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Rules for Spicy Baby Food
When adding spices to homemade (or jarred) baby food there are some basic rules you should follow.
- Always follow safe food handling practices.
- Add single spices until you know your child doesn't have a food allergy. For example, if you mix two herbs into carrots, and then your child has a reaction, it makes it impossible to know which herb your child reacted poorly to.
- Use organic and Fair Trade herbs and spices when possible.
- Use fresh herbs when possible. In fact it's easy to grow your own organic herbs if you have a small patio or even just a sunny window. When using fresh herbs make sure you chop them up well and remove any stems.
- When using dried herbs and spices a little goes a long way. I'd start with 1/8 teaspoon of any dried herb or spice per 1/2 cup baby food and increase to taste from there.
- Don't get crazy with hot spices until your baby is older. For example, while a dash of a curry may not insult baby's taste buds, it is possible and additions like super hot pepper and mustard seeds aren't really great for baby food unless used in very tiny amounts.
