Spicy food - when to introduce? + offer alternative if refused?

[zebstiredmum]

Hi there - anyone out there whose LOs eat spicy food -whether as a baby, or older?  If so when did you introduce it?

I want my DS to eat much the same meals as me and DH, and have made a very mild veggie chillie, and a morroccan fruity spiced chicken (on separate occasions).  DS had a few spoons of these, but made it clear that he didn't really like them (spitting out, firmly keeping mouth closed)  I think he ate enough to take the edge of his hunger, and then made his preference clear!

He is 9.5 months old, so maybe it's too early for strong tastes?  (He eats garlicky food no problem, and pasta sauce with quite a lot of basil, also risotto with quite a lot of rosemary)

Should I keep offering the spicy food occasionally until he gets a taste for it?  Also if your LOs don't like the food you offer, do you give an alternative?  I'm worried that he won't have enough to eat.  Tonight he had about 30ml of morroccan chicken (he'd usually have about 90ml of dinner plus finger foods), he had about 1 tbsp sweetcorn finger foods, and then I gave him 3 rice cakes and some fruit.

Or - should I knock the spicy food on the head for a bit?  thoughts please BWs! 

[gogomama]

Hi there,

I don't think there is any problem offering/introducing babies to spice at this age. We cook/eat South Asian cuisine in our house about 95% of the time and DS eats pretty much all of it. The only thing I do omit is the red/green chilis. There is a difference between spices and heat iykwim, so that is the only thing that I think would be hard on their little tummies. I normally offer a couple of options for each meal so that DS eats something, just like you would introducing any new food. I wouldn't be afraid to keep offering it to your DS though HTH.

[clazzat]

We haven't really tried much spicy food with the girls, as it happens (although I do remember dd1 eating a pickled onion at a friend's house when she was about 2!), but I see no particular reason not to offer it - presumably in cultures where spicy food is the norm, that's what babies get too!

What I think I would do, though, is to give him 2 options when you are offering him something spicy that you think he might not like.  There is a danger with letting him try something and then giving him something different that he will learn to be fussy because he knows that he can get something "better" by refusing, iyswim?  But if he has 2 things to start with then he only has to eat one and he will just learn that he can leave something he doesn't like (which I'm assuming isn't something you would mind) but that he doesn't get to chose what else he eats - does that make sense?

[Mama2boys]

Hi there,

I don't think there is any problem offering/introducing babies to spice at this age. We cook/eat South Asian cuisine in our house about 95% of the time and DS eats pretty much all of it. The only thing I do omit is the red/green chilis. There is a difference between spices and heat iykwim, so that is the only thing that I think would be hard on their little tummies. I normally offer a couple of options for each meal so that DS eats something, just like you would introducing any new food. I wouldn't be afraid to keep offering it to your DS though  HTH.

same here, that being said i do take out a portion for DS ebfore i add extra spicy flavours as well as some spices depsite not being hot can be sharp!

[zebstiredmum]

Hi

Thanks for your replies - I tend to use cumin and coriander a lot, and cinnamon, and I put in less than I would usually, but maybe too much for him.   It wouldn't be any trouble to just make the same dishes without the spice (I add spice at beginning of cooking, so removing a portion wouldn't work for me) so I could try that and offer some with spice (from my meal) and some without.

I wasn't sure if I should be offering two things, but that does make sense.  Only problem could be that he seems to lose trust in me feeding him at all if I feed him something he doesn't like, so might not even eat the non spiced option anyway...I shall just have to see how it goes...(I mixed yogurt in with the chicken tonight after he'd made it clear he didn't like it - I hoped that once it was more mild he might like it, but no, still no go!)

[Mama2boys]

i would start slowly.

I am Indian and I also add a fair amount fo the spices you mentione dbut maybe lesser than I would ahve pre-baby and let DS have it. i do make everything milder for him by adding yoghurt.