Fruits Vs. Rice Cereal

[Q1821]

my son is 5 months old and I want to start soilds next month however I am in conflict what i should start him on. I want him to stay gluten-free until he's two or so and I'm making my own baby food. However I don't know if I should start him on rice or fruits first. I would like your thoughts, which is easier to digest? Besides the fact that fruits are sweeter than anything else is that the only reason that they say start rice first? Thanks

[missy'smom]

I don't remember the schedule but I want to encourage you in making your own food. I made apple sauce, pear sauce and combo of those. Bosc pears make nice pear sauce. I made alot of butternut squash too. Froze the strained purees in icecube trays. I wasn't gluten-free at the time but I kept him off processed foods for several years so that he would develop a taste for natural foods.

[ShayFL]

Knowing what I know now, I would have started with things like butternut squash, acorn squash and sweet potato for a few months (provided still getting nutrition from mother's milk or formula), then I would add some fruits and pureed veggies for a few months, then start on the grains. At this same time starting some pureed meats (if you are not vegetarian). Wait till 1 year for things like dairy (yogurt is the best choice), eggs and nut butters. IMO

[Amyleigh0007]

I think rice cereal is easier to digest. I was always told that if you give babies fruit first they develop a taste for sweet stuff and they are more prone to reject veggies and other not-sweet food. I haven't given my daughter (12 months old) any other grains besides rice. She is gluten free along with the rest of the family.

[mcs1984]

They say rice and veggies first. Its been 4 years but that is what i remember. Now my question is for you whats the difference in the nutrition between your own and say Gerber fruits and Veggies. They say that the only thing in there?

[celiac-mommy]

Rice first and then veggies is what is usually recommended. Babies have a natural sweet tooth, so it's better to wait on the fruits. I made all of our baby food, and I used a book called Super Baby Food and it does a really good job of outlining what foods to feed the baby and when--plus, it saves you a TON of $$ on baby food and it really doesn't take that much extra time (I would batch cook 1 day a month and freeze in ice cube trays, then put in labeled freezer bags). With both of my kids, after the rice cereal, I gave them avacado. DD loved it, DS hated it