Do you give your baby spicy food?

[P.J.]

We do BLW, but I think this question applies to all, because hey, you could also theoretically mix some cayenne even into homemade baby puree

We are trying as much as possible to give Max (9.5 mo) what we're eating...he simply demands it, and it's just easier and seems more natural. And, like most people, we sometimes eat spicy food. The other day we had Indian, and I was tempted to give him some but it was spicy; not extremely so but still. And today I made a stew that called for 1/8 tsp. red chili flakes. Not much, but I just pictured him getting one in his mouth and screaming. So I left them out.

I know some moms claim they gave their kid everything from a young age and are glad for it later on, when the child can eat whatever, spicy and all, without complaints or pickiness. I want Max to try all the flavors he can handle, just for the sake of enjoying them, exploring the world of taste, and having a wide palette. But my limit as a mom seems to be with spiciness. Should I just try it and see what happens? I guess the worst case scenario is some screaming at the table and/or indigestion and fiery poo, right?! ....or if you are also wary of spicy food for the babe, when do you think a good time to introduce it would be? I really don't want a kid that can't/won't eat spicy food all through childhood, if avoidable.

[Terrilein]

Go for it, I say. As long as it's mildy spicy for beginners, I see no problems. And if his mouth seems to be burning, you just give him the usual home remedy - a piece of bread - to suck/gnaw/munch on. If nothing bad happens, then I'd increase the "heat" a bit next time and see how he responds to that, and then keep repeating that cylce. I think you'll notice if he's not enjoying the food anymore and then you'll know where his limits are with spicy foods.

[Erin77]

I've been reading the BLW book by Rapley and Murkett and they specifically give examples of babies eating spicy curry and other dishes and enjoying them. We eat a lot of Indian food and plan to give our son portions- if he doesn't like it, we'll just wait a bit and try again.

[Hannah32]

My hubby is a big fan of those instant Indian packets for lunch with freshly cooked rice. Our baby is a big fan. So far, he's shied away from the spiciest flavors, but is all about mild to medium spice. 

I don't see what could possibly be wrong with it. Lots of cultures have spicy food and share it with their babies. 

[SilverFish]

i have given my baby spicy food... everything from indian to thai to mexican foods. she is NOT a fan of super spicy red and green thai curry, but is pretty fond of mildly spicy indian food. she is okay with some heat in mexican food, although i do tend to only make the spiciest stuff when she won't be eating it.

i would just start with a little bit, and see how he likes it. the worst thing that will happen is that he'll spit it out. i didn't actually mean to give her a taste of that super hot thai curry, i just handed her a piece of tofu from the sauce without thinking about it. much spitting out and pulling the tongue and drama ensued, but she was hardly scarred for life, and in fact, as long as i wipe most of the sauce off, she's fine with it. i think that experience was when she was about 8 months? now she'd probably just give me a dirty look and fling it off her plate.

as for a tsp or less of chili flakes, that would probably barely even register on her palate. certainly wouldn't on ours! :)

[HollyBearsMom]

my son is now 9- do I still count? 

Our son ate pretty much what we ate with little exception and that included spicy szechuan, indian curries, mexican chipotles, pepper jack cheese, you get the idea. My thought (with absolutely no scientific proof) is that since I ate that way during pregnancy and all thru infancy when he was breastfeeding that his taste buds were used to an every changing palette of flavors. 

[katelove]

We give our nearly-10 m. o. spicy food and she's fine with it. I don't like spicy stuff myself but she had some veges and tofu from DHs red curry the other day with no complaints.

[tzs]

we did spicy when introducing food to dd. in fact, there were times i made a point to ADD spices just for her (well, for me too but that she would be eating it made me more conscious of it.) she seemed to like more "flavorful" stuff and i wanted to acclimate her to different tastes. so like, if i would have been happy with avocado mush on my grilled cheese i would now make a point to add cumin, lime, and jalapeno. stuff like that.

chili flakes are a little harder though because you can get bites with the diluted chili taste but you can also get a bite with a straight-up chili chunk in it (i think it might be more pronounced with smaller baby bites). it didn;t stop me from using it but there were a couple times when dd would get a funny look and her face would turn redder. i would just smile, play it off, and maybe give a "yum! spicy?"

the other day i made some greens that were honestly too spicy and it was cute how she kept trying and trying but just couldn't do it. so proud!

[MJB]

My current babe is almost 8 mos. and she has eaten spicy Indian food, hot wings, and lots of other spicy foods. Honestly, I'm not sure she can even taste "spicy" yet because she hasn't shown the least bit of discomfort at even very spicy stuff. 

We did spicy foods all along with my older two and they eat pretty much everything now. My 5 yr. old (middle child) is in a bit of a picky phase right now but he had hot salsa on his dinner tonight. 

[Knitting Mama]

Cecilia loves spicy food. Cute story: my ILs had a Superbowl party back in January, and my SIL made two types of guacamole, a spicy one and a mild one (and in that family, spicy means SPICY ) Cecilia was 9 months old, and she devoured so much guac, seriously tons. Come to find out a little while later when I sampled the one she was eating and yelped, that she was eating the spicy one! I couldn't believe how much she loved it!

[2lilsweetfoxes]

I gave my son spicy food and all kinds of food as a baby/toddler.  He is now 8 years old the end of June...and I can count on one hand the foods he'll eat.  He was such a good eater as a baby, but as he got older, he selected down to so few foods, it is crazy.  Do I "starve him into submission" or continue just buying and making him food that he'll eat?

When he was about 1 year old, he wanted the spicy chicken wings we ordered at the restaurant we went to for my birthday.  We told him he wouldn't like it...but, he enjoyed them soo much.  Now...I offer him anything not on his "approved" list, he just turns up his nose.

I was very smug when he was a baby.

[ProtoLawyer]

Originally Posted by 2lilsweetfoxes 

I gave my son spicy food and all kinds of food as a baby/toddler.  He is now 8 years old the end of June...and I can count on one hand the foods he'll eat.  He was such a good eater as a baby, but as he got older, he selected down to so few foods, it is crazy.  Do I "starve him into submission" or continue just buying and making him food that he'll eat?

When he was about 1 year old, he wanted the spicy chicken wings we ordered at the restaurant we went to for my birthday.  We told him he wouldn't like it...but, he enjoyed them soo much.  Now...I offer him anything not on his "approved" list, he just turns up his nose.

I was very smug when he was a baby.

That's basically my stepdaughter. She ate everything as a baby, but now will literally go hungry all weekend rather than eat something that she doesn't want to (note: It's not even like we're feeding her deer brains--sometimes, it's the wrong kind of mac and cheese or she's just not hungry for whatever it is she usually likes or she objects to being told to get herself some cereal, but we're not getting it because we like our food hot thank you very much, if she doesn't want to eat what we're eating).  So, we cook things that are accessible, and if she eats, great. If she doesn't, oh well.

My son will be 8 months old this week and so far food in general's kind of a meh thing for him. Maybe I'll try spicing it up a bit--I did eat SPICY stuff during the first trimester.

[Llyra]

My kids ate the same spices as the rest of us, from about 7 or 8 months old. That's why DD2's first word was "pepper." (Meaning cayenne.) She used to whack her hand on the table and shout, "Puh puh. Puh puh."

I do think you can overdo it-- every person, kid or otherwise, is going to have their personal limit for spicy. My DS has been the one in the family who has a limited appreciation for spice-- he will often taste something, and then tell me its' "too tasty," by which he means it's too spicy. So I make sure and leave some aside for him with less spice, or make several choices, so that if something is too strong for him, he doesn't go hungry.

I think the only thing to do is try!