# Can babies really have hummus?



## lovingmylife

I have heard of babies eating this. My dd is 12 months and nurses every 2-3 hours around the clock but her solid food consists of sometimes avocado, baby squash and sweet potato, sometimes pureed fruit, mashed beans and cheerios! She wont eat anything else. I bought hummus today and it seemed too flavorful or something, I dont know just not right for a baby. I did give her a tiny bit on a few cheerios and she ate it, but I dont know if I should give her more. Could all that spice be bad for her? I bought the original kind btw.


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## mamatoablessing

Of course? Why not? My second DD's first food was homemade guacamole with japepenos and all! Aside from a few allergen foods (which studies are now showing that not waiting might actually decrease the allergy), I fed my kids whatever I was eating from the time they started solids. I just cut it up really small or mashed it and let them have it.


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## HeliMom

Hummus is fine, spices are fine. My DD ate whatever I was eating at that age, so lots of flavorful food. She never shied away from flavor and is still a super eater. If the baby doesn't like the flavor they will not go back for more.


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## lovingmylife

Ok I was worried about all the flavor and garlic. My dh thinks babies should have totally bland food so he made me second guess it. He made risotto and said she shouldnt eat it because it had too much flavor.


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## crunchy_mommy

Spices are really good for babies actually -- both in terms of health & also in developing a broad palate of flavors they enjoy. Hummus is my DS's absolute favorite food, he eats it in large quantities. If you are not comfortable with the spices, you can make your own really easily, but my DS has been eating everything from garlic & ginger to spicy chili, tabasco sauce, curries, etc. I guess some babies & toddlers might prefer bland flavors but if your DD is willingly eating it, it's fine.


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## mamalisa

As long as she's not allergic to any of the ingredients there's nothing wrong with feeding your little one anything you might eat. At age 2 my dd loved spicy tuna rolls!


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## ssh

It's not too much flavor that's a problem for babies but too much salt or caffeine. Salsa was one a of my DDs favorite foods at that age along with hummus. you can always make your own if your concerned about what's in it. Goggle the recipe, there are a lot of variations.


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## GoBecGo

It's funny, this sort of topic reminds me of my friend. She had babies before me and just fed them whatever she was eating from when they began solids. One day she was at the mother and baby group in the park and eating spicy garlic dhal and her little baby boy was tucking in. Another mother announced loudly that she would never feed HER baby curry because she would never wilfully cause a baby stomach pain like that, and my friend cupped her hand round her ear and said "can you hear India crying?" LOL!

Anyway, i'm another who just fed them whatever i was eating, and they both love a wide variety of foods. We try to avoid salt, HEAVY sugar use and caffiene. Other than that they just eat whatever we're having. DD1 still LOVES hummus.


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## Drummer's Wife

Sure, why not? Babies certainly don't have to eat bland things - many LO's like spices and all sorts of flavors. Better to expose them now than as a picky toddler/preschooler.


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## rubidoux

My kids have always liked very strongly flavored things, right from the beginning. Both of them especially love kalamata and other very strong tasting olives, and feta and blue cheeses, too. My older ds was always fine with spicey stuff (though I don't eat super-hot, myself, so he was only getting moderately spicey stuff) until he got older and learned that he should be putting up a fight. lol

Also, it was such a revelation with my second when I realized he didn't need anything pureed. Right from his first bites, he just ate what we were all having, cut into small pieces. I kind of wish I had done that with my first. It just makes more sense somehow, and seemed right to me. Though ymmv, of course.


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## McGucks

Yup, hummus is good. DS is 13 m.o. and we have done humus for a couple months. Not that he eats MUCH of it...he still doesn't eat a whole lot of anything except BF. When his molar finally broke through, he ate almost no solids for a good couple weeks. Homemade hummus is easy and cheap and healthy...you can add olive oil to fatten it up if your LO is slender, too. And BTW--DS also nurses every 2-3 hours around the clock and sometimes much more often during the day. You are not alone!


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## TheGirls

Hummus is great! The first food my DD really ate was Chicken Tikka Masala. She also loves bleu cheese, salsa, hot wings, and lots of garlic. I don't buy the "babies have to eat bland food" bit at all. Baby will let you know what he prefers!


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## KempsMama

I just love the people in the "babies can only have bland food" camp-especially when they make the switch to "regular" food, and suddenly find their child will not eat. While I do watch the sodium content of his food, my LO eats whatever I eat, minus honey.


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## Hannah32

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TheGirls*
> 
> Hummus is great! The first food my DD really ate was Chicken Tikka Masala. She also loves bleu cheese, salsa, hot wings, and lots of garlic. I don't buy the "babies have to eat bland food" bit at all. Baby will let you know what he prefers!


Our son loves Indian food. He had a vegetarian Korma today, over rice. I figure that it's what babies in India are eating, so whatever. He was big on it! He also likes blue cheese.


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## savithny

Spices and flavors come through to breastmilk. A breastfed infant is *used* to food having flavor!

Some of my kids first solid foods were hummus, tapenade, curried chickpeas, garlicky sweet potato salad -- all great stuff. They hated bland food when I did them plain mashed veggies.


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## Birdie B.

This is funny - my husband said the same thing at first! "That has too much flavor for a baby". I don't know where he got that idea, but I convinced him she could try spicier foods, and she loved them! Now at 2, she'll eat just about anything (she LOVES hummus! And falafel).


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## artekah

I have another kid who has always just eaten whatever we're eating, starting at 6 months. He doesn't like super-spicy-hot-pepper things, but he likes lots of strong flavors. He looooves hummus, especially when home-made. It's so easy to make too.

You just combine in a food processor (or even just mash with a fork) a can or two of chickpeas, some lemon juice, fresh crushed garlic, tahini, and sea salt. I don't measure--you can experiment with the ratios.

Mmmm, I think I will make some soon!


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## sapphire_chan

It's normal for toddlers to eat limited foods, but you can keep on offering anything you eat yourself, she might decide to try it as she sees you enjoying it. E.g. my dd decided that broccoli with guacamole would be awesome because I was chowing down on it the other day.

One thing I am noticing, everything that she'll eat is pretty easy to chew or doesn't even need chewing. That could indicate something that could be changed and then she'd like more foods. Of course, it doesn't explain why not hummus.


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## One_Girl

I always gave my dd food cut up small enough for her to eat because she only wanted to feed herself. She never had a problem with food with flavors. Under the USDA program for childcare centers once kids are over one they are transitioned to eating the same foods the older children eat with very few exceptions so I don't think there is any safety or medical reason to withhold flavor from food.


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## BetsyS

I have three kids---one very picky, one average, and one super-eat-anything-not-nailed-down kid. The picky one counts hummus as one of his favorites. It's a great way to get protein into a limited eater.


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## cristeen

My DS (19 mos) wont eat his eggs unless they have sriracha in them. He actually is less likely to eat bland foods than spicy ones. There is no reason at all to feed a kid bland food.


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## jessemoon

A well-meaning friend gave my 6 month old hummus to amuse her while I was in the bathroom of the Lebanese restaurant. She didn't realize that my dd hadn't yet had any solid food. She was so apologetic and felt terrible! My dd loved every bite! She chowed down and it quickly became a staple. She is now 3 and it is still her favorite form of protein. We aren't prone to food allergies in our family, so I am of the opinion that if the baby enjoys it, it is probably fine!


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## Storm Bride

Just repeating what everyone else said. DS1 used to scoop garlic cloves off the cutting board and eat them raw, when he was only about 14-15 months old. And, dd2 will eat almost anything we put in front of her, and loves all kinds of flavours, including some fairly hot ones. Actually, the only one of my kids who's averse to spicy/hot foods is dd1...and even in her case, it's more a reflection of her general pickiness, as she does like one or two quite spicy foods.

Hummus? No biggie at all. I think it's a great food for kids. I need to start making it again.


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## Veronika01

Up until my youngest, we did the bland, pureed baby food route to introducing solids. With my last, we stuck to table food after we were unable to find single flavored baby foods. She is my best eater so far and I think one of the main reason so many people have trouble with children eating these days, is because children aren't given "real" food until they're much older. I sincerely regret listening to the "bland baby food" camp.


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## mommy212

Of course, but you may want to make homemade so yo can control salt, since some of the store brands have a lot of it. One of my babies first foods was spinach curry and farmer's cheese. Don;t hold back flavor, you could turn her into a bland-food loving mac and cheese and chicken nuggets til she's fifteen kind of kid! Lol, mostly my opinion, but especially at twelve months I would not be holding back flavor from her except extreme spiciness, although my LO at 18 months enjoys mildly spicy things, and I always keep some milk nearby if it gets too much. Feel free to open up the food world to her


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## bignerpie

My son is a grazer. He will literally eat a bite, run around, come back and grab another bite, run around, etc. When I get out the hummus, he stops and eats until it's gone. I started making it because we would go through an entire store-bought container in one sitting!


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## meemee

curious why are you still doing pureed foods?

dd started solids at 9 months and never ate anything pureed. in fact i think she absolutely does not like that consistency and any foods with that consistency even today at 8.

she loves hummus and even as a toddler the trader joe's tomato hummus has been her favourite.

i will say though i went easy on the spices in the begining as we started solid foods. but since she loved raw onions i didnt hold the flavour back.

however i did sometimes offer her simple bland foods - like a good baked potato with nothing on it, or some fresh home grown tomato or plain boiled lentil soup. or just plain rice.

she still loves hummus and is an odd child in her group.

today her favorite sandwich is nice fresh bread smeared with hummus and some swiss cheese with it with sliced tomato and some glazed red onion.


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## velochic

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GoBecGo*
> 
> It's funny, this sort of topic reminds me of my friend. She had babies before me and just fed them whatever she was eating from when they began solids. One day she was at the mother and baby group in the park and eating spicy garlic dhal and her little baby boy was tucking in. Another mother announced loudly that she would never feed HER baby curry because she would never wilfully cause a baby stomach pain like that, and my friend cupped her hand round her ear and said "can you hear India crying?" LOL!
> 
> Anyway, i'm another who just fed them whatever i was eating, and they both love a wide variety of foods. We try to avoid salt, HEAVY sugar use and caffiene. Other than that they just eat whatever we're having. DD1 still LOVES hummus.


My dh is from the Middle East and I had some reactions similar to your friend. For us, first it was that we didn't introduce solids until dd truly showed interest, which was close to a year old, then we didn't do any purees, then I was breastfeeding too long, then, of course, we were feeding her the same ethnic food we ate, which was too spicy, wasn't "appropriate" for babies and would give her all sorts of intestinal problems. Lots of comments, especially from my 85 year old aunt. I made almost the same comment as you friend... "Gosh, all those poor Turkish babies that are starving because they don't have access to the foods we feed babies here in America."

Those same family members were here for my mom's birthday a while back. They were commenting about how when dd was the age of their little one (my aunt's great-grandson), she would eat anything and still does. They were wondering why their LO wouldn't eat anything but chicken mcnuggets, jello, french fries, and goldfish crackers. I gently reminded them that dd has always eaten what we ate and we didn't limit foods or spices... and that at 9yo, she still hasn't been introduced to McDonald's (we just don't eat it) or soda pop (his favorite drink) but gets to eat Indian, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Tex-mex and other ethnic foods every week. I think maybe the light bulb came on for them.


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## Ldavis24

well if they can't don't tell my DD who has loved hummus since before she was a year old...She takes a celery stick and instead of eating the celery will just repeatedly dip it in the hummus to get more and more...Loves that stuff, I personally can't stand even the smell of it but she likes it so I buy it. I used to have to make it for work and thats where I started hating it...I will start making it for her again, so simple.


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## MammaG

Absolutely! My little guys love it! All three of my guys have loved really flavourful, spicy foods, especially at about a year old. That seems to be, for us, a great window of time to introduce all the foods we love from around the world. Of course, because they were all breastfed well into toddlerhood, they were used to those tastes that way, too.

I think that when they get to a more picky age, you're better off if they have a huge established repertoire of tastes so that you don't end up with a picky eater who will only eat chicken nuggets and pizza (even my most picky eater will chow down sushi).

My littlest was only 10 months last Autumn when we took him to France to visit Grandpa. Favourite new foods? Pate foie gras, sauteed duck gizzards and Roquefort cheese. Yum! And because all of the chestnut and walnut trees were in season, we started nuts a little early. No history of allergies in our family, so common sense won over the 'party line'.

If your baby is loving hummus, let her explore more!


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## Shellie

Unless you have a reason to avoid legumes or seeds (allergy issue?) then it's just fine. Perfect, really. It's quite healthy--high in protein, fiber and good fat (when made with olive oil or another good oil).


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## HollyBearsMom

My sons first food was basically guacamole. I was making it and he kept staring at it. It was full of onion, cilantro, lime juice. He loved it. I think hummus was his second food. Both of these foods were consumed in huge quantities when I was pregnant and I am convinced thats why he loves it so much.

Breastfed babies are used to changing flavors because breast milk changes based on what the mom is eating.


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## Ldavis24

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HollyBearsMom*
> 
> My sons first food was basically guacamole. I was making it and he kept staring at it. It was full of onion, cilantro, lime juice. He loved it. I think hummus was his second food. Both of these foods were consumed in huge quantities when I was pregnant and I am convinced thats why he loves it so much.
> 
> Breastfed babies are used to changing flavors because breast milk changes based on what the mom is eating.


hmm I wonder if that is why DD LOVES buffalo wings...since I ate them basically constantly throughout my pregnancy and continuing on after she was born. I've never seen a kid who actually dips their fingers into hot sauce, tastes it, pants like crazy for a few seconds then goes back for more!


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## raksmama

I always tell this funny story...

my son was an enthusiastic breast feeder however not so much about starting solids. I started like the recommendation; one food at a time, bananas, mashed carrots, rice cereal, apple sauce... At 10 months he still showed very little interest in any type of food. I was not worried though since he looked healthy. At this time we went to Lebanon to visit my husband's family. When my mother in law asked what our son was eating, and we told her, she was mortified and started smashing a dish of zucchinis stuffed with meat and rice and feeding him it to him. My son started eating it with gusto! Later she also fed him Hummus as well as a type of yogurt cheese with olive oil in it called labni. He no bad reactions and has been a good healthy eater ever since and of course Lebanese food will always be one of his favourites!


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## Jenni1894

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mamatoablessing*
> 
> Of course? Why not? My second DD's first food was homemade guacamole with japepenos and all! Aside from a few allergen foods (which studies are now showing that not waiting might actually decrease the allergy), I fed my kids whatever I was eating from the time they started solids. I just cut it up really small or mashed it and let them have it.












One of my ODD fav foods as a baby was pureed pork chops with applesauce and cinnamon and garlic.


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## insidevoice

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *meemee*
> 
> today her favorite sandwich is nice fresh bread smeared with hummus and some swiss cheese with it with sliced tomato and some glazed red onion.


Oh my gosh that sounds good. My 2 yo would love that.


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## ~Boudicca~

Dd1 has a palate that gravitates towards the bland, she has always been that way. Kind of bums me out because I'm a total foodie and she is a buzzkill when it comes to food. Dd2 however, would drink salsa right from a bowl when she was 14 months old and would suck on lemons as an infant. To this day if she walks be a bowl of hummus she will scoop her whole hand in there (she's 4 and yeah we discourage this but it seems like her impulse control goes right out the window when hummus is involved).

Spice it up mama! A broad range of flavors is good for her to experience.


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## Ldavis24

Ha, I have a lemon sucker here as well...

Easiest way to keep her mellow in a restaurant is give her the lemon from our waters and she will happily sit there EATING the rind and everything until food comes.


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## velochic

How funny! Dd was and is the kid that uses chips to just slurp up the salsa (separate bowl for her, please) and loves to eat lemons, too. It must be some sort of trait.


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## KristyDi

My DD is oddly picky. She doesn't eat hummus because she doesn't like dip like things. She does eat thing that surprise others though. Hot wings, sushi, all kinds of veggies etc. She's pretty much always eaten what we eat too.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ldavis24*
> 
> Ha, I have a lemon sucker here as well...
> 
> Easiest way to keep her mellow in a restaurant is give her the lemon from our waters and she will happily sit there EATING the rind and everything until food comes.


My DD used to do this too. She's grown out of it now though. My parents say I did the same as a baby. We both LOVE tart fresh squeezed lemonade though.


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## guatemama1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GoBecGo*
> 
> It's funny, this sort of topic reminds me of my friend. She had babies before me and just fed them whatever she was eating from when they began solids. One day she was at the mother and baby group in the park and eating spicy garlic dhal and her little baby boy was tucking in. Another mother announced loudly that she would never feed HER baby curry because she would never wilfully cause a baby stomach pain like that, and my friend cupped her hand round her ear and said "can you hear India crying?" LOL!


That is hilarious!!!!!


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## flightgoddess

My lil guy was eating 80% table food by 12 mo. You can feed her whatever you are eating. If you know it is a new food (fish, nuts, etc) just wach for signs of allergy in the couple hours afterward. Now is the time to introduce new foods, textures and sizes!


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## ProtoLawyer

My 10-month-old's first solid food was dog hair.

After that, we tried a few purees (mango and peach were liked; chicken was not) but he was more interested in the spoon than in the food. I wondered if he would ever actually want to eat...until one day, he grabbed a handful of pulled pork off my plate and chowed down.

He likes hummus, too. And yellow curry, even a bit spicy.


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## Viriditas

We started my DS on table food, too. When he was a baby he used to love spicy food. I remember at about 13 months we were at a Christmas party with these really spicy samosas that hardly anyone would eat and he was chowing down. Now, at 5 1/2, he won't touch anything even remotely spicy and he's super, super picky.


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