Key takeaways: It can take many exposures, sometimes 8 to 10 or more, for a baby to accept a new food. Offering a wide variety of vegetables and fruits in the first year may help build healthy eating habits. Keep offering foods your baby rejected, without pressure. There’s no strong evidence that starting with vegetables before fruits matters.
Babies are born preferring sweet tastes. Learning to like vegetables takes time and repetition.
Repeated Exposure
Research shows that babies often accept a food after repeated offerings. A 2007 study by Maier and colleagues found that most 7-month-olds accepted vegetables they initially disliked after about 8 exposures.
Vegetables First?
Some parents start with vegetables before fruits. There isn’t strong evidence that the order matters long-term. Variety and repetition matter more.
Tips for Building Variety
- Offer one new food at a time, alongside familiar foods.
- Offer often, even if rejected.
- Try different preparations: roasted, steamed, mashed, or as finger foods.
- Mix flavors: pair a new vegetable with a familiar food.
- Eat together so your baby sees you enjoying vegetables.
- Make it fun: colorful plates, different textures.
- Use herbs and mild spices.
Don’t Pressure
- Avoid forcing, bribing, or tricking.
- Let your baby touch, smell, and play with food.
- A taste counts as an exposure.
Variety Ideas
- Vegetables: sweet potato, peas, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, avocado, spinach, cauliflower, green beans, squash.
- Fruits: banana, pear, apple, berries (squished or cut), mango, peach, melon.
Breastfeeding and Flavor
Flavors from a parent’s diet pass into breast milk, which may help babies accept those flavors later.
The Bottom Line
Offer a variety of fruits and vegetables often and without pressure. Repeated exposure helps babies learn to like new foods.
Want more support for your baby’s first year? My book, From First Breath to First Birthday, is available on Amazon.
Sources
- Maier A, Chabanet C, Schaal B, Issanchou S, Leathwood P. Effects of repeated exposure on acceptance of initially disliked vegetables in 7-month old infants. Food Qual Prefer. 2007;18(8):1023-1032.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 (released January 2026) and 2020-2025: infants and toddlers. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov
- Mennella JA, Jagnow CP, Beauchamp GK. Prenatal and postnatal flavor learning by human infants. Pediatrics. 2001;107(6):e88.
This article is for general education and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice. Always talk with your baby’s health care provider or your own provider about your specific situation. If you think your baby or you may have a medical emergency, call 911.
