Goodbye rusks, hello rice cakes! How babies are being weaned onto middle-class favourites like kale, mango and even AVOCADO by modern parents

  • Rusks have long been a staple for parents ready to wean their babies onto solids
  • But children today are being given more exotic foods like avocado and mango
  • Parents believe a varied diet makes a child more adventurous in later life

By Stephanie Linning for MailOnline

Published: 03:47 EST, 5 March 2017 | Updated: 06:03 EST, 5 March 2017

Rusks have long been a go-to for parents looking to wean their babies onto solids.

But children today are being given far more exotic fare as they transition to food.

Parents are choosing middle-class favourites like courgettes, rice cakes and mango over the more traditional offerings of toast, porridge and biscuits.

New favourites: Avocados and rice cakes have both seen their popularity skyrocket since 1997

New favourites: Avocados and rice cakes have both seen their popularity skyrocket since 1997

A new survey looked at introductory baby foods and how their popularity has changed over the last 20 years.

Sweet potato has seen the biggest jump, with 22 per cent more children being given the root vegetable as their first food today than in 1997. Rice cakes have seen an 18 per cent increase while avocado comes in third place at 14.6 per cent.

Fresh fruits and vegetables have seen a major boom in popularity with strawberries, broccoli and peppers among the most popular.  

Meanwhile rusks have suffered the biggest decline with a 32 per cent drop over the last two decades. Perhaps unsurprisingly, snack foods like ice cream, chips and cakes have also fallen out of favour as parents have become more health conscious.

Some 72 per cent of parents believe a child who has varied foods when weaning is more likely to be adventurous with their choices in later life.

Many children now have their first taste of curry, quinoa and olives before their fifth birthday.   

Fallen out of favour: Spaghetti has taken a tumble as parents opt for more fruit and vegetables

Fallen out of favour: Spaghetti has taken a tumble as parents opt for more fruit and vegetables

Nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed, from Kiddylicious.com which commissioned the research to mark the launch of My First Wafers, said: 'There is so much choice out there for parents these days when offering first foods to their little ones it can be easy to get overwhelmed and not know where to start.

'But moving babies from milk onto solid food is an important milestone, it's all about experimenting and it should be fun for parents and baby. 

'However, the foods offered at this stage set the tone for future food preferences and patterns of eating and so it's important to offer plenty of variety at this time.' 

BABY'S FIRST BITE: HOW POPULAR WEANING FOODS HAVE CHANGED

Lists showing the percentage change in the number of children given different foods as their first solid

GO-TOO FOODS 

Sweet potatoes +21.9

Rice cakes +18.1

Avocado +14.6

Butternut squash +12

Mango +11.8

Pears +10.5

Wafers +8.8

Broccoli +7.9

Strawberries +7.2

Kiwi Fruits +6.9

Carrot +6.9

Peppers +6.8

Parsnip +6.8

Courgettes +5.6

Cucumber +5.2

Pumpkin +4.8

Apple +4.3

Pizza +4.1

Melon +3.9

Spinach +3.3

Peaches +2.8

Mushrooms +2

Porridge +1.8

Red Cabbage +1.8

Kale +0.5

FALLING OUT OF FASHION

Rusks -31.5

Eggs -14.7 

Fish fingers -12.2

Beans/Spaghetti -11.9 

Toast -10.7 

Weetabix -10.1 

Ice cream -9.2

Potatoes -7.1 

Peas -6.4 

Biscuits -5.5 

Cakes -4.5

Baby rice -4.2 

Chips -4  

Banana -2.8 

Cauliflower -2.5 

Chocolate -2.1 

Crisps -0.7

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