How To Introduce and Offer Avocado
This one might seem like a pretty straight forward food to introduce, and it is, so this will be a short and sweet article!
Nutrition
Avocado has to be one of the most popular first foods for babies! Packed full of nutrition with beautiful fats, B vitamins, zinc, folate and fibre to boot. It is also super easy to prepare and a texture that works well for puree, mash or finger food if you’re having a go at baby led weaning (BLW).
Is it an allergen?
No, avocado is not a top 9 allergen and allergic reactions are uncommon. About 3% of teenagers have a fruit or veggie allergy in Australia and the rates are even lower in children.(1) So rest assured, it isn’t likely!
How to serve it
6-9 months: Puree or mashed! If you are doing BLW then long wedges that are easy for little fists to grab are perfect. They are slippery though, so rolling them in chia, flax, coconut, nut meal or hemp seeds can help with this.
9+ months: You can serve smaller pieces as that all important pincer grip is developing and they are getting better at chewing their food. Ensure the avocado you have picked is soft and not woody, as cubes of unripe avocado can be a choking hazard.
Serving ideas
Although avocado is a great first food it lacks protein and that all important iron when starting solids. We would suggest that you pimp it up by adding in some other ingredients or serve it alongside other foods.
You could:
- Add in hemp seeds, smashed chickpeas or white beans, tahini, or nut butters to increase the iron and protein
- Mix in yogurt to make a great little guacamole dipping sauce
- Use it as a spread on toast
- Smash it through some boiled egg
References
- https://www.schn.health.nsw.gov.au/fact-sheets/allergy-fruit-and-vegetable-allergy
and https://allergyfacts.org.au/allergy-anaphylaxis/food-allergens
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