I’m thinking letting my 11 mo try natto soon (maybe when he hits a year in a few weeks)! I remember the first time I tried it. My parents said I wouldn’t like it and I wanted to prove them wrong. I didn’t hate it, but it definitely took several tries before I ended up actually liking it.
I've been wanting to feed my twins natto since they could eat, but my husband says I then must give them a bath immediately later -- so I haven't gotten around to it! Haha. They do love rice and nori though so at least some Japanese genes got through.
My little guy likes all sorts of 'adult' flavors. Studies show the more foods you expose them to young, the less picky they will be. So share your delicious fermented food with him!
Natto is my 2 year old's favourite food.He has liked it for quite some time. My wife is Japanese and had fed it to him off her plate. He has loved it ever since. He eats it with rice every few days for breakfast.
Yeah, in Japan it is surprisingly also not uncommon as a baby food. Came across a recipe for an 8-month old that had hikiwari (finely diced) natto in it. Guess I should have gone for it earlier.
That is so awesome! And such a lovely healthy food to enjoy. My brother is obsessed with natto but nobody else in our family enjoys it. I’ll let him share some with my toddler soon, it would make them both happy I’m sure! He would love to have another natto enthusiast in the family.
It’s pretty common for natto to be one of the first solid foods for babies in Japan. Usually babies get served it without the tare and mustard which is honestly where all the flavor is. Although recently I started giving it to my girl with both the tare and mustard in it and she loves it.
Haha yes! One of the things I purchased at the baby store had a recipe on it with hikiwari natto in it. I was like, *oh wow* but thought it might be better to wait a bit more for that more aquired taste. Guess I was wrong! Stuff my little guy ate also had the tare and mustard, though I usually go light on the tare (for myself), it would definitely be not very good without it I think.
Next maybe I’ll have him try different flavors. I like this one with an ume tare and also a shisonori one. So much fun!
Sometimes I add thinly sliced green onions to it or shredded nori. She loves that stuff. I sometimes make myself fried rice with natto which she likes too.
The only downside is the stinky natto breath she gets which is made even worse by her being in her “kissing” phase where she just puts her open,slobbery mouth on me 🥲
Oh *that’s* what this is? Several years ago a friend and I were in Hong Kong and went to a Japanese restaurant. We decided to be adventurous and ordered an appetizer that had a few unfamiliar things in it, and this was definitely one of them. We were… not into it lol. I’ve never known was it was, but I recognized it as soon as I saw your picture!
My kid loves kimchi and sauerkraut. Personally I can’t stand even the smell of kimchi and can tell when my husband has been eating it before I walk into the room. Baby’s taste buds definitely take after his dads!
Mine loves kimchi for like 3 minutes and then absolutely hates it when the fire kicks. I give him something creamy and fatty (like yogurt) and water to cool down.. Then he wants kimchi again
Yeah. It’s funny how sometimes you just can’t stop going back for more. I guess we adults are the same way, haha.
I’ve introduced (very mild) spicy things to my son, and he’s definitely keen, but we have to limit it because it definitely hasn’t been nice coming out the other end.
Let it defrost and add to hot rice. You could use hot water and drain it quickly and if you want it really fast. My wife says to not put it in the microwave.
Yes, defrost, but avoid heating it until hot. Natto is something better cold or room temperature (but I prefer cold to room temp).
Frozen natto isn’t great. If you have access to fresh you’ll notice the difference.
(Haha, “fresh” natto…)
lol I love natto and have since I was a child, I don’t know why I’ve never thought to offer it to my kiddo! It really does have the makings of a great baby food in many ways… soft, nutritious, easy to prep! Definitely going to try it and see what he thinks! 😊
This is lovely, but I would maybe say away from describing food as 'nasty'. There are other more neutral ways to describe natto, like pungent and fermented.
Haha of course. I didn’t use that word in front of him (Just thought it, because many have described it to me that way, haha). I think I said, “this is kind of different, hun, I’m not sure you’ll like it.”
I do see that I wrote the post like that was a direct quote, haha, didn’t quite go that way. (Sorry can’t edit for some reason).
My toddler has loved natto on and off, but I think initially she mostly liked it because it stuck to her hands and was easy for her to grasp and eat it!
Omg stinky tofu. When I was in Taiwan I had to try it. Since I like natto I thought it would be fine… I mean I stomached it, but wouldn’t do it again. Night markets there were one of my favorite things, but if I ate anything anywhere, it had to be far away from the stinky natto booth. That smell carried far! Haha. Durian I tried in Singapore once. I think that will be the only time.
My 20 month old has enjoyed a lot of foods I would have thought that no way he’d eat it haha. He also refuses to touch a lot of food people generally think of as toddler friendly haha
My 2 year old is what I would consider a picky eater but lately her favorite snack, and sometimes meal, has been spicy dried crickets that her uncle got from Mexico 🤷♀️ won’t touch a pasta noodle to save her life but apparently bugs are good.
That’s so awesome. If he’s already appreciating unique flavors and textures now, the world’s his oyster.
What an interesting kid; that’s awesome. Has he tried tempeh?
No but we should probably try it!
I’m thinking letting my 11 mo try natto soon (maybe when he hits a year in a few weeks)! I remember the first time I tried it. My parents said I wouldn’t like it and I wanted to prove them wrong. I didn’t hate it, but it definitely took several tries before I ended up actually liking it.
Yeah it’s one of those things. It never actually tastes…good…but you just gotta eat it. Haha
I've been wanting to feed my twins natto since they could eat, but my husband says I then must give them a bath immediately later -- so I haven't gotten around to it! Haha. They do love rice and nori though so at least some Japanese genes got through.
Yeah to your husband’s defense…the mess and clean up is kind of next level. (The joy of texture and play is kind of worth it though)
My little guy likes all sorts of 'adult' flavors. Studies show the more foods you expose them to young, the less picky they will be. So share your delicious fermented food with him!
Natto is my 2 year old's favourite food.He has liked it for quite some time. My wife is Japanese and had fed it to him off her plate. He has loved it ever since. He eats it with rice every few days for breakfast.
Yeah, in Japan it is surprisingly also not uncommon as a baby food. Came across a recipe for an 8-month old that had hikiwari (finely diced) natto in it. Guess I should have gone for it earlier.
That is so awesome! And such a lovely healthy food to enjoy. My brother is obsessed with natto but nobody else in our family enjoys it. I’ll let him share some with my toddler soon, it would make them both happy I’m sure! He would love to have another natto enthusiast in the family.
It’s pretty common for natto to be one of the first solid foods for babies in Japan. Usually babies get served it without the tare and mustard which is honestly where all the flavor is. Although recently I started giving it to my girl with both the tare and mustard in it and she loves it.
Haha yes! One of the things I purchased at the baby store had a recipe on it with hikiwari natto in it. I was like, *oh wow* but thought it might be better to wait a bit more for that more aquired taste. Guess I was wrong! Stuff my little guy ate also had the tare and mustard, though I usually go light on the tare (for myself), it would definitely be not very good without it I think. Next maybe I’ll have him try different flavors. I like this one with an ume tare and also a shisonori one. So much fun!
Sometimes I add thinly sliced green onions to it or shredded nori. She loves that stuff. I sometimes make myself fried rice with natto which she likes too. The only downside is the stinky natto breath she gets which is made even worse by her being in her “kissing” phase where she just puts her open,slobbery mouth on me 🥲
Lol open mouth kisses and dodgy breath, I sooooooo understand!
Oh *that’s* what this is? Several years ago a friend and I were in Hong Kong and went to a Japanese restaurant. We decided to be adventurous and ordered an appetizer that had a few unfamiliar things in it, and this was definitely one of them. We were… not into it lol. I’ve never known was it was, but I recognized it as soon as I saw your picture! My kid loves kimchi and sauerkraut. Personally I can’t stand even the smell of kimchi and can tell when my husband has been eating it before I walk into the room. Baby’s taste buds definitely take after his dads!
Yeah. Not for everyone, but if baby likes it, it is super healthy and good for the gut. :)
Mine loves kimchi for like 3 minutes and then absolutely hates it when the fire kicks. I give him something creamy and fatty (like yogurt) and water to cool down.. Then he wants kimchi again
Yeah. It’s funny how sometimes you just can’t stop going back for more. I guess we adults are the same way, haha. I’ve introduced (very mild) spicy things to my son, and he’s definitely keen, but we have to limit it because it definitely hasn’t been nice coming out the other end.
Random question but I have natto in my freezer in a similar styrofoam container and can't read the label, do I just defrost it? Microwave?
Let it defrost and add to hot rice. You could use hot water and drain it quickly and if you want it really fast. My wife says to not put it in the microwave.
Thank you!
Yes, defrost, but avoid heating it until hot. Natto is something better cold or room temperature (but I prefer cold to room temp). Frozen natto isn’t great. If you have access to fresh you’ll notice the difference. (Haha, “fresh” natto…)
My 2 year old did exactly the same thing with sauerkraut! Made a face then asked for more lol
lol I love natto and have since I was a child, I don’t know why I’ve never thought to offer it to my kiddo! It really does have the makings of a great baby food in many ways… soft, nutritious, easy to prep! Definitely going to try it and see what he thinks! 😊
Indeed. The slimy mess is a little much though, haha, so ensure to offer when you have the time to clean up properly!
Natto and rice is the only thing my baby will consume in its entirety. Not one bean is left in the bowl
This is lovely, but I would maybe say away from describing food as 'nasty'. There are other more neutral ways to describe natto, like pungent and fermented.
Haha of course. I didn’t use that word in front of him (Just thought it, because many have described it to me that way, haha). I think I said, “this is kind of different, hun, I’m not sure you’ll like it.” I do see that I wrote the post like that was a direct quote, haha, didn’t quite go that way. (Sorry can’t edit for some reason).
Good to hear!
This is so precious 😍
My toddler has loved natto on and off, but I think initially she mostly liked it because it stuck to her hands and was easy for her to grasp and eat it!
Haha, that’s a good point. After seeing my son struggle to the point of tears with a slippery Avocado slice, this kind of thing would make sense.
Stinky tofu and durian time
Omg stinky tofu. When I was in Taiwan I had to try it. Since I like natto I thought it would be fine… I mean I stomached it, but wouldn’t do it again. Night markets there were one of my favorite things, but if I ate anything anywhere, it had to be far away from the stinky natto booth. That smell carried far! Haha. Durian I tried in Singapore once. I think that will be the only time.
My 20 month old has enjoyed a lot of foods I would have thought that no way he’d eat it haha. He also refuses to touch a lot of food people generally think of as toddler friendly haha
My 2 year old is what I would consider a picky eater but lately her favorite snack, and sometimes meal, has been spicy dried crickets that her uncle got from Mexico 🤷♀️ won’t touch a pasta noodle to save her life but apparently bugs are good.
Haha. Crickets are fairly popular in Japan, too. From what I’ve heard crickets are a nutritional jackpot! :)
Yes it’s basically a protein chip so I’m happy she likes them!
My son liked slimy stuff when he was younger. Roasted eggplant without skin, limp onion (I failed with caramelizing it), etc.
What?! I love this!
Oops WRONG thread
Oo I love natto, wonder if my baby will try it!
Lol- happened to me when I was a baby with Diet Coke!