As parents we are consumed with making the best choices for our babies. Because of this, the pivotal point of starting children on solid foods has become more complicated than when our parents were faced with the same developmental stage in our lives.

For the first few months the choices are simple: a diet of breast milk or formula, followed by rice cereal at 4 to 6 months. But dietitians and pediatricians have differing opinions regarding what should come next – fruits or vegetables. Will giving your baby fruits first lead to lifelong dietary battles?

Jennifer Ryan, a mom from Los Angeles, Calif., chose the vegetable route first when offering her son solid foods. "I started with carrots," she says. "He loved them. Then on to other vegetables, and they were all his favorites. Then I tried fruit. He hated them, and didn't like the taste." However, the experience didn't keep her son from eventually enjoying fruits. "Today, he loves both fresh fruit and cooked veggies," she says.

Tori Osban from Indiana went against the advice of her pediatricians and offered her daughter fruits first. "The first two things I offered to Piper were fruits," she says. "To be specific, bananas and applesauce. I guess I didn't have a concrete reason to pick fruits over vegetables, but it made no difference to her. I think a lot of it has to do with making sure you are getting the plain baby foods that are just pureed fruits and vegetables. I've avoided the ones labeled 'desserts' because they have added sugars."

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