List of Vegetables and Fruits for Babies

“As your baby begins the transition to complementary foods, it’s important to choose nutrient-rich foods that will support their growing bodies. Vegetables and fruits are an excellent choice for introducing new flavors and textures, and can be an important source of important vitamins and minerals. Get a list of recommended vegetables and fruits to introduce first, as well as expert tips on how to prepare and serve these foods to your baby.”

List of Vegetables and Fruits That Can Be Given First in Transition to Complementary Food

You have fed your baby with either breast milk or formula from birth. The fact that this was the only food option you could give him made this process very easy for both you and your baby.

Because your baby did not like and reject breast milk or formula milk, which tastes the same every time, and you did not have problems such as “he did not like this food, I wonder what I should cook for my baby to eat”.

However, you cannot feed your little one with milk all the time. For this reason, it is useful to do some preliminary work and get information about when to switch to solid food, the list of vegetables and fruits that can be given first in the transition to solid food, and more.

When Should Babies Switch to Solid Food?

Although the advice of experts in feeding babies is to give only breast milk in the first 6 months, there are individual differences at every stage of development.

Depending on the developmental characteristics of each baby, the transition time to additional food will also be different. For this reason, before you start feeding your baby with solid foods, you should observe whether your baby is ready for this and you should definitely talk to your doctor and get his opinion on this issue.

Your baby’s primary source of nutrition until the age of 1 is breast milk.

If there is no health problem, you can start solid foods from the 6th month at the latest. If your baby is still showing signs of being hungry right after breastfeeding or a bottle, it means he or she needs more viscous and satiating foods.Your baby is ready if he has lost his tongue-in-the-mouth reflex when something is put into his mouth, reaches at least 12 kg, sits upright when supported, and can hold his head up high.You can review our article on the most beneficial supplementary foods that can be given to babies.

Important Tips for Babies to Develop Positive Attitudes to Complementary Food

Your baby’s experiences in the transition to solid food and your attitude in this process will form the basis of his future eating habits.

That’s why how you start is important. It has been proven that babies who have positive experiences with mealtimes have more regular and healthy eating habits in the future. Here are important tips for babies to develop positive attitudes towards complementary foods;

• Tell your baby fairy tales by reading books where vegetables and fruits are the leading roles and heroic acts. Thanks to his admiration for the heroism of vegetables or fruits, he will give them a chance, even if he does not like it at all.
• Toy vegetables, fruits, pots, plates, etc. that your baby can cook for himself or even offer you. Get kitchen supplies.
• Have conversations with your baby about the benefits of healthy foods. When he eats any food, explain why that food is important for your baby’s body and development, in a language that he will understand the role of that food in the body.
• Do not force him to eat, remember that your goal is not to feed the baby too much, but to introduce solid foods .
• Do not hinder him when he wants to touch his food; Let him smudge his fingers and eat it himself.
• Let him eat as he pleases with his own spoon and plate in the highchair.

But never leave your baby alone while eating!

Things to Consider While Preparing Additional Food Tables for Babies

If you want the little ones to have a healthy and regular eating habit in their future lives, you need to pay attention to some things while preparing the supplementary food table for babies.

• Meals should be prepared in their pure form, without added salt or sugar.
• Since the amount of iron in breast milk or formula is not sufficient, the iron stores of babies begin to empty from the 6th month. For this reason , when preparing a supplementary food table for infants, first of all, foods with high iron content should be started.
• Foods with a high risk of allergies such as peanut butter, strawberries, cherries, tomatoes, soy, cocoa, oranges, peas, spices and honey should not be included in the table immediately.
• In order to prevent the problem of constipation, constipating foods should not be eaten too much,
• Finger foods that he can take and eat himself should be introduced between 9-12 months.

In this process, it should not be forgotten that the baby’s main nutritional source is breast milk or formula, and meals should be presented in small portions.

List of Vegetables and Fruits That Can Be Given First in Transition to Complementary Food and More

6-month-old babies should first switch to solid food with 1 meal a day. Between 6-7 months, 2 meals a day, 8-9. They can eat solid food 3 times a day starting from the month of age. If we make a list of vegetables and fruits that can be given first in the transition to supplementary food;

You may interest to read our “6 Months Baby Nutrition” article.

Vegetables and Fruits Containing Iron

Since the amount of iron in breast milk or formula is not sufficient, the iron stores of babies begin to empty from the 6th month.

For this reason, you can first give your little ones foods containing plenty of iron, such as zucchini, green beans, bananas, pears, carrots and sweet potatoes, in puree or soup form. Apart from these, it is useful to give seasonal vegetables and fruits as much as possible.

Soft Fruits

At first, you can easily prepare purees from soft fruits such as peaches, melons, apricots, ripe bananas, and avocados without lumps. Using a glass grater and a food processor to prepare puree will make your job easier.

custard

Custards prepared with formula milk or breast milk and rice flour are among the most favorite solid foods of babies. If you wish, you can also give spoon food with rice and milk that you buy from reliable brands.

After making your baby love pudding in its plain form, offering flavored options with seasonal fruits, especially bananas, not only helps your baby develop a positive attitude towards different foods, but also increases the nutritional value of the food he eats.

Ready Scoop Foods

Powder mixtures obtained by adding extra iron and vitamin supplements to cereals such as wheat, barley, oats and rye, spoon foods that you can mix with breast milk or formula milk are among the solid foods that babies will love to eat.

Yogurt

Although we do not recommend any milk other than breast milk or formula milk for your baby until the age of 1, you can use fresh cow’s or goat’s milk when fermenting yoghurt. However, you can also ferment yogurt with breast milk and formula.

Breakfast and of course Eggs

You can prepare a nutritious breakfast for babies by mixing egg yolk, unsalted cheese, butter, organic fruit jam and biscuits into porridge. After the 10th month, you can add egg white and toast to your list.

Meaty Vegetable Soups and Purees

Meat, chicken and turkey; You can safely cook it in the form of puree or soup with vegetables such as zucchini, potatoes, green beans, cauliflower, artichokes, carrots, spinach, leeks and give it to your baby.

Pay Attention to Food Allergy While Preparing Additional Food List!

Parents are very excited during this process, as babies’ initiation of solid foods is an indication that your baby has grown and crossed a threshold. This excitement can cause parents to try to feed every healthy food to their babies immediately.

The risk of food allergy when creating a supplementary food list for babies ; In other words, the possibility of hypersensitivity and sensitivity reactions to some foods should also be considered.

In order to understand whether your baby is allergic to any food, you should first give the food on your baby’s list in a small amount and wait for about 72 hours.

In this process, if your baby does not show symptoms such as itching, eczema, severe vomiting, facial swelling and blistering, runny nose, diarrhea, headache, sneezing, you should switch to a new food with the same method and wait for 72 hours . If one or more of the allergy symptoms are seen; You should take your little one to the doctor immediately.

If any member of your family has a food allergy, your baby is likely to have it too. In order to minimize the risk of allergy in children, less allergenic options such as rice, barley, oats, corn and wheat should be added to the list of additional foods, instead of foods with high allergy risk such as peanut butter, strawberries, tomatoes and kiwi.

Foods That Shouldn’t Be Included in the Additional Food List for Babies

Honey

A residue left by bees when making honey creates a fertile environment for the growth of bacteria called colostridium botalium . This bacterium, on the other hand, can cause poisoning in infants when taken into the body with honey.

Cow milk

Since babies cannot digest the proteins in cow’s milk until the age of 1, they should not be included in the baby’s supplementary food list .

Choking Hazard Foods

Fruits such as grapes, plums, cherries, strawberries that can be stuck in the throat of babies; Grainy and hard foods such as hazelnuts and walnuts should be avoided for a while, and if necessary, they should be fed after being mashed.

Sticky Foods

Foods such as chewing gum, dried fruit, melted cheese, jelly, marshmallows, peanut butter that may stick to the throat while eating should not be included in the baby’s supplementary food list.

Starting their baby on solid foods is a very exciting and frightening process for parents. However, the most important reason why this process is frightening is that parents do not have information about the first list of vegetables and fruits that can be given in the transition to solid food .

As long as you get information about this and consult your baby’s specialist doctor, this period will be very enjoyable.