When your baby reaches the stage where they are ready to start transitioning to solid food, it can be such an exciting time. There are so many fantastic tastes and textures for them to try.
But it also leaves parents with lots of questions too. What should they be eating? How much should they be eating? Can they eat fish, fruit, meat, etc?
Fruit and vegetables are always a good place to start your weaning process as they provide lots of different tastes and textures that are easy for your baby to pick up and digest.
Along with the traditional fruit and vegetables that your baby can try, there are also some that you may not have considered using in their weaning journey.
Avocado is a great vegetable to use during baby weaning. I know you are thinking: can a baby eat avocado? The short answer is yes, they can and will love it.
In this article
Should Your Baby Be Eating Avocado?
The answer is definitely yes. Avocados are not only trendy food but they are also extremely healthy. Avocados are high in potassium, a great source of fiber and healthy monounsaturated fats, which are great for your heart no matter what your age.
You can keep it simple by just mashing with a fork or puree some avocado and offer to your baby. There may be a few funny faces whenever your baby tries new food.
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Remember that just because they did not love it or maybe even swallow it, does not mean that they will never like it.
The problem that many parents have is that they are not sure how much avocado their little one should be eating. How much is too much and if there are any side effects to eating too much avocado.
Of course, every baby is different. They all have their own dietary needs and some may well have bigger appetites than others.
Nutritional Benefits Of Avocados For Babies
Avocados are really healthy for babies and adults alike. This is a breakdown of the nutritional content of your average serving of avocado, which is around 40 grams:
- Calories – 64
- Fat – almost 6 grams
- Carbohydrate – 3.4 grams
- Fiber – 3 grams
They are also a great source of vitamins C, E, K, and B-6. Although most of the calories in an avocado come from fat, there’s no need to shy away from eating them. They are full of healthy fats that help to keep you full and satisfied.
Can Babies Eat Avocado Every Day?
There is no reason that babies cannot eat avocados every day but you must remember that they should be eating a varied diet with lots of different foods included.
This gives them the opportunity to experience lots of different tastes and textures. It also ensures that you are meeting all their nutritional needs.
If your baby does love avocado, there is no reason that you cannot give them a small amount each day. Just make sure that there is plenty of variation.
Side Effects Of Eating Avocados In Babies
Even though eating avocados regularly have huge health benefits, there is also the ‘too much of a good thing’ problem.
As you can see from the nutritional breakdown of a serving of avocado above, they are high in calories due to their high-fat content. This does pose the problem that if your baby consumes too many of them, then they may possibly be consuming more calories than they actually need, leading to unnecessary weight gain.
As with any new food, there is the potential that your baby may have some food sensitivity or allergies. The best thing you can do is keep an eye out for any signs of an upset stomach or similar symptoms and then you can try to isolate the culprit.
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When you first start weaning, you should try to limit the new foods that you add to your baby’s diet. By adding only one or two new foods at a time, this will make it easier to isolate the food that may be causing any issues.
Baby-led Weaning Using Avocados
Baby-led weaning is a term that has been growing in popularity over the last few years. Essentially baby-led weaning is a very simple method of introducing solid foods to your baby.
The emphasis is on letting your baby explore the new tastes and textures put in front of them in their own time rather than you spoon-feeding them. Be prepared for a lot of mess!
So, for example, I am a parent who used this method with both my young sons. I would give them a plate or just put it on the tray of their high chair a range of foods.
All foods need to be age-appropriate and cut into the right size for your baby or pureed. This allowed my sons to pick up food, squish it between their fingers, smell, taste, or suck the food.
In the beginning not much actually goes in their mouth at all, but that is not anything to worry about as it isn’t really important that they eat much to start with.
Avocados are a great food for supporting this method of weaning because they have two key elements. They are hard enough that your baby could just pick them up with their fingers but still soft enough to mash with a fork or that they can mush in their mouths without too much risk of chocking.
Choosing The Right Avocado
I bet you never thought that you could pick the wrong avocado, right?
Well, you can. Avocados are perfect for weaning baby’s as they have a soft smooth texture. But to get this right consistency, you have to pick the ones that are perfectly ripe.
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This is what you need to look out for when choosing your avocado:
- It should be firm but gives under a little pressure.
- Ripe avocados may have a slightly darker color.
- If you can flick off the stem the avocado easily it is ripe.
How Many Avocados Can A Baby Eat Safely?
While each baby is different with regard to how much avocado they can eat, there are some general recommendations for how much solids they should be eating.
According to Stanford Childen’s Health, solid foods should not be started until your baby is at least four months old as breast or formula milk provides them with all the nutrients that they need.
Once they do start weaning, the importance is on experiencing new tastes and textures and not so much about how much they eat.
A fruit serving by age (such as avocado)
| Baby Age | Total servings of fruit per day |
| 4-6 months | 2 – 4 tbs per day |
| 7 months | 4 – 6 tbs per day |
| 8 months | 4 – 6 tbs per day |
| 9 months | 4 – 8 tbs per day |
| 10-12 months | 4 – 8 tbs per day |
Looking at this table you can see that the recommendation for the amount of fruit your baby can eat per day is quite a lot, this would include avocado.
However, do remember that this is only a recommendation based on the average baby of that age and that this is a total amount of all fruits not just avocado.
Can Baby Eat Avocado?
The quick and easy answer is yes, of course. They can unless they have food sensitivity or allergies. Just remember that avocados are very calorie-dense but have great nutritional benefits for not only your baby but for you as well.
What you need to watch is that no matter what weaning technique you decide to use, the important thing is that your baby has a varied diet with lots of different tastes and textures.
This will ensure that your baby will grow into a child that is not afraid of trying different food or is not put off by the texture of food. Good luck on your weaning journey!
