Everybody has their own idea about feeding issues. New parents are often overwhelmed with advice, much of which is conflicting. A good place to start is with your baby's pediatrician, along with a pediatric dietitian if specialized advice is needed. Little people should learn to eat like the rest of us, so cereal and other solids should not be thinned down and placed in bottles. Rice cereal is usually the first cereal given, as it is least likely to provoke any allergic reactions.
Some mothers add sugar to cereal to make it more flavorful.
Because babies prefer sweet to other flavors, they will want to eat sweet foods rather than other foods. Your baby's taste buds are unspoiled and will easily adapt to the natural taste of foods. Introduce vegetables before fruit, as the sweet taste of fruits may discourage your baby from eating vegetables. Sugar and salt do not add any nutritional value, so avoid adding them. A good rule of thumb is to delay breast feeding or bottle by one-half to one hour after feeding solids.