Fruit or veg first?

Kathy - posted on 03/03/2010

My doctor told me to start on cereals first then veggies, then fruit and meats last. She said if you give then fruit before veggies alot of them don't like the veggies and wont eat them because they want the sweetness of the fruit

Nakima - posted on 03/02/2010

I would suggest starting with veggies also....

S - posted on 03/02/2010

babies naturally like sweet things - it's in our DNA. have you tried rice cereal or baby oatmeal? they're sweet. breast milk and formula are also naturally sweet. eating fruits first will NOT cause a reaction that results in a dislike of vegetables. babies will like certain foods, or they won't. don't think that whatever food you choose to give for their first baby food will make your child into a picky eater. it's also recommended that if your child doesn't like a particular food, to try it again in another week or two.

Trisha - posted on 02/26/2010

well with the cereal, i feed him 4 Tblsp in the morning 2 hours after his bottle feeding and then at night 2 hours after his feeding before his bedtime feeding and with the veggies and stuff i just give him half a jar of a veggie before or after a bottle feeding or in between bottle feedings...im not going to do actual meals until i have introduced every veggie and fruit to him

Holly - posted on 02/26/2010

Do what you feel is right!!!!!!
I started my son on cereal at 10 weeks by spoon, he loves his cereal. I started so early with the cereal due to reflux and it helps him keep down the milk. He is just over 5mths and weighs 17lbs10oz. I just started him on peas this week and I have given him a chuck of banana in the mesh pacifier thing.
They say you should start with the bland tasting foods first as they are not interesting to taste and then work up to more flavors. You can give babies 6months the puree meat and poultry too there is no reason why they can not have it!!! The most important is that you should try not to give your baby salt or added sugar until after a year as they dont need that extra taste and it will let your baby enjoy the real taste of food!!!!
DO WHAT YOU FEEL IS RIGHT!!!
Also if you check out the enfamil website it has a lot of information about feeding as well as nestle.

Hope this helps!!
http://www.enfamil.ca/en/
http://www.nestle-baby.ca/en/index

Maria - posted on 02/26/2010

My son is almost 5 months and I give him a little taste of anything he wants (thats mushy of course, anything he can suck from a spoon or my finger)
He watches anyone eating now and opens his mouth. He seems to love tomato and strawberry flavours. I've just started him with one of those teething rings that you can put food in, y'know? Then i just give him what I'm having that he can try too!: watermelon, bananas, mashed sweet potato. Veg or fruit, I say variety is the spice of life!

Azmina - posted on 02/26/2010

Can y'all post your feeding schedules? I am struggling to decide at what point in the day should I introduce solids? I certainly do not want to substitue a breastfeeding session for solids....

Trisha - posted on 02/25/2010

my son is 5 1/2 months old and started cereal at 4 months (his doctor said to) and after i introduced all the cereals to him (rice, oatmeal and barley) for about 1 week at a time then i started orange/yellow veggies for about 4 days at a time to make sure he wasn't allergic, then on to the green veggies for about 4 days, then comes fruit...the doctor said its always better to introduce veggies first so they don't just want fruits...i hope this helps in some way!

Stacy - posted on 02/25/2010

We started cereals at 4.5 months, at 5.5 months we started vegetables (refried beans, due to some serious constipation issues.) The picture on my post is the first time I gave him the refried beans. We will do vegetables first then fruits, as I've had a lot of friends who started with fruits and their children still do not like vegetables (ages 2 - 8!!)

Kerri-Anne - posted on 02/24/2010

I was told by my health nurse to start on vegetables first as fruit is sweet and if they start on fruit first they may not eat the vegetables. I have done that and i have had my daughter on one veg for 3 days and then tried another so i can see if she has any allergies to anything. She is six months next month on the 9th and has been on solids once a day for close to a moth and now going to two feeds a day. She hates avacardo but loves potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, peas and thinks carrot is ok. She also has rice cereal and she likes that. Didn't like apple at first but didn't mind it today. Hope that helps.

Kathy - posted on 02/24/2010

I don't think the order matters. The main thing is to just try one thing at a time for a few days to make sure your little one has no reaction, as Aubrey says. As for the colour of the veg/fruit, I haven't heard that one before - do you know why some doctors have suggested that?

Solids are fairky experimental to begin with- that's why a lot of people offer them after the breast of bottle, as milk will continue to be their majour source of nutrients.

Aubrey - posted on 02/23/2010

my daughter is 5 months we started solids right at 5 months. she likes fruits and veggies the only thing that she wont eat is bananas and squish. everything else she loves. they say not to start on fruit because of the sugar. what i did was start all 3 of my kids on veggies we tried that then the next day for breakfast we gave her apple sauce. we did sweet potatoes to start off. When you start your daughter on solids try one food for the first 3 days so if she gets an allergic reaction you will know what it is from. that way your not wondering if she is allergic to something you will have an idea of what it is. We also mix rice cereal with the baby food and that keeps them fuller longer. you mix the rice cereal with the formula then mix in the baby food and if its cold baby food we heat it up for 15 seconds and that seems to do the trick. I hope that this helps you :-)

Rebecca - posted on 02/22/2010

I always start veggies first with my kids.

Susan - posted on 02/21/2010

i'm amazed by all the various responses from people's Drs on here. One says fruits first and others say veggies. My dr said start with yellow veggies and then go toward green. Who knows which is right... Hard to say

Susan - posted on 02/21/2010

I KNOW! I think the Dr suggests this order for their digestive system. My husband hates almost all veggies and 100% of fruits. My daughter (3) eats fruit pretty well but almost no veggies. I know you're suppose to keep putting it in front of them and asking them to try 3 bites of everything and to never give up, although that's tiring because at 3 she just refuses.



My 5 month old is still breastfed during the day but eating cereal for dinner, and I add applesauce or pears or bananas. Just make sure to introduce 1 fruit or veg at a time so you know if it affects them or if they have allergic reaction.



As a back-up measure, I have my whole family taking Juice Plus+ which is 17 fruits and veggies in a chewable or capsule form. It makes up for what we don't get daily. They can't take it til they chew though, but if you're taking it and breastfeeding then they get the good nutrition from you.

Kellie - posted on 02/21/2010

I still don't buy into the whole starting them out on veggies because they're get a sweet tooth. You'll eventually have to give them fruits and then what? Will they go back to the veggies then? And how many toddlers do you know that like veggies? They all go through periods of liking/not liking these sorts of food. All baby foods are made pretty sweet anyway. Plus baby's taste buds are not like ours...hence why they can drink formula/breastmilk and love it. Go with whatever you want just make sure you test each out for a few days. I did applesauce first and now we're working on sweet potatoes. Liked both so far.

Amanda - posted on 02/21/2010

We already started our 5 1/2 month old on solids. She was strictly breastfed up to that point, although we have had to start supplementing her with formula because my supply has decreased. We started her on vegetables - green beans, peas, carrots, squash, each for a few days before we introduced a new one, and she loves them. We tried bananas just to see how she liked them before we tried the vegetables, and she was not really into them. She seemed to not like the sweetness of fruits. Since vegetables seem to be a little more bland, I suggest vegetables first, then fruits. Try plain cereal in the morning, then introduce the vegetables in the evening, one at a time. Then after you have tried them all out, you can introduce fruits, mixing them into the cereal in the morning, one at a time to try them out.

Renee - posted on 02/21/2010

we started cereal in our daughters bottle for bedtime feedings, first rice then switched to oatmeal because she was getting a bit constapated. We started that at almost 3 months. Now she is almost 5 months and we give her both kinds of cereal fruit and veggies. I know we were supposed to wait a bunch of days before trying something new but our little girl is very food adventurous (or we are) and it is going well. pears are her fav and strangely she doesnt much care for banana or peaches they are too sweet for her. but i keep trying here and there. she loves squash and we are planning on trying sweet potatos in the next few days.

Kassie - posted on 02/21/2010

I've heard the same thing about fruits and veges. So to be on the safe side I started with veges. I don't want to go through years of forcing my child to sit at the table until he finishes his veges

Leander - posted on 02/21/2010

Hi..i started coleman on solids at 4half months.. we started him off on vegie.. then the fruits.. his favourite is butternut pumpkin wif patotoe and brocoli mash up..4 breakfast i give him rice cereal..he loves his food..my plunket nurse sed really i should start him at 6months..bt i sure milk may full the stomach..bt as they get to that stage from 3months they knw wot is going on wen they do observe other people around them

Kylie - posted on 02/21/2010

I started my son not long ago on solids. I started him on baby rice cerial with a tiny bit of apple, then moved onto different flavors. but ihave been very lucky, there is not much he isnt keen on. but I also have trouble with getting him to eat baby jar vegis. But i make and puree my own, so cheaper and better. most bubs prefer fruit as it is sweet. but if you try mixing al little sweet potato or something into vegis ( that helps it hold to gether a bit more, and makes it a little sweeter for them, also sticking to pretty basic flavors to start, not going to radical with their sensitive taste buds

Brandi - posted on 02/20/2010

We started giving our daughter baby food at 4 months and we were told green veggies first then yellow then fruits. We do a mix though. More veggies than fruits just because she likes them better. I guess it just depends on what you think is best! You can't really give them a wrong one to start with. My friends baby is almost six months and wont touch veggies because she started her on fruits first. Maybe do the fruits in moderation? We were also told to wait a day before you let your baby try something new just to make sure they don't have an allergic reaction to anything. Feeding them baby food is so fun. Our daughter taught herself how to spit and so sometimes she will do it while were feeding her but its just so cute that we don't mind it haha. Good luck though. Remember mommy knows best so go with what you feel is right!

Katherine - posted on 02/20/2010

My pediatrician told me to start my daughter on green veggies first and to do that for about 4 days and move on to a different vegetable. After that we'll start working our way to fruit. I guess she told me that because she thinks that my daughter might hate the veggies if we start on fruit first. Originally I wanted to start my daughter on fruits, but I guess I'll follow the doctor's orders.

Nikkole - posted on 02/20/2010

my lil girl is 4mts old and will be 5mts old in a few days, my doc told me to start her on baby foods at 4mts and cereal at 3mts. she never had a problem eating them. i would started your daughter on vegetables bc a lot of baby do get that sweet tooth and dont want vegs. my little loves both.

Yun - posted on 02/20/2010

Saw a nutritionalist for my first child and she suggested starting on veggies then moving on to fruits. We started on sweet potatoes and plan to do the same with my daughter.

Sarah - posted on 02/20/2010

considering that the vegies that you give as first foods are quite sweet any way (carrots, peas and the like) it will make no difference at all. All kids go through a stage of not eating veges. This is more about asserting their independance than a rejection of vegetables per se. Your daughters Daddy is old enough to make his own choices about which foods he eats, and now could be the time to re-visit hated veg cooked in a much more interesting way than he might have had a sa kid and set a positive example for your little girl. Our daughter won't eat many veg at the moment, but as we've just started her little brother on them, and she has seen him eat them, magically she likes them again.

Rebekah - posted on 02/19/2010

My son is just a few days shy of 5 mos and his pediatrician said to start with rice cereal at 5 months for 7 days then go to oatmeal cereal for 7 days then to barley cereal for 7 days then start veggies, meat and then fruit. I have already started him on the rice cereal because he has shown an interest in my food. Although I like his doctor well enough I probably won't follow her advise to a T. I will do it the best way i see fit for my baby. As for the veggies before fruit well my sister in law has a 6 month old and she did cereal for a day or 2 then went straight to fruit AND veggies. So it is entirely up to you. Just remember you know your child best and whatever decision you make it wont be the wrong one...

Kristen - posted on 02/19/2010

i did veggies first but my daughter doesnt have a prefrence she eats anything

Jennifer - posted on 02/19/2010

My doctor did tell me to start on the green veggies first and do each kind for four straight days before trying something new. She said that even if they act like they don't like them at first most babies will like the taste if you stick to it for a couple days and it helps them like the taste of veggies when they are older. So I would go with your instinct and try the veggies first. :)

Antwoinette - posted on 02/19/2010

my pediatrician actually told me to start my son on solid foods at four months. i gave him fruits one day, veggies the next, just until he got used to eating solids, he's 24 weeks old now and eats a fruit for breakfast, a veggie for lunch, and either one for dinner. he only gets a bottle during the day at nap time. then one for bed, one in the middle of the night. he eats ALL fruits and vegetables. he isn't a picky eater at all. i think alternating would be the best so that she doesn't get used to the sweetness of fruits and then reject the veggies.

Jessica - posted on 02/19/2010

I agree with your friend and say do the veggies first. With our first one we did orange veggies first, then yellow, then green. We pureed the veggies and put then in ice cube trays and froze them, when she was ready to eat we would take one out and that was her serving. It works very well. After she did the veggies, we introduced fruit let me tell you, she is two years old and will eat any vegetable out there. She is such a great eater-no complaints, I am surely going to do the same with my 2nd. Hope this helps!!!

Laura - posted on 02/19/2010

I started with veggies because I heard what you heard about rejecting veggies after having fruit. I had other people, though, tell me to start with fruits because they are gentler on their stomachs. So, I guess each way has it's ups and downs. Right now, my daughter gets a 1/3 of a container of a stage 1 veggie at lunch time. Then, at dinner time, she gets 1/2 tbsp of dry rice cereal mixed with a tbsp or two of avocado (this is very good for baby's development) and around a tbsp of formula. I have heard that you can mix avocado with fruits, too, and babies will eat them - this may help to avoid the sweet tooth scenario.

Maricelis - posted on 02/19/2010

My youngest just turned 5months. He started on baby cereal first and then baby 1st food (by gerber...supported sitter) at 4months. I was told to start off with veggie's first because baby's tend to favor sweet tastes and fruits are sweeter then veggie's. My son loves both the veggie's and fruits and i can switch back and forth without any problems.
Just like anything though don't force your baby. Give a spoonful let her get a feel for it; but don't give up at one spoon give her a few chances to really taste it and adjust to the feel of the baby food, it's a lot diff then milk or baby cereal. I would also recommend not to introduce the baby food on an empty tummy, give her a little milk before so when you introduce the baby food it's not frustrating for her or you since it's going to take a little work the first few times..and messy!
Everyone has they're likes and dislikes, even at that age!
For ex: my youngest absolutly loves the baby food carrots, warm cold doesn't matter. Now the baby food of peas he prefers to eat cold same thing with applesauce and pears. he does not like peaches, AT ALL!
I also don't think that what u like and don't like as an adult should influence what your child should like and dislike..for instance i am not a vegatable fanatic! i hate to eat them and have been like that since i was young but i don't want to put my influence on my kids so i make them available for them to try and enjoy. My oldest son loves carrots but is not fond of brocc so i don't make him eat it and i make carrots available for him to eat instead. The rule we use is that you at least try it, a few bites to really know and if you don't like it then u don't have to eat it.

Katherine - posted on 02/19/2010

My doctor said I could start with anything I wanted. My LO did not like cereal at all. I waited a week and did some reading and saw that avocados were a great 1st food. I just mashed up a ripe avocado and mixed it with some formula. She loved it. Its considered a fruit but I think it’s more like a veggie. All in all its a great brain food, so that’s all that matters. Since then we have tried sweet potatoes, which she loved. Tonight I am going to introduce bananas. I think it’s all up to you. Do whatever you feel is good.

Sharon - posted on 02/19/2010

My daughter pediatrician told me I could give her fruits and veggies at the same time. So i give her fruits during the day and veggies at night. She does perfer the fruits, but she eats the veggies too.

Norilyn - posted on 02/19/2010

I started my baby (who's 21 weeks now) with a rice cereals. It's the most gentle on the baby's stomach. I guess it doesn't matter what to start our baby with, fruit or veggie... The important thing is that we give the food one each kind at a time.

August - posted on 02/19/2010

You feed them just like you are fed. Fruits for breakfast and lunch and then veggies and meats for dinner. It wont hurt if you mix it up though we feed my son whatever's in the cabinet next. Dont let other moms make you too over protective. Just watch your baby and make sure her reactions are ok otherwise do as you please!

Jessica - posted on 02/19/2010

My daughtr started out on veggies, because i was advised that way by the pediatrician and by some friends who exposed their kids to fruits first and then they ddint want veggies! i think at this age they like most foods!

Cassie - posted on 02/19/2010

My son is 5 1/2 months old. He has been eating cereal for over a month now. He started to get a little constipated from all the cereal so we started to mix a little bit of prunes with it. When he turned 5 months old I started him on veggies. My nephew started on fruits and juice early and the only veggies he would eat were sweet potatos. So we started giving my son Green veggies with his cereal and prunes. My sitter and I basically put a little bit of each on the spoon and he loves it! I am trying to do the green veggies first bc similar to you I eat almost anything but my husband doesn't eat hardly any veggies or fruit. So I am hoping my system works and my son will like it all, but all babies are different. I even ate a little bit of everything when I was pregnant to help my son get a taste for everything!

Tasha - posted on 02/19/2010

i started my son on fruit first and then veggies. now he gets one fruit and one veggie a day and he prefers vegetables...as does his father!

Tamsyn - posted on 02/18/2010

Hi there I spoke to my clinic sister and she did suggest veggies first before fruit so that they get used to veggies otherwise the fruit is sweet and they will rather eat that. I was going to try sweet potatoe first but she suggested butternut rather as she said sweet potato can make them constipated. After a week of butternut she said add pureed carrot to it. I am probably going to try the butternut this weekend as my little one is just getting used to his cereal.

Heather - posted on 02/18/2010

I will be starting my daughter on solids next month. My nurse told me to start her on veggies first and start with the lighter colors first and then move to darker. She said to do each one for 3 days in case of allergies to a certain food. Then she said to go to fruits. I have heard that the "no fruits first" is a myth. Good luck!

Melissa - posted on 02/18/2010

I have started my son today on veggies.. He has been on rice cereal for 2 weeks now.

Meeka - posted on 02/18/2010

I started my kids with single grain cereals first, then fruit and then veggies - 2 will eat anything and the 3rd has moments where he doesn't like veggies. In my personal opinion, it is more important to keep to one introduction for 4 or more days to insure there's no allergic reaction than to worry about the order of introduction. I also object to peas, potatoes and carrots as initial introductions as they are just sugar once ingested (IMHO). I used mass produced baby foods with my first two and said to heck with it with my 3rd and just whirred up what ever I made for dinner for my 3rd (I never make pre-packaged meals, all are from scratch). I didn't see a remarkable difference other than non-support for companies who like to make money off of growing families, lol.

Candice - posted on 02/18/2010

I say start with vegetables first I did with my other two and now they will eat them before anything else!

Brandi - posted on 02/18/2010

my doctor said to start on veggies first yellow to be exact sweet potatoes carrots and squash each one 1 week at a time to make sure they are not allergic to something

Vernet - posted on 02/18/2010

I started my daughter on sweet potatos just cus I thought that would be easier. My daughter is the total opposite. She really doesn't like the fruits, she always making faces when I give it to her. But she loves her sweet potatos, carrots, and peas and sometimes even squash.

Andrea - posted on 02/18/2010

My doctor told me I could start my little girl on friut and vegies but said to try them for four days before moveing on to the next one. He didn't spesifiy which to try first. Go with what your most comfortable with.

Shannon - posted on 02/18/2010

I think we don't give our babies enough credit and often set them up for failure with our expectations that they will do something we don't want them to do or not do something we do want them to do. If we just offer them good stuff and have a good attitude about it, they'll enjoy trying everything. You know how they say it's all in your head? Well, it is all in YOUR head, you know? :0)

Erin - posted on 02/18/2010

I was also told that you should start them with veggies other wise they will expect the sweetness of the fruits. I haven't yet started my son on them, He is also only 5 months so soon and very soon