Question

Is it bad to give chocolate to an 8-month-old?

Answer

You are reading an answer from a woman who thinks that life without chocolate is not worth living and who wants chocolate to be declared an essential food group or at least to have it included in vegetables (it does come from a bean). Nevertheless, chocolate probably should not be given to infants under 1 year, although I am not aware of any official pronouncements about this.

First of all, chocolate contains a small amount of caffeine. This quantity does not affect most adults but can cause irritability or restlessness in small children. The sugar content is high as well and can add to the effect. In addition, we advise avoiding foods that can cause allergic reactions for the first year of life. In chemical terms, chocolate is an extremely complex food with many components, increasing the risk that a child may react to one of them.

It would be best that you wait until her first birthday and then let her make a mess out of chocolate frosting while you take pictures.