[ILovePie]

So DH and I eat a decent amount of spicy food (I bet you can sort of see where this is going already). When DS had beef for the first time, I gave him some from my chili....and it was too hot. Lesson learned after much screaming and diluting the spiciness with yogurt!

Then I once gave him some tuna before I added cayenne to my own...then he wanted more and I gave him some of mine without thinking. Oh boy...

Fast forward to today, when I'm making this tuna salad that includes thai peppers. I don't recall this being a spicy dish, but I either added larger chunks of pepper than usual, or the peppers were actual spicier than usual. In either case, DS began desperately trying to eject all food matter from his mouth while screaming in pain and looking at me like, "OMGOMGOMG! HELLLLLLLLP!"

And it didn't end there.

I tried to give him some yogurt, but he wouldn't have it. I tried nursing him, which would do for brief periods between screaming fits - I think his tongue actually hurt from the peppers.

Well, lovely, he got capsaicin on my nipples, and managed to smear it all over my left breast, which resulted in my nipples burning and his right cheek being BRIGHT red.

Now he's happily wandering around with a cold sweet potato fry.

When will I learn?!?

What do kids his age in countries/regions where hot peppers are very common eat???

Any other advice? Or just laughter?

(DS is 12 months, btw. I really need to make a signature for myself...)

 

[mamadelbosque]

IDK, my DS liked spicy stuff from an early age. I remember him being like 10-11 months old and dipping tortilla in a green chili (an enchilada-type sauce thats *VERY* spicy!!). And he still likes spicy stuff to this day (hes 25 months)... so, IDK. I think some kids just like it early??

 

[Llyra]

I think it depends on the kid. My DD1 doesn't tolerate anything the least bit spicy, and never did, but DD2 will eat the hottest, spiciest stuff and enjoy every bite-- foods that are so seasoned that they have MY eyes watering.

 

[Furrow]

I also vote for individual preference. My DD (17 mos) can eat spicier foods than I can. She gets that from her dad.

 

[Murph12334]

it totally varies by kid

I HATE spicy, dh loves it, dd is more on liking spicy end. She'll eat things I won;t touch

 

[pbjmama]

I've found that a 'mask' of baking soda with a little water kills the skin burns if you can put it on quickly

 

[tanyalynn]

I actually didn't see it coming (the nursing and capsaicin transfer)

On a more helpful note, I heard that a friend's friend (everyone from India) had to slowly increase the spiciness of their food, but that by the time their child was about 18mo, the child was eating the same stuff as the adults.

 

[tankgirl73]

DD also loves the spicy stuff. We did BLW and she's had yummy food from very early on.

She doesn't like eating a hot pepper straight up. If she finds one in a sub sandwich she'll spit it out and say "tastes bad". But hot chili, hot salsa, hot curry... loves it.

 

[EdnaMarie]

They eat spicy foods here and where my DH is from but most people don't give them to children in his country unless they want a good laugh. They introduce them slowly. Mine once ate a spicy pickle and it went bite, swallow, scream, bite, swallow, scream, through the whole pickle. She ate the whole thing that way.

If the peppers gave you a rash, though, that is REALLY hot. Do you taste the food before you give it to him?

 

[ILovePie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdnaMarie They eat spicy foods here and where my DH is from but most people don't give them to children in his country unless they want a good laugh. They introduce them slowly. Mine once ate a spicy pickle and it went bite, swallow, scream, bite, swallow, scream, through the whole pickle. She ate the whole thing that way. If the peppers gave you a rash, though, that is REALLY hot. Do you taste the food before you give it to him?

It didn't give me *me* a rash - even on my breast/nipples. It gave him a bit of a rash, but it didn't last long and it actually didn't seem to bother him - the rash was still there a bit after he stopped crying and was smiling and laughing again.

I do taste everything before I give it to him, but obviously I don't notice quite how spicy things are!

 

[ChampagneBlossom]

My DS has always liked spicy foods (one of his first foods was a jalapeno he nabbed off DH's plate - he was sucking on it for a while before he realized what it was!!) but don't even remind me of the time I (accidentally) squirted lemon juice in his eye in a crowded restaurant... bad mommy moment... oh the howls!

 

[the_lissa]

It totally depends on the kid. My daughter could eat any spicy thing. My son can't have even the littlest spice. It is weird how different they are because we didn't do anything different with them/

 

[chi_mama]

when ds was just 2 he went through a phase where he'd want to eat chips and salsa on my lap so he could nurse between bites.

I've done the same thing as you more that once... I give him a special mild portion beforehand but then forget once he's finished his and wants some off my plate. We've always been able to rescue the situation with nursing.

we live in the SW so I am trying to gradually introduce him to spicy stuff. He love garlic and onion. We give him mild salsa. Oh and he LOVES "hot peanuts" (jalepeno or wasabi roasted almonds) and this spicy popcorn we get sometimes that has some cayenne

 

[mommajb]

This totally varies by person. My 3 yo can eat spicy food without noticing. When this same food is given to a friend of ds1 he acts like his mouth is on fire and we are crazy people. We do repeat the experiment with some frequency and they are both willing participants.

 

[kcstar]

The memorable times for us were not with spicy hot, but temperature-hot

. Also rescued with a quick nurse. He learned pretty quickly to test the food before putting it in his mouth. He's done fine with some spicy foods.

 

[RoundAbout]

My son likes moderately spicy stuff - hot salsa, curry, etc, but not the "take the roof off the mouth" spicy that I prefer. I have been gradually adjusting the heat upwards for him when I cook.

He was not happy with the raw chopped jalapenos that accidently made it into his veggies (I stupidly cut them on the same board). Oops!

 

[mouthcave]

Haha, oh no!
That is definitely something I have dealt with. I LOVE spicy food and have liked it since I was a small child, but my son can barely tolerate it. Sometimes it is helpful when all he wants to do is eat my food instead of his own. "Mine is spicy! Sorry!" and he'll leave me alone, haha.
This past weekend he did eat some mildly spicy salsa, though he kept sticking out his tongue and freaking out a little bit. He kept going back for more and smiling when we said it was spicy!

 

[PatchChild]

My DS is another spicy lover. I'm always shocked by the things he loves.

 

[prancie]

just introduce spicy food gradually. My 18 mo eats spicy food. You may want to wait a little though, until he dfrinks from a sippy cup and can get some water in his mouth if it's too spicy.

I would also like to know what people in other cultures do. It seems like spicy food is so integral to so many peoples.

 

[sarahr]

When my brother was a toddler he loved avocado. One evening we all went to dinner at a Japanese restaurant. There was this bowl of green stuff that looked, to him, just like avocado. He reached over and before anyone could stop him, he grabbed a handful and put it in his mouth. Of course, it wasn't avocado but super spicy wasabi horseradish. He screamed so hard my parents worried that someone would call the police.