If meal is rejected should I offer something else?

[fififrog]

DD is 6 months and has taken to food quite well. I'm giving her mush plus finger foods so far. Sometimes, though, she doesn't like something, eg this morning I tried her on millet porridge and apricot purée. If she won't eat it should I offer her something else as she sits there crying looking around her for some other food, or will that make her fussy?

So far I've tended to give her a piece of fruit to chew when she rejects the mush, but this morning I gave her yoghurt because she looked so sad!

Obviously this will get easier when she's got a mixed plate of food and can choose which bits to eat, but I'd appreciate some advice for while we're on mush!

[CosmicMouse]

Why not give her a little selection of food to pick from now?

It was another one of the things I liked about BLW, she always had a few options to pick from and I therefore was confident she was eating what she wanted/needed at that time.

[MaryMotherOfCheeses]

Stick to your guns. Offering alternatives is the road to ruin.

[Flisspaps]

Try something else, she's only 6mo. And what she eats today, she might hate tomorrow. Definitely give a little selection now (two or three different bits, a stick of cheese, a chunk of banana, a bit of toast perhaps), far easier than having to make up different kinds of mush to offer at one meal - too much choice means it'll all get lashed though.

[matana]

At that age i'd offer something else. A 6 month old needs to eat and i don't believe you're making a rod for your own back. They're just getting used to new tastes and will need offering something several times before they get used to it. When they're older and you know what they do and don't like and they understand much more and can communicate (and manipulate!) etc. then it's time to stop offering alternatives.

SD is 10 months old and i always have a quick and easy back up plan, like scrambled egg or baked beans. That said, he's a good eater and we don't have much trouble getting him to eat.

[pommedechocolat]

I have a standard back up plan for dd (18 months) - cereal and fruit.

It's hard when you can't say what you feel like I think!

DD is a real pita to feed though. Drives me insane.

[fififrog]

Thanks all, I kind of decided over the weekend it was a bit mean not to give her something, she's just getting excited about food and it seems a shame to disappoint her. It's certainly my intention to start giving her some toast and more stick-veg or something soon, so hopefully she will be able to pick and choose for herself a bit more. My feeling is in these early weeks I don't know what she likes, she doesn't even know what she likes, so I'll go easy on her for a little while!