Why can't babies have a taste?

[OvenSeeksBun]

I feel like this this a dumb question. As if I should already know the answer, but I don't.

I know that babies should not be introduced to foods until 4-6 months of age or later, depending on the resource. Last week we were having dinner with my parents, and my dad said "I wonder what C would do if I let her lick some sweet & sour sauce off of my finger." Of course I gave him the standard incredulous look and said no way! She's only 12 weeks old!

But why? What is the concern? Development of allergies? I'm not talking a spoonful, but a taste. Any insight?

[Parker'smommy]

yes, allergies for one. Also, because babes have a leaky gut. Their gut seals somewhere between 4 and 6 months. But it's very individual, so you can't know for sure when your child's gut does seal so waiting until the late end- 6 months helps guarantee that your baby's gut is sealed and that his/her body can handle other foods, other than breastmilk. 

What would it hurt? maybe nothing...maybe a lot. You won't know for sure....it's a gamble. I'm not willing to gamble with my baby's health. 

Good luck!

[OvenSeeksBun]

Originally Posted by Parker'smommy 
I'm not willing to gamble with my baby's health. 

Good luck!

Oh, no. I am certainly not willing to gamble either! I just didn't know the reason, that's all
 

[MPsSweetie]

I wonder though, if you just let them have a lick, would any of it even make it to their gut?  Most would be drooled back out, lol

[MPsSweetie]

Not sweet and sour sauce though!  like fruit or something

[chattyprincess]

For my own personal feelings I have no problem giving licks and tastes...not 100x a day but occasionally yes. No one can convince me that my child licking a piece of fruit or a drop of something off my finger is causing leaky gut. Now if my definition of a "taste" was shoveling as much in with my fingertip as possible then yes thats more of a "Bite" then a "taste"

That said I have never given tastes before 4 months of age.

[katelove]

Originally Posted by chattyprincess 
 No one can convince me that my child licking a piece of fruit or a drop of something off my finger is causing leaky gut. 

Just to clarify, giving solid foods doesn't *cause* a leaky gut. In very young babies the gut is more permeable, this is their normal physiology. The issue is that giving solid food before the gut closes allows the opportunity for larger molecules of substances not necessarily found in BM or formula to pass through the gut wall rather than simply traversing the GI tract. This may or may not be a problem for an individual baby but, as a PP said, you won't know until you try.

To answer the original question, I guess my main concern is altering the gut flora. We know that giving one bottle of formula can change the gut flora of a BFed baby so could giving tastes of table foods change it also? I guess in the tiny amounts being talked about here, probably not but I don't really know. I just don't see any reason to risk it, other than for the amusement of adults  If she doesn't like the taste she'll pull a face and everyone'll laugh. If she does like the taste, too bad, she can't have any more. Best case scenario, she'll have a taste and go on her way (metaphorically), curiosity satisfied. Not really something I wan't to buy into. When she's old enough I'll gladly let her taste anything she wants to try.

[holothuroidea]

Originally Posted by katelove 
I just don't see any reason to risk it, other than for the amusement of adults 

This is an excellent point. 

I think that the actual physical risk is probably pretty minimal. The reason I wouldn't do it is because it is not taking the baby's needs into consideration at all, and because the baby does not have the ability to protest what is being done to him until after he has been subjected to something he may not like. It just seems unethical to me. "I wonder what he would do if..." is never a good reason to do anything to someone.

[colsxjack]

When we were doing some reading on starting foods, one thing we also came across was that children that start eating solids before they are ready have less iron levels throughout childhood than babies who started solids later (after 6months). There were different hypothesis as to why, such as maybe it altering a babies ability to absorb iron. That is probably what convinced us most to wait.I have no idea what tastes of something would/could do. We just didn't do it that early. 

[OvenSeeksBun]

Originally Posted by katelove 

I just don't see any reason to risk it, other than for the amusement of adults  If she doesn't like the taste she'll pull a face and everyone'll laugh. If she does like the taste, too bad, she can't have any more. Best case scenario, she'll have a taste and go on her way (metaphorically), curiosity satisfied. Not really something I wan't to buy into. When she's old enough I'll gladly let her taste anything she wants to try.

Good point! I think that is an excellent reason to avoid it.

[osker]

I think, for me, there would be a big difference between a taste of fresh fruit and a taste of sweet and sour sauce.  One main thing would be the sugar, high fructose corn syrup, dye and preservatives that can be found in that kind of processed "food"... Now, personally, I LOVE sweet and sour sauce... but since I know that my wife has an intolerance to High Fructose Corn Syrup, and we've already seen signs of it in E, just through breastmilk.. I wouldn't risk it.

One of the things to think about when you get to offering food to baby is that you really start to think about what is actually in the foods we eat. We only give E real foods, and it wasn't until we started going out with her, and I realized that we can't really offer her much of any foods when we're out because they have things in them that aren't real food... It's a whole new way of thinking about what we eat.

If you're going to give baby a taste of a real food, that's one thing... but to offer baby a processed mess.. ick, I wouldn't do it!  :)