It’s so exciting when your little one is ready to start eating solid foods. If you’re searching for what solids to try, think avocados. Avocados aren’t just a superfood for adults. They’re excellent for babies and toddlers too since they are infused with healthy fats. Avocado baby food offers a nutritious first step in introducing solid foods to babies.
Avocados earned that superfood tag because they contain 20 vitamins and minerals, including folate, potassium, iron, zinc, and vitamins A, C, E, and K, plus several variants of vitamin B. They’re also packed with protein and fiber and don’t contain cholesterol or sodium. Avocados are very low in saturated fat, too. Babies need omega-3 fatty acids to promote brain and eye development. Avocados are one of the fattiest plant foods and are a great source of oleic acid. Oleic acid is an important omega-3 that’s also found in olive oil.
Avocados are an ideal first food for babies because they are soft and easy for little ones to gum and swallow. They’re simple for busy parents and caregivers to mash with a fork or puree in a food processor since cooking isn’t required. Plus, avocados are easy to combine with other healthy foods for simple baby foods.
Making avocado baby food
Quite a few parents opt for making their baby food at home and skipping the popular processed ones. Of course, jarred baby food is convenient, but it can be pricey. Whipping up your own baby food isn’t as difficult as you think, and avocados are the perfect fruit to start with.
Making avocado baby food is relatively simple because you don’t have to cook anything. The hardest part about making avocado baby food for your little one is going to be cutting open the avocado. There isn’t any reason to stress about that either, because there are tools to help you open avocados, and of course, YouTube videos to watch. Of course, you can go with plain avocado baby food, but there are some very tasty and healthy combinations you can make at home. Here are seven easy recipe ideas to get you started.
Easy, fun-flavored yummy avocado/fruit puree
For a quick avocado baby food meal, puree avocado in a food processor or small blender with a sweet fruit of your choice, and your baby will gobble it up. Here are some fruits that make a tasty combination with avocado:
- Banana
- Apple
- Pear
- Kiwi
- Pineapple
- Strawberry
With these purees, as with any homemade baby food, you can add water, breast milk, or formula to change the consistency. Avocados are rather firm and will make a whipped consistency, but if you add liquid, the puree will thin out. The thinner the consistency, the easier the puree is for baby to swallow. There isn’t any need to cook avocados, but with harder fruits like apples, you may want to steam them first before pureeing.
You can also alternate the amounts of each ingredient as needed. You can add one whole avocado in with the steamed slices of half an apple and a little water, or you could throw in one to 10 strawberries, depending on what you find your baby prefers. The avocado-to-fruit ratio is totally up to you and dependent on what your baby likes.
Super nutritious avocado and green vegetable puree
Go green with this tasty and healthy avocado and veggie puree. These vegetables make nutritious and delicious combo purees with avocado:
- Peas
- Broccoli
- Kale
- Spinach
- Asparagus
Just like the fruit purees, you can add liquid to change the consistency and play with the ratio to find the combination your baby likes best.
Crispy, easy-to-grab coated avocado slices
If you’ve ever tried serving your baby raw avocado, you know it’s very slippery. However, cutting the avocado into slices allows babies to grasp and feed themselves. Doing so helps babies and toddlers develop their fine motor skills. Moreover, you can coat the slices in a breadcrumb mixture made of crumbled baby crackers, puffs, or wafers to make the slices easier to hold and more enticing. It also makes good use of the dust at the bottom of the puff’s container.
Vitamin-packed avocado/banana smoothie
For older babies and toddlers, you can DIY any smoothie recipe. Here are a few avocado combos perfect for a nutritious smoothie your baby is sure to love:
- Avocado, banana, spinach, and yogurt
- Avocado, banana, blueberries, and baby oatmeal
- Avocado, banana, mango, and peach
- Avocado, banana, and strawberries
Mix and match all you want to find that perfect avocado/banana smoothie your baby can’t get enough of. Pop it all in the blender with your choice of liquid (water, breast milk, or formula) and you’re done! You can add flax or chia seeds to any of these recipes for extra nutrition or maple syrup for a touch of sweetness. These smoothies aren’t just for babies either. You can whip up one for your older kids too.
Avocado baby food and sweet potato puree
Sweet potatoes are cheap, naturally sweet on the little one’s taste buds, and easy to cook and puree. After you cook two cups of diced sweet potatoes, mix them with the pulp of one avocado in a blender. Then, add one cup of water at a time, until you get the thickness of the puree you’re looking for. Remember, thinner is better for babies.
Delicious avocado blueberry muffins
If you’re ready to get more complex and your little ones are munching on an array of solid foods, go all out by baking avocados into muffins using this recipe. You’ll get three dozen mini muffins. Store in an airtight container to keep them fresh. This recipe is perfect for older babies who are past eating just purees. Toddlers and older kids will enjoy these mini muffins, too, and they’re a healthy snack.
Protein power avocado/egg puree
For this nutritious powerhouse meal, add a hard-boiled egg to half of an avocado with a tablespoon of water (or breast milk or formula) and blend. For even better consistency, add only the hard-boiled yolk to the mixture and set the hard-boiled whites aside for another recipe. Remember to only use a hard-boiled egg. Babies should never be given raw or undercooked eggs.
How early can avocados be introduced to baby?
With all the healthy perks of avocados, you probably want to add it into your baby’s diet as soon as possible. Most babies begin eating solid foods around six months. You can actually give your baby his or her first taste of avocado right around the six-month milestone. It’s around the same time that you’ll be introducing fruits, vegetables, and solid foods other than rice cereal. Your pediatrician will usually give you a guide on how to introduce new foods into your baby’s diet and avocado baby food is a perfect one to start with.
Is it OK for a baby to eat avocado every day?
Now that your little one has gotten a taste for avocado, you may find yourself wondering if you can feed them too much of a good thing. Fortunately, it’s safe to feed your baby avocado daily as long as it’s a hit. You do want to ensure you’re giving them a variety of different foods, though. It helps to expand their palate, which is what makes these avocado baby food combinations tasty options. If your baby isn’t a fan of avocado after you first introduce it, don’t stress. Continue to mix little bits into different purees and offer it to them daily. It’s not uncommon for babies to need some time to develop a taste for something new.
Avocados are a healthy food for adults and a tasty one too. Feeding a baby raw, mashed avocado is certainly a good introductory food. With these avocado baby food combinations, you’ll be enhancing the flavors and increasing the nutrition while helping to avoid a picky eater. Giving a diversity of tastes in each meal is one way to help avoid inadvertently developing a picky eater. You may still get one, but changing up the avocado baby food combos exposes them to all kinds of flavors and textures.
An avocado can freeze for up to a month before losing its nutritional value and taste. So, store the extra puree in ice cube trays and defrost as needed. Since avocados can turn brown quickly, freeze them right away if you’re not going to make a batch of avocado baby food right away. Don’t forget to sneak yourself a taste while you’re trying out these recipes. These avocado baby food purees and smoothies aren’t just for babies and toddlers. Older kids and adults will enjoy the taste and the health benefits too.
