offer accepted food if new food is refused?

[trimbler]

Hi, just a hypothetical question since we haven't started yet... I just wondered about the best way to react if your LO refuses a new food? To always have a trusted back up and just give them that instead and try again with the new food in a few days? Or just leave it for that 'meal' if we're still in the early stages and not really relying on solids for nutrition/calories yet? Either way - keep trying with the new food at 'breakfast' every day until it's accepted, or leave it and revert to accepted foods for a few days, or try a different new food? Since I'm planning to make up and freeze my own single food purees to start with, I was just wondering whether it's a good idea to defrost a portion of 'back-up' food as well as the new food, just in case - but then if it isn't used it seems a bit wasteful?

[~inbalance~]

For those really early days I think I'd just leave it and not offer anything else.  It might not be the actual food your LO is refusing, it could be the texture or just the whole experience.  I'd try the same food again for another day or two, then try another new food after 3 or 4 days.  But if at one meal he isn't interested just stop altogether and try again the next day. 

[Chicane]

I agree with Martina about the early days. Its just testing and tasting rather than eating. Then when things move on and you are offering more regular meals and more finger foods I find that introducing a new food flavour as a side dish to an accepted lunch is often a good way to go. So, give the new food for the day time meal along side something they already like, I do that a few times then offer is as the main meal, when its accepted I can then start offering it for any meal. I find its easier to offer new flavours at lunch time cause by dinner time no one has any patience for food refusal!

[trimbler]

Ok thanks that's helpful!