For
whatever reason, it has been ingrained into us that baby food should be as
bland as possible. This is actually a phenomenon tied to the United States
only. As it turns out, most other countries include spices regularly in their
babies’ food without thinking twice about it. Curry, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg,
you name it! So, why don’t Americans spice their children’s food up the same
way other countries do?
It is
coming forth as of recently (the past 3 years or so) that there is actually no
scientific research to back up the “rule” that baby food should be plain and
lacking spices. So, it’s not really a rule at all, but merely a guideline. Even
the term “guideline” is pushing it a bit. If your family has a history of food
allergies then yes, you should be very cautious when introducing new foods and
spices to your child. However, it’s very unlikely and uncommon to have an
allergy to spices. If food allergies aren’t a common problem in your family,
there is absolutely no reason you can’t add a little spice to your child’s
food.
So, what
kind of spices can you introduce in your baby’s food? Darn near anything that’s
not terribly spicy (hot)! Here is a list of acceptable ones I found from a
couple of my source pages below.
-alcohol-free vanilla
-pepper
-cinnamon
-mint
-nutmeg
-garlic powder
-anise
-ginger
-dill
-oregano
-basil
-rosemary
-lemon zest
-orange zest
-curry (Be cautious with this one. Some babies are
sensitive.)
You’ll want
to hold off on the hot kind of spicy stuff until your little one gets older. A
few examples of what kind of spices you could add include mixing a bit of
cinnamon in with sweet potatoes, adding some garlic powder to mashed potatoes,
or some allspice mixed in with squash. Wholesomebabyfood has a great page on
adding spices to your baby’s food, including more examples and ideas.
When is it
safe to start introducing spices to your baby’s diet? The general consensus is
around 8 months of age, by which time most people have already been letting
their little one try real food. Why does this matter? While I think spicing up
your baby’s food is a great idea and makes sense, it is wise to still try out
plain food with your child a few times to make sure they don’t have any
reactions. Once you know for sure they have no allergies to a certain type of
food, have at the spices! Plus his/her digestive system will be more developed
by then so something that might have upset his tummy a couple months ago might
not now. Make sense?
Baby food
and when to introduce it to children can be a touchy subject amongst parents.
What are your thoughts or concerns on adding spices? Do you already do this in
your household? I’d love to hear from you!
Visit these links below (my sources) for more information
and interesting articles on adding spices to your child’s baby food.
