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Foodie parents wish, hope, and pray their babies develop the same appreciation for food that they have. But that all starts with how you build your child’s relationship with what they eat. Expanding and developing your baby’s palate is much simpler than you might assume, so let’s explore the best ways to introduce spicy food to your baby.
Introduce Spicy Food At A Young Age
While babies can eat mild spices (coriander, cumin, cinnamon, etc.) from their first bite of solid foods, it’s best to wait until age 1 to introduce hot spices. That being said, offering spicy food at a young age will help to expand your baby’s palate and pave the way for being a future foodie!
A Little Goes A Long Way
Start with sprinkling a tiny bit of cayenne on a piece of fruit, and let your baby explore the flavors and sensations in their mouth. Be sure to only use a pinch, because the heat can be very intense for them.
Keep an eye on your baby and make sure they don’t touch the food. The last thing you want is for them is to touch their eyes or face with cayenne all over their fingers! Ouch!
For more information on starting your baby on cayenne, check out Solid Starts.
If you’re sharing some of your spicy food with your baby, be sure to start with small bites. Watch their reaction to know if they can handle more or not.
Build Gradually
When introducing spicy food to your baby, keep it on the milder side and build up to more heat gradually. Whether you’re using dried spices like cayenne or fresh chili peppers to spice up your baby’s food, it’s helpful to understand the levels of heat they contain and how these levels could affect your baby’s palate as they grow.
Make “Spicy” A Positive Thing
If you want your baby to enjoy spicy food, it’s important to make the word “spicy” a positive thing. A lot of times, parents will call something “spicy” if they don’t want their kids to eat it. This gives the word a negative meaning, which your baby will eventually learn is a bad thing.
It’s important to be positive and confident in the food that you give to your baby. If you are hesitant, or say things like “be careful, it’s spicy” your baby will pick up on that quickly, and refuse to even try it.
By keeping the same demeanor when offering all types of food, your baby will be more likely to try the spicy stuff it and even like it!
Be Consistent
If your baby isn’t a fan of spicy food from the get-go, don’t worry! Keep introducing it to your baby, but never force them to eat it.
Try adding spice to different dishes (with different textures and flavors) because you may find something that your baby likes.
Be consistent about serving the spicy foods alongside other foods that they like. If it’s always on their plate, they will be more likely to try it. A child has to try something 10-15 times before they truly know if they like it or not. So don’t give up!
