The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition, says that the order in which foods are added to your baby's diet is not that important as long as baby's breast milk intake is adequate. (This is, of course, for babies starting solids at around 6 months or later - babies starting solids earlier are much more prone to food allergies.)
Cereal is not at all necessary, particularly the baby cereals. Regular (whole grain) oatmeal is more nutritious for your baby. Many doctors recommend iron-fortified rice cereal as baby's first food because it is less likely to cause an allergic reaction.
Generally it is proteins which babies have problems with allergies. This might be the reason that you have been told to delay beef, although I’ve never heard of this.
This is the list of foods to be careful about and the suggested age to introduce them if your baby is likely to be allergic (usually this means that there are others in the family with allergy problems)
0-6 months
NO solids (this includes cereal) or juices
9-12 months
Wheat
Oranges and other citrus
Cheese
Yogurt
Soy
Peas and other legumes (except peanuts)
Egg yolk
Corn
12 - 18 months
Cow's milk (including cottage cheese, ice cream)
Pork
Tomatoes
18 - 24 months
Egg whites
Berries
2 years
Chocolate
2-3 years
Fish & seafood
Nuts (except peanuts)
3 years
Peanuts
LLL suggests this progression when introducing your baby (6 months or older) to solid foods:
• Ripe banana, avocado, yam, or sweet potato (sweet like breast milk)
• Meats
• Whole-grain breads and cereals (rather than baby cereals)
[wheat and corn are usually delayed until baby is 9-12 months old]
• Fresh fruits
[citrus fruits are usually delayed until baby is 9-12 months old]
• Vegetables
• Dairy products after 9 months
[cow's milk is usually delayed until baby is 12-18 months old]
There is a nice article from Leaven (a publication for LLL leaders) which explains why meat is a good early choice for babies starting solids, Introducing Complementary Foods,
http://www.lalecheleague.org/llleade...Jan00p130.html
Hope this helps,
SARAH