Jalapeño pepper

When to start

Jalapeño can be offered once your baby has started solids, typically near 6 months. You might prefer to wait, though, until your baby has eaten a wide range of other foods. Hot pepper is often added to dishes. A baby may get mixed up about which solid foods are naturally hot.

Jalapeño and other hot peppers can cause a harmless red patch where they touch skin. They can also trigger or aggravate diaper rash and an upset stomach.

Jalapeño and its dried form, chipotle, come from the Americas. They add a hot kick to moles, salsas, and soups. It is named after Xalapa, a city in Mexico. It is usually picked green, but is also used fully ripe and red. Ripe jalapeño is smoked and dried to make chipotle.

Why it matters

Jalapeño is usually not eaten in large amounts. Still, it gives vitamin C, which supports immunity and iron absorption, a little fiber, vitamin A, vitamin E, and antioxidants.

Despite what many people think, babies can enjoy bold flavors, and that includes hot peppers. Begin with a small taste and set the heat to suit your child. The point is to spare your child a painful first experience with too much heat, and to avoid them confusing which foods are naturally spicy.

For less heat, take out the seeds and the white ribs. Taste the dish before you serve it. If it is too hot, mellow it by adjusting the seasoning.

Soothe the burn with creamy foods: mashed avocado, plain yogurt, or a drink of breast milk, formula, or cow's milk. Sour or watery foods and drinks make the burn stronger.

Finely chopped jalapeño is not a choking risk. Its heat can make a baby cough and drool more, though, and that can add to gagging. Serve your baby's share with a creamy food.

Stay within reach while your baby eats. Set up a safe eating space.

Jalapeño allergy is not common, but it has been reported. Contact reactions to hot peppers (a passing rash, eye irritation, breathing trouble, digestive upset) are often mistaken for allergy. They mostly come from irritation by capsaicin, the hot compound. They are not a true allergy.

Someone with a latex or plant pollen allergy may also react to peppers, or may develop a reaction known as oral allergy syndrome, also called pollen food allergy syndrome. That usually means a brief itch, tingle, or burn inside the mouth. A dangerous reaction is not expected. Cooking, canning, or peeling the pepper may lessen the reaction, even clear it.

Hot foods can cause a harmless red patch around the mouth while your baby eats. They can start or worsen diaper rash. A fine coat of protective cream or ointment on the face and bottom helps. Plain petroleum jelly, or a balm made of plant oil and wax, does the job.

Offer only a small amount in the first few servings and look out for any sign of an allergic reaction. Over time you can offer more.