the benefits of veggies in your baby’s diet

Here at Rafferty’s Garden, we know how important it is to establish healthy habits early in life! Our Dietitian has summarised some useful pieces of information to help introduce you and your baby to the flavoursome world of vegetables.

Babies between 7 and 12 months require 1 ½ to 2 serves of vegetables every day, where 20g (about one tablespoon) of vegetables counts as one serve.²  As our babies grow, the number of serves of vegetables they need everyday increases, to help provide their growing bodies with nutrients.

Exposing babies as young as 6 months old to vegetables is a great way to get kids to eat more vegetables when they are older. Taste preferences are formed very early on in life, so it’s important to expose your little one to veggies as soon as they’re ready for solid foods³ which could help prevent fussy eaters. Only 6% of kids aged 2-17 are eating enough serves of veggies, which really shows the impact that early exposure can have as they age.⁴

Vegetables also provide important vitamins and minerals to support the wellbeing of your baby. They provide:

• Vitamin C, which is important for baby’s immune system.
• Folic acid, which helps support their growing bodies.
• Vitamin A, which is essential for eyesight.⁵

Providing your baby with a variety of textures and flavours can also help shape their future eating habits, as well as their independent eating skills! Whilst they still need to be supervised when eating, babies around 8 months old may start to feed themselves. Encouraging them to explore foods on their own can help build their skills in controlling their own intake, which can help solidify healthy eating habits for adulthood.

Veggies provide so many benefits for your growing baby and can help mould their taste preferences as an adult. Focus on variety, small serves and patience as your baby learns and explores the world of veg!