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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

230 replies

laweaselmys · 25/10/2010 20:38

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.

OP posts:
MrsThisIsTheCadillacOfNailguns · 26/10/2010 21:50

We eat a lot of curry and spicy food,and both dds ate it from about 5 months old.The odd person would comment that they wouldn't be able to cope with spicy food so young,but I pointed out that Indian and Pakistani babies are weaned onto it and they seem to manage ok.
It is lucky that they do like it-I love cooking curries and hate bland food.

Rosettaroo · 26/10/2010 22:18

I have mixed parentage, so is a mixture of mainly traditional english food or chinese food. So DS has had that from being very little, but a cultural thing. I love chilli but when he was a baby did not add to his portions till he was older.

nappyaddict · 27/10/2010 01:16

Crazycatlady You say your DD likes madras. Does she get an upset tummy from it? I like madras but don't eat it much cos I find it does upset my tummy the next morning.

nappyaddict · 27/10/2010 01:17

Also how old was she when she first ate it?

DS has been eating medium curries like dhansak from the beginning of weaning but I've never tried him with anything spicier incase he gets a bad tummy like me.

emy72 · 27/10/2010 09:33

Because I hate spicy food and we don't eat it in my house.

So I am unlikely to be making spicy food just to give to my toddler........

Appletrees · 27/10/2010 09:38

doesn't matter how much op or anyone else says it's not judgey and superior -- it is...

ScroobiousPip · 27/10/2010 10:01

How exactly Appletrees? I also come from a mixed-parentage background, was brought up largely on curried food and have fed DS a variety of spicy food since 6mo. I too do not understand why parenting advice and books out there today still suggest starting babies off with bland food, and avoiding spices.

I'm not judging - it's just not in my culture and as there doesn't seem to be any scientific reason for the advice, I am at a loss to understand why it persists.

Besides, I can hardly consider myself superior when my DS is also addicted to icecream and chocolate... Blush

GMajor7DeadlySins · 27/10/2010 10:02

Can't stand hot food myself. Anything that's painful to eat gets the thumbs down here. I'm not averse to DD (9mo) trying it of course, but as I don't eat it there's little opportunity for her to experiment.

Brussels sprouts on the other hand are the ultimate finger food. They go in whole and DD absolutely loves them!

nappyaddict · 27/10/2010 10:27

ScroobiousPip Did you start with medium and hot spiced things right from start (for me this is stuff like bhuna, rogan josh, then madras being hotter) or did you start with milder stuff like korma, tikka masala etc)

ScroobiousPip · 27/10/2010 10:36

NappyAddict, never eaten a korma.Grin.

DS is veggie but loves dahl and rice and vegetable curries (green bean curry was an easy finger food), veggie samosas, pakoras etc. I guess, strength-wise, I probably tend to cook medium-hot, (perhaps equivalent to rogan josh, but really just depends on how many chillis I chop up!). DS has always just eaten whatever we've eaten - no idea if it's just luck that he loves it though!

tillymama · 27/10/2010 10:50

I too don't understand why people are told that babies should have bland food.

So many people have told me that because flamin AK 'told' them that babies can't have spicy food, that they can't give them what they eat. Poppycock.

I completely understand that some children won't like spicy food, or other flavours...but if you don't offer it, how can they know?

We are lucky in that DD will try whatever is put in front of her. How much of that is down to BLW, and how much is her personality...I don't know.

EveWasFramed72 · 27/10/2010 10:54

I just never assumed that my DCs shouldn't like something. They eat what we do, we let them try everything, and if they don't like stuff, then so be it. My DS (4) doesn't like ANYTHING spicy at all, but DD (3), will tolerate mildly spicy stuff. They both like curry, and I use spice, but keep it reasonably toned down. Same with chilli, which they've both always loved.

DH hates spicy, but I love things hot...and DH was exposed to curries and hot things way younger than I was, so I don't think it's down to offering DCs vindaloo from birth!!

marge2 · 27/10/2010 10:56

My go through phases. They used to LOVE mild to medium curries- then didn't like it - now like it again. THey liked Soup - then they didn;t. DS1 will eat/try anything. DS2 is a lot more fussy. Kids are all different - even the ones brought up eating exactly the same food.

mittz · 27/10/2010 11:03

DS was rather bland in his tasted from a young age, but DD would eat anything and giggle as she tried to nick what was on your plate... mild curries, chilli, casseroles, and then one day about 4 yrs old. She stopped. Completely refused, we were not aware that she had eaten anything that had caused her grief. This included any of the main food groups, Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, Pork, apart from a very occasional piece of bacon, 1 type of sausage, and she will eat Fish.

She has tried it but we chose not to make a battle out of it.

He favourite meal would be chopped raw vegetables with either Cottage or Soft cheese.
Fish and mash with veg.
It is limiting but where as DS was very faddy DD simply seems to not like meat.

Appletrees · 27/10/2010 12:42

how is it judgey? because the answer to the op is bleedin obvious to the simplest minded person if you think about it for hmmmmmm thirty seconds so it's just an excuse to point out something which the op does right in her opinion and everyone else does wrong in her opinion

Crazycatlady · 27/10/2010 12:48

Hi nappyaddict, DD hasn't had an upset tummy from madras. I thought she might and my aunt put the fear of god into me about it but it never happened!

We knew that she liked curry but had never given her anything as hot as we eat it until about two months ago - we were making a lamb madras and I made a milder version for her at the same time, she turned her nose up at hers and then dived into my plateful. I was a bit apprehensive about the next nappy but it was fine! She was 20 months at the time.

She has been used to a variety of spices in her food since she was about 7/8 months but typically just cumin, garam masala, coriander etc (nothing actually really spicy hot) but recently has been eating things the same heat DH and I have it. She's had madras, a chilli and a thai curry (not all in the same week though!)

Crazycatlady · 27/10/2010 12:51

Interestingly - when DH and I have a hot curry my digestive system continues to function as normal whereas he always, without fail, gets the ring of fire the next morning Grin. Whether this has anything to do with me being brought up on hot food and him never trying a curry until he was 16 I don't know, but it does make me laugh!

Bunbaker · 27/10/2010 14:04

"Interestingly - when DH and I have a hot curry my digestive system continues to function as normal whereas he always, without fail, gets the ring of fire the next morning grin. Whether this has anything to do with me being brought up on hot food and him never trying a curry until he was 16 I don't know, but it does make me laugh!"

Absolutely nothing to do with upbringing. Some people simply have more sensitive guts than others

I grew up eating a wide variety of cuisines and OH didn't. I have IBS (probably brought on by a bout of salmonella contracted from a meal in a Greek restaurant) and can't eat very hot spicy foods because it makes me very ill. OH doesn't have IBS and therefore doesn't suffer the following day.

Crazycatlady · 27/10/2010 14:41

Oh IBS is miserable, a close friend of mine has IBS which always gets worse when she is stressed or eats anything mildly irritant. She's a curryaholic too, but now can't eat anything even mildly spiced without it triggering a nasty attack. It's way more than just a sensitive gut, I feel for you.

bobblemeat · 27/10/2010 17:59

Totally agree with Appletrees. You couldn't substitute "spicy food" in the thread title with something else which is commonly refused by toddlers such as banana, raw tomatoes or gravy because it would sound insane. The smug assumption is that if your toddler is visiting someone else home and they refuse to eat spicy food then it is the fault of the parent for not providing a wide diet. If they refuse banana its because they don't like banana. Its a double standard.

cestlavie · 27/10/2010 18:20

Agree with Appletrees and Bobblemeat. Toddlers are incredibly fickle eaters and don't like a wide variety of things be they spicy or bland. If your toddler eats anything then bravo, well done you, try whatever you like. If your toddler subsists on nutella and toast it's unlikely that you're going to get them eating a lamb madras any time soon. You'd rather they had a full tummy on something halfway sensible than exploring new food groups.

Having two children, one of the former and one of the latter, I can see very easily why people would rather try for just a balanced diet before they try any variation.

Just as an aside, Indian families don't routinely give their children spicy food so let's not kid ourselves we're being super-cosmopolitan here by persuading our children to do so. Sure their kids have dahl and vegetable curries but these aren't generally heavily spiced at all.

In fact, a lot of Indian food in the home is much milder than in Indian restaurants over here. Obviously certain dishes will contain more chilli but often the chillis are served on the side for people to help themselves to. Certainly in my (mixed race) home when I was growing up, my dad added chillis to his portion at the end whilst me and my brother had the much milder versions.

Fibilou · 27/10/2010 19:28

I quite agree with the OP but then DD has been eating hot curries and spicy food since about 6 months. She loves them

She is such a little madam that she was eating quails eggs today Grin

Crazycatlady · 27/10/2010 19:39

I get what you're saying bobble, but this thread isn't about toddlers refusing foods, it's about parents actively making the decision not to offer their tots anything spicy, when there is no good reason to avoid it. Not liking a food is different from never being offered it.

It would be nonsense to actively decide not to feed your child banana, tomato or gravy - if they don't like it then fair enough, cater to their tastes, but making the specific decision not to offer a bit of what you're having solely because it's spicy would be equally strange.

ZZZenAgain · 27/10/2010 19:42

mine just used to vomit up anything remotely spicy.

This was particularly enjoyable when she did it over say a restaurant table and all th way to the loo, leaving a trail

There didn't seem any point. We let her try the odd mildly spicy thing but if she just threw up afterwards, what was the point?

Appletrees · 27/10/2010 19:44

Yes so it's judgey, cat leady. Look I do this, and it's the best thing.

It's so obvious why a lot of people don't offer their children spicy food and there's nothing wrong if they don't EVER offer their children spicy food.

Judgey judgey judgey

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