Hello everybody,

Around what time do kids start eating the same level of spice (chilli) as the rest of the family? I live in the US and my 4 yr old son is still very hesitant to take my level of spice. He eats our food but for example, if I make sambhar I have to keep some of it separate with less spice and add our level of spice to the rest of the amount. It is getting inconvenient.

Till he was one year old I was asked by m-in-law not to introduce too much chillies. But after that I tried to slowly increase it but he never wanted any more. I make sure he eats most of our indian food but I wish he could eat like the rest of the family! I am now expecting the second one and wanted to know if I should do something different with this baby.

I will appreciate all your tips and advice. I am very happy to have found this board. Hetal replied. it doesnt matter the age, as far as baby is able to handle the spice level, he is good to go !
speakng of hot things, in US, proper US styles, they start offerng red pepper or what we call is capscicums from 9th month onwards.
in our culture, some famalies start offering black pepper from day 1 they start dal and rice,,even i was adviced to offer tht but lookng to the need of it,,i delayed it for my baby from 1 year onwards.
spice has nothing to do with age of the baby,,if you overdo nething, its going to harm baby,,nething thats in limit is always good..and when it comes to foods like spices(hot),greasy foods and such extras.
use alternatives like instead of red chilli pwder, add in ginger or garlic, or black pepper,,,n it solves the purpose.
chillis again are good for health ! surprisng though it sounds, a lil qty in daily part of diet is beneficial. if you want i wil give you the explantn of it ! and the good thing it does is it stimulates apetite !!!
but because of its hot nature and hot taste,,its not acceptable to eat in more qty and also not to mention, some people are sensitive to the heat irrespective of age. i cant eat hot spicy foods,,its too hot not only taste wise but also it gives me heat ! its the body type that actually matters,,,thats how some people are able to give thr kids chilli pwder and they accept it well and some couldnt !
there is no age limit associated to it..as far as your child is able to eat normal foods(with normal chilli pwder),,its perfectly fine.
dont hurry for introducing ne spices or hot foods..the latter the better ! but dont make it late enough that it becomes hard for you to manage wherever your child comes along with you outside your home!
its totally personal decision.
good luck. kalpana replied. I think its just a matter of habit or training. It is not suggested for babies till they are say 2 yrs old. But it may vary. My kid is also 4 yrs and my MIL still separates her food before adding chilli powder. Where as My friend' s 1.5 yr daughter was having a food so spicy which even I was not able to eat!

And I have read that chilli is just a matter of taste, its not really required by the body. More chilli powder in food only harms, there is no advantage out of it.

So if you want you can gradually train the kid to your level, 4 yr age is good enough. In my opinion, let her have a habit of low chilli today and always. I am also reducing my habit of chilli-level to my kid' s. Thats better for health. Earlier i couldnt imagine having food so bland, but now i am v happy with it, i never have that heavy feesling after food.