Baby recipes: avocados
Avocados are exceptionally nutritious fruits and are a concentrated source of healthy fats and fiber, plus several vitamins and minerals.
Recommended recipe: avocado popsicles
This recipe makes an excellent snack for the hot summer months. You will need a popsicle mold to freeze the recipe.
Ingredients
- 3 medium avocados
- 4 cups of water
Recipe
- Blend the avocado and water in a blender until it forms a thick puree
- Pour the puree into the mold and freeze for an hour. The popsicle should feel squishy
You can also add other fruits, such as bananas or mangos to the recipe. You can freeze the popsicle for up to 3 months.
Why are avocados good for Your Child?
Avocados are highly nutritious. They contain “good fats” that are beneficial to Your Child’s brain and physical development. Avocado contains more folic acid than many other fruits. Folic acid is essential for the healthy development of the nervous system, including cognitive abilities of the brain. Regular consumption of avocado can act as a nervous system tonic for your little one.
What to consider
Consuming avocado in large amounts can cause an upset stomach. The fruit is high in water, so consuming it in excess may make it difficult for the body to absorb all the water properly, potentially leading to diarrhea.
When can Your Child start eating avocados?
You can feed an infant avocado as early as six months. Avocado’s healthy fat, and is vital for babies’ growth. They are also packed with several other vital nutrients for the infant.
Avocado recipes
- Puree avocados: transfer the scooped pulp into a blender, add some milk, and blend it till smooth
- Mashed avocados: scoop out the pulp on a plate and use a fork to mash it into a smooth texture. You can feed mashed pulp to Your Child without any further processing.
- Avocado chucks: avocados are best eaten raw. If you want Your Child to hold and feed themselves (baby-led-weaning), Scoop out the pulp and cut it into long pieces for the little one to hold. You can also roll them in breadcrumbs to make the texture less slippery
How much should Your Child eat?
WHO recommends that infants start receiving complementary foods at 6 months of age in addition to breast milk or formula. Initially, they should receive complementary foods 2–3 times a day between 6–8 months.
The daily calories distribution between milk and solid food are as follows:
Introducing new food
Try to introduce the food when Your Child is hungry, and try to keep it to one ingredient at a time to spot any allergic reactions. Learn more about introduction to solid food here.
Caution
If you do baby-led-weaning, make sure you know everything about the method, including knowing the difference between gagging and choking, and knowing what to do in case of an emergency.
