Introducing Babies to Herbs & Spices with My Little Piccolo

Introducing Babies to Herbs & Spices with My Little Piccolo

Weaning is an exciting time both for babies and parents! One way to make it even more exciting is to experiment with herbs and spices when making your baby’s food. Did you know that you can start introducing these interesting flavours from 6 months? You can start with a little bit of pepper or paprika or even chilli!

Piccolo is an organic baby food brand inspired by the Mediterranean approach to health, food and wellbeing. They have recently conducted a survey with 1000 parents to help understand the use of herbs and spices in children’s food at home.

Some of the interesting discoveries from the survey are:

• Over a third (44%) of parents don’t season their babies’ foods at all, worrying it might be too spicy for them.
• Just over a quarter (26%) of parents weren’t sure which herbs and spices were safe to use.
• A quarter of parents thought that you couldn’t use them until their babies were older.
• 21% simply thought that their babies wouldn’t like herbs and spices in their food.

After finding these results, Piccolo wants to spread the word about the amazing effects herbs and spices can have on a little ones’ diet and how they can help the transition onto the family foods that you eat. Introducing more flavours can help your children become more adventurous eaters and help them have a positive experience of food from the start.

“I often get dubious looks as I start liberally sprinkling cinnamon into porridge, or adding pinches of cumin into stews for little babies, but adding everyday herbs and spices to liven up your baby’s food is a wonderful way to expand your baby’s taste buds and get them familiar with the taste of family food. Baby food does not have to be bland, and using herbs and spices and ingredients such as garlic are a great way of adding flavour without using salt. “

– Alice Fotheringham, Nutritional therapist

Q&A with Alice Fotheringham, Piccolo’s very own infant nutritional expert

1. Are there any herbs or spices that shouldn’t introduce until my baby is older?

“No. We would avoid using lots of chilli or hot curry powder in their food to begin with as it is a much stronger flavour, but you could still use a tiny pinch of them. Babies in Mexico are given creamy avocado with lime and a pinch of dried chilli flakes very early on and they seem to love it!”

2. Are there any herbs or spices that that my baby could be allergic to or react to?

“A pinch, sprinkle or teaspoon of a household herb or spice in a dish is highly unlikely to cause any reaction. Having said that, many herbs and spices have active components that can cause effects, but you need to consume a lot of that substance to see a reaction.”

3. Which flavours are best to start with?

“This totally depends on personal preference and what you have in your cupboards/ garden. Nice ones to start with that I like to use are cinnamon in apples or porridge, or fresh mint or basil in peas and spinach.”

4. I always use a lot of herbs and spices in the food I cook for my husband and myself. How much should I put in my baby’s food?

“There is no hard science to this, but I would reduce the amount you use for you so you can just taste a hint of it when you try it, then slowly increase until you are using the same amounts that you would. Say around a small pinch per portion, or a teaspoon if you are making a small saucepan of a recipe.”

“While babies, like us, are individuals, with unique preferences and dislikes, we also shape our babies’ enjoyment of foods through repeated exposure. The enjoyment of salty, bitter, sour and spicy are created through repetition. 

You may find that your baby embraces these new flavours instantly, or, you may find your baby will grow to like these over time through repeated exposure; so have patience if bitter or green foods aren’t enjoyed immediately. It can take up to 12 times for a baby to take on a new food.”

– Alice Fotheringham

Thank you Piccolo for this interesting information and thank you Alice for answering my questions! Check out Piccolo‘s weaning, herb and spice guides on their website too.

More Piccolo posts on A Mum Reviews:

• My Little Piccolo – A Lifetime of Mediterranean Goodness
• My Little Piccolo Review – Organic, Adventurous & Delicious Baby Food