When and how should I add spices in my baby's food?

The BabyCenter Editorial Team answers:

Malaysians happily chomp into Malay, Chinese, Indian, Nyonya, Arabic and a host of ethnic cuisines regardless of our own cultural background. When it comes to our babies, however, the spiciness and heavy flavours of Asian foods present some considerations.

Most doctors recommend waiting until eight months to introduce spices in your baby's diet. This is to help prevent stomach upsets as well as allergic reactions.

Don't be surprised if family and friends advise starting your baby on spiced food as early as six months. The idea behind this is that the sooner your baby develops a taste for spice, the easier it'll be to start him on your food. In some Indian families, parents offer spiced dishes to their babies during annaprashan, a ceremony symbolising the beginning of weaning. However, do keep in mind there is no need to rush your baby into spiced foods. If you have been eating spiced foods while breastfeeding, your baby may already have a taste for them anyway.

When starting to feed spices, introduce one spice at a time in very small amounts. Wait for four to six days before introducing another spice or new food. This way, any possible allergic reaction can be spotted quickly.

"Spice" does not just mean chillies and pepper, but also garlic, ginger, asafoetida, cumin, fennel, coriander, mustard, fenugreek, turmeric and so on. These herbs and spices flavour baby food and can have health benefits. Asafoetida, ginger, fennel seeds, carom and cumin are used in traditional Indian remedies to soothe upset tummies and help digestion. Garlic and turmeric have antiseptic and antioxidant benefits.

You may like to introduce spices to your baby in these ways:

• A clove of garlic or a tiny piece of ginger can be grated into foods like shredded chicken or dal while they are cooking.


• Powdered spices like turmeric, cumin and coriander can be added a pinch at a time to sambar, dal and other gravies during cooking.


• A few whole seeds like fennel, mustard and aniseed are often spluttered in a teaspoon of ghee as tempering for dal and rice.


• A pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg or cardamom powder can be added to rice puddings or other sweets.


• Fresh herbs like mint and coriander can be used as a garnish in vegetables, curries and rice.

After 18 months, if your toddler is coping well with spice, 'hot' spices can be added. Add spices such as chilli and black pepper in very small amounts. Be careful with fresh green chillies and raw chilli powder. Your child's sensitive tongue and tummy might not be able to tolerate it. You can tone down the heat of chillies by mixing curd into the dish.

It is best to buy branded spices and spice powders certified by the government or health authorities. Check the dates of manufacture and expiry and see that they are sealed well.

Once bought, store your spices properly:

• Keep the spices in a clean, dry place away from direct sunlight.


• Protect the spices from moisture by storing in airtight food grade containers.


• Wash and dry the containers well before refilling with new stock to prevent spoilage from old stock.


• For everyday use, keep spices in small quantities in a masala container to prevent frequent handling and contamination.

He's not naughty - he's a baby

As your baby starts asserting himself, you may be surprised by some of his behaviour. He may know what "no" means yet still do something forbidden over and over again, all the time looking over his shoulder to see how you'll react. Punishments and anger do little good at this age, although distracting him often works. He can't yet "behave" as he's too busy experimenting. Try suggesting something he can do, like "give me that, please" or offering a favourite toy. Praising things your baby does that you do like makes it more likely he will do them again. Saving the "no" for genuinely dangerous activities gives it more power - he will know you mean it!

Market Update - 3 Sept 2012

The much anticipated Jackson Hole Economic Symposium took place on the weekend and all anybody, not least the financial markets, cared about was whether Bernanke would change his language re: QE3. Well, he didn’t.

He still is “gravely” concerned about the employment situation in America and he still believes that the best way to combat the problem is to launch more quantitative easing, telling listeners that he would not rule out further easing.

USDMYR opened around 3.1200 where it pretty much closed last week again expecting a quiet     market and rangey, 3.1000-3.1500 but I will be bias on the upside with market expecting some correction in September but there will be contrarians who buy sell on rally to keep the 3.1500 in tact.

AUDMYR moved significantly lower from last weeks 3.2400 to today’s 3.2050 as AUDUSD took another beating over NY close and this morning’s Asia open, expect more AUDUSD downside testing 1.0100.

US treasuries spiked higher with yields falling 8bps on the night to 1.55%. Gold rose $35 or 2.1% to close at $1691.85, the highest since March, this despite a 1% fall in the moments immediately after the speech notes were released. The S&P closed up 0.51% and he Dow up 0.69%.

Meanwhile Spain’s largest region Catalonia was cut to junk by S&P; the news sent Spanish 10 yields up 27bps to 6.80% and the Euro lower and hurt equity indices on both sides of the Atlantic, which managed to hold on to overall gains. The Euro Stoxx 50 rose 1.5%.

ECB governing council member Ewald Nowotny gave us a stark reminder of the tough economic conditions in Europe, signalling that the bank will be downgrading their growth forecasts for the Euro Zone next week.

The official Chinese manufacturing PMI figure was released on Saturday morning and caught most     economists off guard; the figure fell to 49.2 from 50.1 in July.

Markets were closed when the figure was released but I expect a knee-jerk risk-off reaction today as the news headlines reverberate around Asia. It’s the first contraction we’ve seen since mid-last year with the main driver being a drop in orders, particularly export orders.

Market Update - 4 Sept 2012

Some market updates:


USD/MYR opened lower this morning, strong support tipped at 3.1000 and resistance at 3.1150 levels

The US market was closed for Labor Day yesterday.

European leaders are stepping up shuttle diplomacy this week as they brace for their central banker’s plan to defend the euro from a bond-market turmoil

The European Union’s outlook was cut to negative by Moody’s, reflecting the risks to Germany, France, the UK and the Netherlands that account for about 45% of the group’s budget revenue

PMI manufacturing in developed Europe were largely disappointing (except for UK), with the overall EC PMI mfg reading at 45.1 (expectation 45.3)

Most Asian stocks declined as European Union’s outlook was cut by Moody’s ahead of meeting of the region’s policy makers today

KLCI closed on a mixed tone despite returning back above the 1650 mark on Monday, as renewed concerns over a China hard-landing scenario seemed to have dampened the sentiment buoyed by Fed Bernanke’s comments last week

Is your baby playing enough?

Play helps your baby learn and develop socially and physically. Don't have a timetable for every minute of the day - allow time for your baby (and you!) to just play. Some babies this age love to play by imitating what they see around them - you may notice her try to brush her hair or sweep the kitchen floor. Be careful - she will imitate your bad habits, too!

Quick tip: baby food for older babies

"I wanted to make my ten-month-old's rice cereal more substantial. So I used my cheese grater (large-hole side) and grated a banana. This made the banana pieces small enough so my son wouldn't choke but still gave the cereal texture." - Kim

Test your knowledge: common childhood illnesses

Even the healthiest child gets ill once in a while. But if you familiarise yourself with the symptoms, you can act quickly and nip the most serious illnesses in the bud. Do you know which illnesses these symptoms point to?

• Blisters on her hands and feet, and in her mouth.
• A cough that sounds like a seal barking.
• A fever that develops three to five days after the start of a cold.
• A spotty rash on her body after her fever subsides.
• Bright red cheeks that look as if they've been slapped.