Another question about feeding the little ones

Danalana wrote: I was reading Jen's post about food suggestions for Laila, and it made me think of a question I have been meaning to ask.
Kade has been eating baby food since he was 4 months (he's almost 9 months now), and he LOVES to eat. We have given him a few bites of table food, but it has always been unseasoned. How long until I can season it for him a little? Things like mashed potatoes and steamed veggies...that kind of stuff. When did you start seasoning food for your kiddos?

stella6979 replied: As soon as Avery started eating table food, I went ahead and seasoned like I normally do. I just didn't use the real spicy stuff that I like.

Danalana replied: Oh ok...I don't use spicy stuff anyway.

sparkys2boys replied: I would leave stuff plain until he is eating it for abit that way he is getting the normal flavour of the reg food and not seasoning. It helps make them less picky eaters IMO.

CantWait replied: I didn't. Not until they were eating what the rest of us ate. If they're eating it with nothing on it, why put extras on it that they don't need?

Danalana replied: Haha, that's a good point! I guess I just think about how bland mashed potatoes must be without seasoning. But you're right...if he likes it, why mess with it?
I guess I just wondered when a good age is to let them have seasoning on food.

AlexsPajamaMama replied:
He doesnt know any differant so he isnt thinking that its bland

Danalana replied: That's true
But does it hurt them to occasionally have a bite of something that has already been seasoned? I haven't given him anything seasoned yet, but I was wondering if it is harmful to them. Or is the no-seasoning thing so that they will learn to like the flavors of food first? i know that was alreagy suggested, but is that the whole reason why? Do the seasonings hurt their stomachs?

CantWait replied: No, usually a little bit of seasoning usual won't hurt their stomachs. If he's upset after, then you'll know that it probably has.

Calimama replied: I wouldn't. I rarely season Miabella's meat still. For the most part she eats what we eat but when she doesn't like it I make her a chicken breast and leave it alone. Sometimes seasoning has a lot of sodium.

Sam & Abby's Mom replied:
yep, me too

My3LilMonkeys replied: I never seasoned the girls food when they were little and it doesn't seem to have made a difference in their tastes now - Madison likes seasonings and even spicy ones on all her food and Brooke prefers hers plain - she even eats her toast plain, no butter, and doesn't eat mayo or mustard on sandwiches. So IMO it really doesn't make a difference.

Brias3 replied: The kids pretty much ate what we ate, and I'm not a big seasoning person myself so it was fine for the most part. Ryan and Aliyah love pepper on almost everything, but Mason's more of a plain guy, like me- I hate butter, salt, anything like that.

~Roo'sMama~ replied: I never added seasoning to anything I'd made just for them, but I didn't worry about it if I was giving them something that I'd made for all of us and was already seasoned.

A&A'smommy replied: I had feeding issues with Alyssa (still do) but with Autumn as soon as she is old enough for table food 10-11 months I will just give her whatever I cook I don't make anything real spicy anyway. But with Alyssa I would just give her the food plain until she hit about a year old and then I just gave her whatever we were eating which 90% of the time she gagged on she just doesn't like food that much

My2Beauties replied: I just give the kids whatever I cook so I don't have to cook anything seperately, they like it. I don't make anything spicy or anything like that, just put things like salt, pepper in my mashed potatoes or potato soup, chili...things like that.