about this tradition?

[Lucylululu]

Perhaps I am being unreasonable or a bit melodramatic...

DH is of another religion and one of his religious traditions is to feed a baby some rice, salt and sugar in the religious building. I feel a bit wary of this. I am really anxious about giving my baby food which isn't prepared by me and when I don't know anything about the cleanliness of the religious building or the person preparing it or the water being used to prepare it. (We are not in the UK and some of the water here is not at all safe to drink). My baby is only 7 months old so I'm just wary that if he were to get sick from food he could get very sick. His family have assured me that it is very clean and they absolutely adore my baby so I do trust them very much, but a part of me is always thinking 'But what if....'

My main concern is with the salt and sugar. I'd been really keen to keep my baby off of both of these things for as long as possible - I've read at his age that he gets all his salt from milk, and any more could be tough on his kidneys. Also, he's only ever eaten fruits and cereals before - I feel like it's a bit cruel to shove salt in his mouth, even if it is only a very small amount - I wouldn't like it, and I personally don't think it's great to do things in the name of tradition that might cause a baby any kind of discomfort or upset.

The sugar side I'm worried about is that he accepts all his food with a great appetite and without any added sugar and I'm worried that he might get a taste for sugar and start to turn down food without it. Also I'd just felt really strongly that I didn't want him having it. But should I just keep quiet and let them do it? They're all lovely and I don't want to offend anyone or be unnecessarily difficult. (They've all done it as children, as have all the children they know, so it seems really weird to them that I'm feeling funny about it.

What do you think? Am I just being a bit wimpy and overprotective? It would really only be a dab of each thing on a finger and put in his mouth, but I've just always been so keen to keep him off any added salt or sugar so giving him a dab of them both is the opposite of my plan. And the salt seems a little cruel? I feel like I probably am being a bit pathetic but I would like to hear it from someone else to reassure me! Or would you be concerned too?

Worries are reasonable.

I agree with taking your own Water, though. It isn't worth the risk of even a stomach upset.

As others have said you really are overthinking this. Do you really think your husband and his family would allow your baby to come to harm?
Thousands of babies undergo this ceremony every year have they all died from these little dabs of sugar, salt and water?

If you are going to live in this country permanently you are going to face other religious ceremonies and cultural differences future. Did you not realise this when you chose to marry DH and live in his country.?

Do you honestly think your baby is going to start refusing food that hasn't got added salt and sugar in it, based on being fed a teaspoon or two on one occasion as part of a ritual ceremony?

I think this is more about your anxiety over the hygiene issue and the rest is a bit of a daft excuse. Do yourself a favour, focus on the real issue and not an imagined issue or impausible outcome.

Surely you can ask to provide bottled water and see the food prepared yourself or even provide it yourself? I imagine it's just bog standard rice, sugar and salt that's been somehow blessed by the Imam/priest/rabbi or whatever he is, so can't he just bless the ingredients you give him?

I'd just add that sugar-water drops are used in hospitals in the UK for tiny babies, as a mild painkiller / distraction when needles and things are being inserted. Breast milk is quite sweet (much more so than formula) and babies naturally respond well to sugar. So I would not worry about a tiny bit of sugar setting up a lifelong dependency.