To wonder why most parents don't give their toddlers any spicy food?

[laweaselmys]

I understand not giving tiny babies jalepenos.

I understand (when they are confident with eating solid food say over one at least) giving them some plain options and a bit of moderately spicy stuff to try.

I don't understand waiting until they are 5, making a big fuss about it, then being surprised when they don't like it.

DS has always had pretty much what we have. We don't have a lot of strong spicy food because it upsets my stomach something dismal, so he hasn't had much of that - but when DH has done a lamb curry, he's eaten it quite happily. But he is a fan of strong flavours - liked olives, anchovies, smoked salmon, capers, garlic cheese from a young age (and still does) - so probably not that surprising.

He is very definite when he doesn't like something though - he can't stand cooked mushrooms, for example (probably textural cos he eats raw ones happily) and you can't make him eat them. But he will try most things and even if he refuses the first time, I'll make him try it again next time (I watched a tv programme about this that suggested sometimes things need to be tried about 7 times before the child will decide to eat them).

I don't want to get into food battles with him because he is only a 9th centiler as well - can't afford for him to not eat too often.

bebe DD is the same about meat, not keen at all. Especially anything very plain, like grilled/roast chicken. But flavoured things like mince in bolognaise, sausages, pesto and bacon... Will get eaten in small amounts.

Maybe she is a strong flavours toddler.

I was thinking about what I ate when PG but I don't think it was all that spicy, I had bad morning sickness so didn't eat much bar toast and apples!

It's taken me until DD turned 6 to get her to eat a pizza fgs. A curry would be one step too far. Plus I cant stand them

Fwiw - DD used to have a wide variety of foods until she hit 2 and then she decided she would eat nothing but spag bol, fishfingers, vegetables, sandwiches.

I find it quite demoralising when someone is all smug that their DC will eat anything, as if I am at fault for feeding her the wronf things. I have really tried to offer variety throughout but imagine how you would feel being force-fed a food you couldnt stand. I think we can be too hard on our children.

I have a curry-holic toddler. She also likes garlic bread. Sh is far more likely to eat this than anything plain.

I don't think it's possible to make a toddler eat something they just don't want to MNTot, and trying to do so would just be counterproductive.

It's very common for toddlers to go through food fads and be extra sensitive about texture/taste.

But the OP was about some parents deliberately not offering spicy food to toddlers because it's deemed inappropriate for some reason, or that they can't manage it, which obviously isn't the case.

Some of us must have very stinky tots - curry and garlic bread seem to be quite popular!

I only cook the one main meal for all of us and dd's 1,3&4 will happily eat anything, dd2 will whinge and pick at anything i serve be it spicy or plain. It's so annoying as she has been brought up exactly the same but is a real fusspot!

laweaselmys - DD won't eat mince at all, she'll tuck into things like spag bol/chilli/cottage pie until she discovers the mince then won't touch it & pushes it away! In fact she has gone off tomato sauce on pasta & will now only eat cheese sauce! Which is a pain because her vegetable consumption is non existant & it's harder to 'hide' veg in a cheese sauce! :o Thank God she eats fruit!

I agree completely with all those who said that LOs are less fussy when they are younger. DD won't even contemplate eating things that a year ago were her favourites! Now she knows what she likes it's those things and nothing else!

Oh no!

I'm not sure what I would do if DD got very faddy tbh.

Cry probably.

Not the right context, but this thread just reminded me of how my parents force-fed me gooseberries [vom]. I was 9 and had to eat them all up. I would then be sick. It would last weeks (not sure how long the gooseberry season is?)

Thanks Crazycat. I see the different angle on the OP. I hate fish but make it for my DDs. I also hate Indian food and am sorry to say I cant bring myself to cook it

My step sister went through a whole month when she was 2 of only eating graham crackers and cheerios. Literally nothing else. Having previously enjoyed a varied diet.

Step mum just kept offering her 3 healthy square meals a day along with the family (which must have been totally demoralising for her), but one day she just dropped the cracker/cheerio obsession and tucked in to normal food again!

X-post MNT!

I remember being force-fed bakewell tart in primary school aged 5 - I haven't been able to even sniff marzipan without gagging ever since...

God I want a curry now.

I was forcefed rice pudding until I vomited on the table and am exactly the same. Just seeing/smelling it, or warm milk makes so nauseous.

Unless she eats it somewhere else it is definately something DD will miss out on, couldn't even have it in the house!

I was never force fed anything. Although as a teenager my mum made rabbit stew (I had said I would never eat rabbit because they were cute ) & told me it was something else. I found out a few years later!

I have to give alot of credit to my mum though for me not being particularly fussy. (Although apparently I was 'difficult' as a small child) I eat eggs, cheese & yoghurt which my mum can't stand. I also like rice pudding (sorry laweaselmys) which she thinks is disgusting! I'm sure there are a whole host of other things as well. She never once tried to put me off things because she didn't like them herself. I'm trying to be the same with DD but she is 'difficult' too, maybe she will improve like I did?! Or maybe she will be a fuss pot all her life like DH!

yess!!! why not???

just dont put too much chili in it as kids have more sensitive taste buds!!
xxxxxx
Ange

mines always eaten the same as us so hes always had currys, chillis etc. We started off making them mild but now he seems to like them any heat, hes 22 months and so far so good.
My mum hates currys and cant even be in the same room as one! Personally i cant understand it as theres so many different types, some spicy some not. That theres got to be one you do like, its just finding that one (and a decent curry house!)

We've just had chickpea curry aka too-much-month-left-at-the-end-of-the-money curry and ds (10 months) got a portion after he clambered onto dh's lap and stole a bean. I had thought he was off food today as he wouldn't eat tomato pasta at lunch or some leftover lamb stew but he went wild for the chickpea curry.

I don't add salt to anything anymore so it was fine for him, but it does amaze me that he loves curry so much but sticks his nose up at tomato-based pasta sauces or anything with herbs. I would describe him as quite fussy but curry just tickles his palate. I didn't eat a lot while pregnant so scratch that theory!

I also take the crust off fishfingery type fillets and feed him the fish inside .

Another one against the 'they like what they got in the womb' theory. I lob chili in most of what I eat (even salads), and regularly ate hot curries when pg.

DD (4) is super-fussy and prefers bland carbs (with salt on ) above all else. She won't eat ANYTHING that's chopped up and comes in a sauce. It has to be plain and separate.

Won't touch anything soupy, custardy or yoghurty. Nor baked beany. Recoils when she tries anything with chili in.

She'll eat ketchup and hummous (only by the teaspoon, not ON things) but they are her only concessions to flavour.

It's just the way she is, I think.

Well I was cooking a shepherd's pie, but returning to this thread (and being PG) has meant I just had to have curry instead.

No time to cook one so DH is ordering right now. Whoop! And DD is in bed so I don't even have to share it...

I was extra precious with DC1. It was all hand-pureed butternut squash and rice cakes. He is now 5 yrs old and a fussy bugger.

With DC2, she was happily shoving whatever we had for dinner into her mouth by the time she was one. Unsurprisingly, she isn't fussy and devoured a plate of curry for dinner yesterday while DS ate pizza and made 'urgh, yuk, vom' noises at the mere sight of the curry.

My eldest ate everything until her second birthday. How we congratulated ourselves on bringing up a child with such diverse culinary tastes. Two years on and it's a struggle to get anything but cheese, bread or beans down her

Going by my dds I think it's a developmental thing. My youngest (20 months) is still fairly open minded about food but I'm certainly not counting my chickens

DS is eleven months, and if you give him something bland, he will refuse to eat it. His current favourite is breadsticks dipped in cream cheese and salsa, and chicken korma with some extra spices. I'm sure there will be times where he goes to the other end of the scale, but OP YANBU, I don't get it either...

Ds 1 ate everything going, loved hummus and also curry (not so keen anymore though . I think its important to introduce all different types of food early.

not read all the thread, so guess its the same as many.

DD does not like spice. She has had spices (cumin, coriander, ginger etc) in her food since about 10 months or so, enjoys it, does not like heat of hot spice, but has a little taster from time to time (aged 4 now).

DS is aged 11 months, and he has spice too, I cook them both a dhal and remove theirs before I add the curry paste. However DS loves a little heat occasionally, he has had some of mine and quite enjoys it!

Ours don't eat chilli but ate dal from about 8 months.