Cooking fruits and vegetables

[nwaddellr]

How old should the baby be before giving fresh fruits and vegetables? I know bananas and avacado don't have to be cooked, but everything else should be - I'm assuming up to a certain age because I really can't see myself cooking canteloupe :D

I'm not into buying babyfood - I just cook up a batch of something and then feed my DS, but some things it just doesn't seem right to cook - so when can I give them raw (assuming they're soft enough to not cause choking)

Thanks for the info!

[toomanystrollers]

Ok, I have mommybrain - let me think :) I started Neve on cereal around 5 months and then fruits and veggies around 6 months. She's our third and fortunately no family history of food allergies -so I didn't follow any "set of rules" as to which color fruits first, etc.

I mash the following ripe fruits: bananas, peaches (peeled, ofcourse), mango, avocado, papaya. I'll probably be introducing sliced blueberries soon. As for harder fruits, canteloupe, etc. - probably small diced up chunks around 12 months.

As for veggies, everything gets mashed - except for peas. And I'm sure she's probably ready to eat cooked sliced/halved carrots, green beans, and whatever else comes to mind.

As for raw stuff, I still slice Shea's baby carrots (and grapes) in half. He's 2 1/2 and just loves to cram his mouth full and scare me death.

HTH

[ralu]

One rule that I know is that you should first offer the cooked variant of a fruit/vegetable and, if no reaction develops, you can go ahead and offer the same fruit/veggie in raw form. The reason is that the chance of allergy is smaller with the cooked fruits/veggies.

Raluca

[jmofarrill]

I'm curious about this, too. Anwyn is 10 mo, and I'm thinking I'm supposed to be able to stop steaming her pears and apples by now... Do I just put them in the blender/food processor, or do I slice them thin enough so she can hold them and eat the slices? Most veges I'm still steaming or boiling since that's how I eat them.

[ralu]

We cut the pears in small slices, if they are soft enough. Apples are harder, so we grate them.

HTH,
Raluca