When do you start training your children to eat spicy food? I totally love spicy food but haven't been able to 'enjoy' it much when i go out 'cos we always have to buy food which the kids can eat... Anyway, how do you mummies 'train' your kids to eat spicy food? Do you introduce it to them? Or do they request to try?

If you've been eating spicy food while you were breastfeeding, then there's a good chance your kids are already used to the taste and introducing it shouldn't be too difficult. As with all foods, you should do it gradually and wait a few days to see the results before trying again. It might also be a good idea to start with general spices like cumin, cinnamon etc before moving on to the chilli family. My 14 month old son often insists on sitting on my lap and eating my meals off my plate, which are often quite spicy. I'm surprised at how well he takes it with usually no side effects later. My doctor has told me that babies digestive capacity for spices is quite strong, and once they are used to solids and can chew properly it's fine to introduce spicy food.