Can babies really have hummus?

[lovingmylife]

I have heard of babies eating this. My dd is 12 months and nurses every 2-3 hours around the clock but her solid food consists of sometimes avocado, baby squash and sweet potato, sometimes pureed fruit, mashed beans and cheerios! She wont eat anything else. I bought hummus today and it seemed too flavorful or something, I dont know just not right for a baby. I did give her a tiny bit on a few cheerios and she ate it, but I dont know if I should give her more. Could all that spice be bad for her? I bought the original kind btw. 

[mamatoablessing]

Of course? Why not? My second DD's first food was homemade guacamole with japepenos and all! Aside from a few allergen foods (which studies are now showing that not waiting might actually decrease the allergy), I fed my kids whatever I was eating from the time they started solids. I just cut it up really small or mashed it and let them have it.

[HeliMom]

Hummus is fine, spices are fine.   My DD ate whatever I was eating at that age, so lots of flavorful food.  She never shied away from flavor and is still a super eater.  If the baby doesn't like the flavor they will not go back for more.

[lovingmylife]

Ok I was worried about all the flavor and garlic. My dh thinks babies should have totally bland food so he made me second guess it. He made risotto and said she shouldnt eat it because it had too much flavor. 

[crunchy_mommy]

Spices are really good for babies actually -- both in terms of health & also in developing a broad palate of flavors they enjoy. Hummus is my DS's absolute favorite food, he eats it in large quantities. If you are not comfortable with the spices, you can make your own really easily, but my DS has been eating everything from garlic & ginger to spicy chili, tabasco sauce, curries, etc. I guess some babies & toddlers might prefer bland flavors but if your DD is willingly eating it, it's fine.

[mamalisa]

As long as she's not allergic to any of the ingredients there's nothing wrong with feeding your little one anything you might eat.  At age 2 my dd loved spicy tuna rolls!  

[ssh]

It's not too much flavor that's a problem for babies but too much salt or caffeine. Salsa was one a of my DDs favorite foods at that age along with hummus. you can always make your own if your concerned about what's in it. Goggle the recipe, there are a lot of variations.

[GoBecGo]

It's funny, this sort of topic reminds me of my friend.  She had babies before me and just fed them whatever she was eating from when they began solids.  One day she was at the mother and baby group in the park and eating spicy garlic dhal and her little baby boy was tucking in.  Another mother announced loudly that she would never feed HER baby curry because she would never wilfully cause a baby stomach pain like that, and my friend cupped her hand round her ear and said "can you hear India crying?"  LOL!

Anyway, i'm another who just fed them whatever i was eating, and they both love a wide variety of foods.  We try to avoid salt, HEAVY sugar use and caffiene.  Other than that they just eat whatever we're having.  DD1 still LOVES hummus.

[Drummer's Wife]

Sure, why not?  Babies certainly don't have to eat bland things - many LO's like spices and all sorts of flavors.  Better to expose them now than as a picky toddler/preschooler. 

[rubidoux]

My kids have always liked very strongly flavored things, right from the beginning.  Both of them especially love kalamata and other very strong tasting olives, and feta and blue cheeses, too.  My older ds was always fine with spicey stuff (though I don't eat super-hot, myself, so he was only getting moderately spicey stuff) until he got older and learned that he should be putting up a fight.  lol  

Also, it was such a revelation with my second when I realized he didn't need anything pureed.  Right from his first bites, he just ate what we were all having, cut into small pieces.  I kind of wish I had done that with my first.  It just makes more sense somehow, and seemed right to me.  Though ymmv, of course.  ;)

[McGucks]

Yup, hummus is good.  DS is 13 m.o. and we have done humus for a couple months.  Not that he eats MUCH of it...he still doesn't eat a whole lot of anything except BF.  When his molar finally broke through, he ate almost no solids for a good couple weeks.  Homemade hummus is easy and cheap and healthy...you can add olive oil to fatten it up if your LO is slender, too.  And BTW--DS also nurses every 2-3 hours around the clock and sometimes much more often during the day.  You are not alone!

[TheGirls]

Hummus is great!  The first food my DD really ate was Chicken Tikka Masala.  She also loves bleu cheese, salsa, hot wings, and lots of garlic.  I don't buy the "babies have to eat bland food" bit at all.  Baby will let you know what he prefers!

[KempsMama]

I just love the people in the "babies can only have bland food" camp-especially when they make the switch to "regular" food, and suddenly find their child will not eat.  While I do watch the sodium content of his food, my LO eats whatever I eat, minus honey. 

[Hannah32]

Originally Posted by TheGirls 

Hummus is great!  The first food my DD really ate was Chicken Tikka Masala.  She also loves bleu cheese, salsa, hot wings, and lots of garlic.  I don't buy the "babies have to eat bland food" bit at all.  Baby will let you know what he prefers!

Our son loves Indian food. He had a vegetarian Korma today, over rice. I figure that it's what babies in India are eating, so whatever. He was big on it! He also likes blue cheese. 

[savithny]

Spices and flavors come through to breastmilk.   A breastfed infant is *used* to food having flavor!    

Some of my kids first solid foods were hummus, tapenade, curried chickpeas, garlicky sweet potato salad -- all great stuff.   They hated bland food when I did them plain mashed veggies.   

[Birdie B.]

This is funny - my husband said the same thing at first! "That has too much flavor for a baby". I don't know where he got that idea, but I convinced him she could try spicier foods, and she loved them!  Now at 2, she'll eat just about anything (she LOVES hummus! And falafel). 

[Kedrosami]

I have another kid who has always just eaten whatever we're eating, starting at 6 months. He doesn't like super-spicy-hot-pepper things, but he likes lots of strong flavors. He looooves hummus, especially when home-made. It's so easy to make too.

You just combine in a food processor (or even just mash with a fork) a can or two of chickpeas, some lemon juice, fresh crushed garlic, tahini, and sea salt. I don't measure--you can experiment with the ratios.

Mmmm, I think I will make some soon!

[sapphire_chan]

It's normal for toddlers to eat limited foods, but you can keep on offering anything you eat yourself, she might decide to try it as she sees you enjoying it. E.g. my dd decided that broccoli with guacamole would be awesome because I was chowing down on it the other day.

One thing I am noticing, everything that she'll eat is pretty easy to chew or doesn't even need chewing. That could indicate something that could be changed and then she'd like more foods. Of course, it doesn't explain why not hummus.

[One_Girl]

I always gave my dd food cut up small enough for her to eat because she only wanted to feed herself.  She never had a problem with food with flavors.  Under the USDA program for childcare centers once kids are over one they are transitioned to eating the same foods the older children eat with very few exceptions so I don't think there is any safety or medical reason to withhold flavor from food.

[BetsyS]

I have three kids---one very picky, one average, and one super-eat-anything-not-nailed-down kid.  The picky one counts hummus as one of his favorites.  It's a great way to get protein into a limited eater.