Advice: Feel free to mix foods together, like a vegetable with a meat. Be sure that your child is old enough to digest the foods he or she is being served.

TIPS AND TRICKS

- Rice cereal doesn't have to be the first taste of "solid" food your baby gets, despite common perception. Rice cereal often is recommended because it is the least likely to cause an allergic reaction. But most babies are also fine with sweet potatoes, peas and other first foods.

- First foods that are commonly safe for your baby's developing digestive system include: apple, banana, pear, acorn and butternut squash, peas, sweet potato, rice, barley, and oat.

- By as early as eight months, your baby can also expand to chicken, tofu, turkey, lean beef, and beans, among a host of vegetables, fruits, and grains.

- Certain foods can help with common baby complaints. Diarrhea? Try bananas or potatoes. Teething? Pull out a frozen, cooked veggie stick or a thick slice of dehydrated apple.

- Mix it up! Don't let fear stop you from introducing your baby to more complex flavors. When your baby hits 8 to10 months of age, try adding in some cinnamon, ginger, oregano, or garlic. Who knows? It might make it easier when those finicky toddler years arrive.