

I have a 19-month old daughter. My husband and I are lacto-ovo vegetarians. Is there any problem with her following the same eating pattern we do?
There is no problem in raising your daughter on a lacto-ovo diet as long as she is getting adequate protein from the meat alternates including beans, lentils and soy foods. After 8 months, you can begin introducing pretty much all foods. If you suspect she may have any allergic tendencies, some people like to only introduce egg yolk at this point and wait until closer to a year for the egg white. Essentially at this stage the biggest concern is giving her foods in a form she can handle and being careful of any foods that may present a choking hazard such as peanut butter, grapes, nuts, candies, etc. Around 9-12 months, yogurt and milk puddings are okay. After 1 year, whole milk is fine. After 2 years, lower fat milks are fine.

I am breastfeeding my 8-month old. She is not very interested in eating solid foods other than a bit of fruit. How important are solid foods at this point?
Although continuing to breastfeed as long as possible is an excellent way to nourish your baby, the iron stores that the baby is born with can begin to decrease around the 4 to 6 month point. This is why iron-fortified cereals are recommended at this point and considered to be important. Around 7 months it is considered acceptable to begin introducing baby vegetables and fruit. Ideally, vegetables should be introduced first so baby doesn't develop a preference for the sweeter taste of fruits and then end up rejecting the vegetables. Breastfed babies should also receive a supplement of vitamin D as it is not sufficient in breastmilk.

My 16-month old daughter is allergic to milk. I have had her on soy-alternatives but she seems to have developed an allergy to these as well. I'm wondering how much calcium she needs and which non-milk foods contain calcium?
Children aged 1 to 3 need approximately 500 mg of calcium per day. I'll list some sources here. (Unfortunately, some are not kid-friendly due to taste or choking hazard from bones). If it's too tough to get enough from food, you may want to get the balance from a toddler-friendly multivitamin pill. A Save-on-Foods Pharmacist should be able to help you out if you need a supplement.

Just for reference, there are about 250-300 mg of calcium in 1 cup of milk.
1½ ounces of cheddar cheese supplies about 325 mg and 3/4 cup of yogurt about 290 mg. Most of the fortified soy alternatives are equal to these amounts.

Do you have any suggestions for quick & easy school, and after school vegetarian snacks for a six year old, that do not include the standard fare of cut fruit, vegetable sticks, etc. There are no food allergy concerns.
Here are a couple snack suggestions beyond fruits and vegetables:

• non-hydrogenated peanut butter on whole wheat bread or rolls
• crackers and cheese
• nuts
• a fruit and yogurt smoothie or milkshak
• yogurt
• a granola or energy bar
• popcorn
• fruit or vegetables with dip instead of plain
• homemade rice or tapioca pudding