Starting baby on solid foods?

Question

My daughter is 5 months old and has been eating cereal twice a day since about 3 1/2 months. I want to make my own baby food and had read that babies should start with meats and alternatives then veggies, then fruit. I couldn't find the reason for this order, can anyone tell me why. Thanks

Answer 1

Actually my pediatrician said meats should be started last. The rule of thumb I was given was yellow veggies, green veggies, then fruits. No meat until about 7 months. Don't forget to wait 3-5 days between trying new things to make sure your baby doesn't have an allergic reaction!

From what I understand, the reason you start w/ yellow veggies (squash, sweet potatoes) is b/c they're sweet, so the baby will like them, but they have less natural sugar than fruit. Next start w/ the green veggies b/c they're supposed to be more nutritious, then fruits b/c they're the sweetest and you don't want your baby to reject veggies outright. Meats are introduced later when your baby's intestines are a bit more developed.

The food order thing is what my doc told me, however I was able to alternate to pretty much whatever I wanted--I'd do peas for 3 days, then mangoes for 3 days, then sweet potatoes for 3 days, etc.--and my kids will pretty much eat anything under the sun now (they're 11 months). It really depends on YOUR baby.

Good luck w/ making your own baby food! It's hard work (except for bananas, they're way easy) if you don't have an electric mill, but it might be worthwhile to you in the end.

Answer 2

I seem to be in line with everyone else. We were told to start her on veggies first giving her one veggie type for three days before moving on to another. We were told veggies, fruit and then meat further down the line.
My baby is 6 months and we give her 2-4 servings of gerber first foods (cereal, fruit or veggies) per day and follow up each with a top off of breast or bottle.

Answer 3

I am not sure where you heard that babies should start with meat because that was the last thing that I was told to introduce! Here is a chart that might help you: http://www.healthunit.com/index.asp?mode=article&lang=english&articleID=12163

We started with cereal at 5 months and then added veggies, then fruit and then meat at around 8 or so months. My baby didn't really enjoy meat until much later though.

Answer 4

You should start with a veggie, like peas, or fruit, like apples, before moving on to meat. I waited a week or so before giving my daughter meat. You have to wait a few days between each food to make sure there are no allergies. There's no reason why you can't start with a fruit, it's personal prefrence. They used to think it would give a child a sweet tooth, but there has been no evidence to prove this. Most doctors will tell you to start with whichever you choose. Meats are thicker and harder to chew, and don't taste as good, so there's a chance your child won't really like them if started right away. You should let them get used to different textures first.

Answer 5

Doctors now say give vegies first so they get used to the taste. If you give fruit first they prefer the sweetness of the fruit and won't like the taste of the vegies. Meats are introduced a later time. Try vegies first for a couple of months then cereal in the morning, vegies at lunch then fruit for dinner. My grandaughter is 8 mo. old and that is the usual order. No meats have been giver to her yet.

Answer 6

I think rice cereal became a popular first food (here in the UK too) because it is so bland.. but for me that is a really rotten reason to use it first! Babies actually have more tastebuds than adults, so why start them out on something that tastes like wallpaper paste? Mine started first with banana, avocado and mashed potato (not all in the same bowl!). The only thing to check is that the foods you introduce are known to be safe first foods - there is absolutely no need to buy pre-packed baby rice or porridge - fresh, prepared by you, has got to be nicer.

Answer 7

Wow! Meats and alternatives and then veggies? Where did you read about that? You're best to ask a health clinic nurse. The problem with starting babies on various foods they may not be accustomed to, especially fairly "exotic" foods like meats, is that their little digestive systems may have a tough time digesting it.

Answer 8

i heard it the other way around. meats are the hardest for the baby to digest so i dont understand why they would say meat first. exotic fruit, such as mango for example, shouldnt be given before a year old.
if youre worried about it, ask your pediatrician about it.
i started my older daughter on regular food when she was a year old, i was really worried about what she could and couldnt eat...
but i wasnt as worried with my second daughter, i started her on regular food when she was 6 months. shes 17 months now and shes just fine.
so really, i would tell you not to worry about it, just make sure that if you are going to introduce any new foods, to make sure you wait a while before introducing another new food, just to make sure she doesnt have any allergic reactions. if you give her two new foods at the same time and she has a reaction to one of them, you wont know which one shes reacting to.

Answer 9

Veggies first! Then fruit, then meat. If you give them fruit first then they always want the sweet fruit. Start her on some peas, sweet potatoes and green beans, then move on to your peaches, pears, bananas and apple sauce. Meats are always last. As for real solid food, such as cherios, whenever your child starts to make a pinching motion with their fingers to pick things up, then it's time to start on the real solid foods.

Answer 10

ive never heard of that order, ive only heard of the opposite order.

fruits mixed with cereal, fruits, veggies, and meats.