First, make sure that your baby has had a breast-milk feed and is feeling relaxed. Second, offer baby only a small amount of the new food, and consider mixing it with a familiar food.
You could try adding a little puréed apple to the usual cereal, or stirring mashed legumes (such as beans, lentils or chickpeas) or puréed meat (such as lean beef or chicken) into vegetable purée.
If your baby refuses the food, don’t force it and don’t worry; just try again after a few days. Many infants can need up to a dozen small tastes to like and accept a new flavour, so keep introducing different foods.
Babies who learn to enjoy a wide variety of flavours and textures are likely to continue eating a wide range of foods as they grow older.
5 tips for baby-food hygiene
1. Wash your hands before preparing food and feeding baby.
2. Prepare enough food for a few meals. Freeze unused puréed food in ice-cube trays or as small dollops on a tray lined with cling film. Tip frozen food into a freezer bag, and seal and label it. Use the food within three months.
3. Reheat food until it’s piping hot, then let it cool before feeding baby.
4. Never reheat baby food more than once.
5. Never refreeze baby food
