How much avocado to feed baby

How Much Avocado Can a Baby Eat? (With Age Groups & FAQ)

It’s exciting when your baby starts making the transition to solid foods, but it can also create lots of new questions for parents. Although avocado is a great starter food for babies, for instance, some might wonder how much avocado a baby can eat or how much is too much.

Determining how much avocado is too much for your baby to eat depends on their age and dietary habits. While avocados are an excellent source of healthy fat and vitamins, overeating could add too many calories to their diet or prevent them from adding additional foods to their diet.

Personally, we love avocados in our house and all of our kids enjoyed them as babies. Let’s dive into some questions that you might have about avocados as well as how much you should be serving your baby by age group.

Table of Contents

Should your baby be eating avocados?

Avocados are super healthy food for babies to eat. They are nutrient-dense, full of healthy fats, and help babies learn to love fruits and vegetables. Since they have such a smooth, soft texture, they are also one of the best foods to choose for your baby’s FIRST solid food!

Since avocados have so many health benefits and they are also pretty trendy right now, in general, many parents might worry that they are giving their baby too many of them or that there might be some risk associated with eating too many avocados. Since they are so heavy in fats, it could be easy to assume that you are overfeeding your baby if you add too much avocado to their diet.

The good news is that unless your baby is overeating, in general, then you probably aren’t feeding them too much avocado. Just be sure your baby is getting the right amount of breastmilk, protein, and other fruits and vegetables in her diet as well.

Of course, every baby is different and her dietary needs and preferences will change over time as well. Let’s learn more about avocados, answer some questions that you might have, and even look at the maximum amount of avocado your baby should have each day by age group.

Nutritional benefits of babies eating avocados

Avocados are considered a very healthy food for babies and adults, alike! Here is a complete breakdown of what’s in your average medium avocado:

Calories: 322
Total fat: 29 grams (4.3g saturated, 3.7g polyunsaturated, 20g monounsaturated)
Total Carbohydrates: 17 grams (13 grams fiber, 1.3 grams sugar)
Protein: 4 grams
Sodium: 14 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Potassium: 975 mg
Vitamin A: 5.9% of daily value (DV)
Vitamin C: 34% of DV
Calcium: 1. 9% of DV
Iron: 6.1% of DV

Source: Nutritionix

As you can see, avocados have a great macronutrient (fat, carb, protein) breakdown with a huge serving of healthy monounsaturated fat! Did you know that they are even a better source of potassium than bananas?

Can babies eat avocado every day?

Under normal circumstances, babies should be able to eat avocados every day.

However, you might not want to do this because babies should be exposed to new foods constantly when they are just getting started with solids. The ultimate goal for all babies is to let them experience as many tastes and textures as possible and allow them to grow into a complete diet that can give them all of the vital nutrients that they need. By giving them avocado every day, you might be unintentionally limiting these new foods.

A great way to ensure a little more variety in your baby’s diet is to pick up some baby food pouches that mix other foods together with avocados. In our house we absolutely love the Happy Baby Organics baby food pouches and they have a delicious apple, kale, and avocado mix that you can find right here.

How do I know its good – I always taste the baby food!

For babies that LOVE avocados, however, there is no reason you can’t give them a little taste every day or even just mix it into other foods as well!

Do avocados cause constipation in babies?

No!

Rather than causing constipation in babies, the fiber content in avocados can actually help prevent it!

Even though avocados are mostly made of fat, they also include a lot of fiber in every serving. As a result, avocados could also be a great snack for babies that are struggling with constipation right now to help loosen things up!

Using avocados for baby-led weaning

Baby-led weaning is a simple method of introducing solid foods to your baby that puts emphasis on letting your baby explore the new tastes and textures at their own pace rather than being spoon-fed purees.

As an example, parents that choose to baby-led wean their kids would present a small plate of different foods for their baby cut into age-appropriate sizes or pureed, if necessary. The baby can then pick up, smell, taste, or suck on the food at their pace. In the beginning, it’s not very important that they actually eat much of the food.

Avocados work great for baby-led weaning because they are firm enough for babies to pick up but soft enough for them to squish or gum up in their mouths. They can also be easily pureed and have a texture that most babies enjoy while still having a neutral flavor that is unlikely to turn a baby off of them.

Always be sure to watch your baby carefully anytime they are eating new foods to keep an eye out for choking hazards, allergic reactions, or other issues!

How to choose the right avocado for babies

I’ve already mentioned that avocados work great as a baby’s first food because of their smooth, creamy texture that baby’s love to eat!

To get that perfect texture, however, you will need to choose the right avocado and that means picking one that is perfectly ripe. Ripe avocados have a softer texture, which makes them much easier to eat when sliced and much creamier when pureed.

Here’s what to watch for when selecting the perfect avocado:

Bumpy, dark green skin
Slightly firm, but gives a little under pressure
Yellow color around the stem (brown is overripe)
The inside flesh has a butter-yellow color near the pit

Can you buy organic avocado baby food?

If you don’t want to make your own avocado purees, it’s not hard to find it in the baby food section at your local store or online (did you know you could buy baby food on Amazon?).

For whatever reason, however, it’s not super common to find JUST avocado in a jar or pouch serving, so it will likely be mixed with other fruits or vegetables. Since it’s best to introduce foods to your baby one at a time, it might be a good idea to only feed the mixed versions to them after you have given them some fresh avocado by itself!

How to store avocado baby food and puree

Avocados are a bit notorious because they can be expensive and it’s incredibly easy to waste them if you aren’t prepared.

If you still have whole, uncut avocados, then you can simply store the ripened fruit in the fridge for one or two weeks.

If you have already cut into your avocados or you have several that are about to go bad, then the best solution for longer-term storage is to freeze them. Rather than freeze them whole or cut up, however, the best method is to puree them up with a little citrus juice and freeze them in a bag or other container. According to Spruce Eats, this is the best method:

Cut each avocado in half lengthwise
Pull out the pit in the middle
Scoop the flesh out and load it into a food processor
Add 1 tablespoon of lemon or lime juice per medium avocado
Puree until smooth
Seal the puree into an airtight bag or container (leave a bit of room for expansion)

If you don’t have any baby food-sized storage containers, then I highly recommend picking up some like these. They are made of high-quality glass, have screw-on lids, are microwave and dishwasher safe, and don’t contain any BPA, PVC, or other harmful plastic chemicals!

Adding that bit of citrus helps prevent browning and also allows a little bit more texture to stay intact after freezing and thawing.

How many avocados can a baby eat by age

While all babies are a little different, there are still some general recommendations that you should follow when it comes to feeding solids to yours.

According to the Mayo Clinic, for instance, your baby should ideally be fed breastmilk until the age of 6 months. At that point, you can start introducing solid foods one at a time. Babies that are formula-fed, meanwhile, can start this process at 4 months if she seems ready. Either way, those first few feedings are less about eating and more about exposing your baby to new tastes and textures.

To determine how much avocado you could offer your baby by age I looked at the feeding guides for infants, toddlers, and young children at Florida’s Department of Health to see how many servings of fruit are recommended for each group.

Here is a great table to break things down based on how old your baby is now!

Avocado servings by age

Baby Age	Total servings of fruit (such as avocado) per day
4 months	4 to 6 tablespoons per day (2/5 to 3/5 of a medium avocado)
9 months	4 to 8 tablespoons per day (2/5 to 4/5 of a medium avocado)
12 months	3/4 to 1. 5 cups per day (about 1 to 1.5 medium avocados)
16 months	3/4 to 1.5 cups per day (about 1 to 1.5 medium avocados)
24 months	1 to 1.5 cups per day (about 1.25 to 1.5 medium avocados)

How many servings of avocados recommended for a baby to have at 4, 9, 12, 16, and 24 months.

Looking at the table above, your baby can have a pretty large amount of avocado before it would be considered overeating. Do keep in mind, however, that these are just general recommendations based on the average baby and they are for the total amount of all fruits in a day (not just specifically avocados). As long as your baby is getting adequate overall nutrition and not eating too many calories in general, then it’s probably okay to be a little loose with those guidelines.

In my personal experience, we try to keep avocados in the house most of the time because we love making homemade guacamole and salsa. As my son was transitioning to solid foods, we would simply give him a bit of the pureed guacamole while we were making the guac and he loved it!

Even at close to two years, my son LOVES avocado and we give it to him at the house and even at a Mexican restaurant if it’s on our plate.

Potential issues with too much avocado for baby

Even though there are lots of benefits that go along with eating avocados, there can always be too much of a good thing.

As I mentioned earlier, avocados are pretty calorie-dense because of their fat content. This means overeating them could add too many calories to your baby’s diet and cause unnecessary weight gain if you aren’t paying attention. There could also be issues with food sensitivity or allergies, so always keep an eye out for stomach upset or any other similar symptoms and try to isolate which food might be causing it. In the beginning, you should really only be adding one new food at a time to your baby’s diet, anyway, to make sure that there aren’t any issues with that one before moving on to the next.

Avocados for Babies - How to Introduce Avocado to Babies

When can babies eat avocado?

Avocado can be introduced as soon as baby is ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 months of age. Ripe avocados are soft and loaded with nutrients, making them a wonderful first food.

Baby just starting solids? Our guides have got you covered, from introducing allergens to breakfast ideas.

Background and origins of avocado

Avocado originates in Mesoamerica, where it was prepared and eaten by the Aztecs in a variety of forms, including the now-world-famous guacamole (originally called ahuaca-mulli). Colonizers brought the crop back to Europe with them, and it has since spread across the globe. While the avocado is most often thought of in relation to savory Mexican and other Central American dishes, other cultures have adapted the strange-looking fruit to different uses. These include the Indonesian drink called jus alpukat, a cold blend of avocado and coffee, and a simple dessert that marries avocado, ice, and condensed milk (or milk and sugar) found throughout Asia, from the Philippines to Vietnam.

★Tip: That beautiful bright green avocado flesh is notorious for turning brown after being exposed to the air. While not harmful, you can prevent this by adding something acidic (such as lime or lemon juice) or by wrapping the avocado in a plastic film.

Is avocado healthy for babies?

Yes. Avocado is a popular first food for babies, and it’s easy to understand why. The fruit is easy to prepare and rich in fiber and the healthy fats that babies need to support digestion and brain development.¹ Avocados are also a rich source of growth-supportive B-vitamins like folate and B6, and contain vitamin E as well as zinc to fuel immune health. The healthy fats in avocado also make it a good oil option, though occasional use may be preferred because it tends to be expensive.

When shopping for avocados, you may notice large, smooth-skinned varieties along with the smaller, rough-skinned Hass avocados. Avocados share a similar nutrient profile, though the larger, green-skinned varieties contain slightly less fat and are therefore sometimes marketed as “lite” avocados.² Regardless of variety, select avocados that don’t have any bruising and feel slightly soft when gently squeezed.

★Tip: Avocados start to ripen once they’re picked from their tree. If you need a rock-hard avocado to ripen quickly, place it in a brown paper bag with an apple or banana, which will release ethylene gas that speeds up the ripening process. Conversely, if you have an avocado that is already ripe that you need to keep for a little longer, popping it in the refrigerator will slow the ripening process.

Is avocado a common choking hazard for babies?

No. When ripe, avocados are not a common choking hazard, though in theory an individual can choke on any food. As always, make sure you create a safe eating environment and stay within an arm’s reach of baby during meals.

For more information on choking, visit our sections on gagging and choking and familiarize yourself with the list of common choking hazards.

Is avocado a common allergen?

No. Allergies to avocado are rare but have been reported.³ Avocado allergy is more likely to occur in individuals who are already allergic to banana, chestnut, or kiwi and those who are allergic to latex or certain pollens may be allergic to avocado or experience Oral Allergy Syndrome (also known as pollen-food allergy).⁴ ⁵ Oral Allergy Syndrome typically results in short-lived itching or burning in the mouth and is unlikely to result in a dangerous reaction. Avocado is a possible trigger for food protein-induced enterocolitis, also known as FPIES. There is emerging evidence that the prevalence of avocado as a trigger for FPIES is higher than originally believed. ⁶ FPIES is a delayed allergy to food protein which causes the sudden onset of repetitive vomiting and diarrhea to begin a few hours after ingestion.

As you would when introducing any new food, start by offering a small quantity for the first few servings. If there is no adverse reaction, gradually increase the quantity over future meals.

How do you prepare avocado for babies with baby-led weaning?

Every baby develops on their own timeline, and the suggestions on how to cut or prepare particular foods are generalizations for a broad audience. Your child is an individual and may have needs or considerations beyond generally accepted practices. In determining the recommendations for size and shape of foods, we use the best available scientific information regarding gross, fine, and oral motor development to minimize choking risk. The preparation suggestions we offer are for informational purposes only and are not a substitute for child-specific, one-on-one advice from your pediatric medical or health professional or provider. It is impossible to fully eliminate all risk of a baby or child choking on any liquid, puree, or food. We advise you to follow all safety protocols we suggest to create a safe eating environment and to make educated choices for your child regarding their specific needs. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen here.

6 to 9 months old: For first-time eaters, you can offer large halves of avocado, large, thick spears of ripe avocado or mash the flesh and serve on a pre-loaded spoon. If the avocado spears are shooting out of baby’s hands because they’re slippery, roll the pieces in a nutritious food that adds grip: hemp seeds, shredded coconut, or even finely ground nuts that you have already introduced (nuts are a common food allergen). See our guacamole recipe!

9 to 12 months old: At this age, the pincer grasp (where the thumb and pointer finger meet) is developing, enabling baby to pick up smaller pieces of food. As such, this is a great time to move down in size to small, bite-size pieces of avocado. If it is a struggle to pick up small pieces of food, it’s absolutely fine to continue to offer large spears of avocado or to continue with mashed avocado.

12 to 24 months old: At this age, toddlers are likely mastering the use of utensils. Serving half of an avocado in its skin and calling it an “avocado boat” can be a fun twist, though you can absolutely continue with small pieces of diced avocado or large spears as well. Anything goes!

Peeled avocado spearPieces of avocado rolled in hemp seed

Know what the best and worst foods are for babies starting solids with our First Foods Essentials intro kit.

Recipe: Guacamole

Serving Size: about 1 cup
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Age: 6 months+

Ingredients

1 medium avocado
1 tablespoon (8 g) extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lime (about 1 tablespoon / 15 g)

Directions

In a large bowl, use a fork to mash the avocado until smooth.
Stir in olive oil and lime juice and stir to combine.
Serve: Scoop the guacamole into a bowl and let the child self-feed by scooping with their hands. If you’d like to work on utensils, pass a pre-loaded spoon to the child in the air for them to grab from you.

To Store: Press plastic wrap tight over the top of the guacamole so that there is no air between the guacamole and the plastic wrap. Guacamole will keep in the refrigerator for 2 days.

How often should you offer solids? See our sample feeding schedules for babies of every age.

Flavor Pairings

Avocados are a great healthy fat with a pretty neutral flavor, making them quite versatile. They pair especially well with grilled or roasted chicken, pork, and tropical fruits like mango or pineapple.

Reviewed by

E. Cerda, MSN, CNS, LDN

A. Gilbaugh, RD, CNSC

K. Rappaport, OTR/L, MS, SCFES, IBCLC

K. Grenawitzke, OTD, OTR/L, SCFES, IBCLC, CNT

S. Bajowala, MD, FAAAAI. (allergy section)

R. Ruiz, MD Board-Certified General Pediatrician and Pediatric Gastroenterologist

Comerford, K. B., Ayoob, K. T., Murray, R. D., & Atkinson, S. A. (2016). The role of avocados in complementary and transitional feeding. Nutrients, 8(5). DOI: 10.3390/nu8050316. Retrieved April 16, 2021
Avocados: Nutrient-Dense and Delicious. (n.d.). @berkeleywellness. Retrieved April 3, 2021
Telez-Diaz, G., Ellis, M. H., Morales-Russo, F., & Heiner, D. C. (1995). Prevalence of avocado allergy among atopic patients. Allergy Proceedings: The Official Journal of Regional and State Allergy Societies, 16(5), 241–243. DOI: 10.2500/108854195778702594. Retrieved April 16, 2021
Latex Allergy | AAAAI. (n.d.). The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Retrieved April 2, 2021
Levy, D. A., Mounedji, N., Noirot, C., & Leynadier, F. (2000). Allergic sensitization and clinical reactions to latex, food and pollen in adult patients. Clinical and Experimental Allergy: Journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 30(2), 270–275. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2222.2000.00751.x. Retrieved April 16, 2021
Blackman AC, Anvari S, Davis CM, Anagnostou A. Emerging triggers of food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome: Lessons from a pediatric cohort of 74 children in the United States. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2019 Apr;122(4):407-411. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2019.01.022. Retrieved April 14, 2022

at what age can you give?

Child's birthday » Baby food » At what age can avocado be given to a child?

06/21/2016

Contents

1 What causes controversy in the scientific community
2 Avocados for the first complementary foods
3 How should an avocado look like?
4 How to choose a healthy avocado?
5 Storage conditions
6 Contraindications
7 Video: Feeding a baby from 4 months

The positive properties of avocados lie in the large number of useful substances contained in it. This is a whole complex of vitamins and minerals. Useful for digestion is the fruit fiber of a ripe avocado grated into gruel. It should be noted that its calorie content is very high - 20Kk per 100 grams of product.

What causes controversy in the scientific community

Avocado is one of the healthiest foods

This fruit is often prescribed for adults to lower cholesterol. For a week of systematic intake, indicators in adults decrease by 30%. The crumbs cannot have such problems with cholesterol, as well as cataracts. In addition to preventing all age-related changes, avocados prevent the development of cancer cells.

Nutritional value and chemical composition of avocado

For children, this fruit is useful because the microelements contained in it contribute to the development of physical and mental. Scientists argue about the age at which avocados can be given to children. And this is in America, where this fruit has long been an integral part of the diet.

For Russia, avocado is an exotic product, which once again speaks against it. It has always been believed that vegetables and fruits that grow in the region where a person lives bring the greatest benefit.

Given that the avocado is also a strong aphrodisiac, the need for its introduction into the children's diet remains in question.

Avocado for the first food

The delicate texture of the first fruit food is easier for the baby's body to digest than the puree of vegetables and herbs. A more subtle unobtrusive taste also speaks in favor of fruit rather than vegetable complementary foods. But is it so important to give all the vitamins and minerals at once when you can please your child with a variety of flavors of fruits and vegetables that are less high in calories and do not contain "adult" vitamins. For example, "Omega-3" may be an extra addition to the mandatory vitamin "D" complex for babies.

Despite the variety of avocado recipes for children, it is better to consult a doctor.

When introducing avocados into baby food, consult your doctor. Advice on the age at which to give avocados is mixed.

It is better to introduce avocado after applesauce

Some scientists are of the opinion that this fruit should not be given to children under 1 year old. Others recommend it as the first complementary food. Here again, the exact age cannot be named, because the first complementary foods for breastfed children are recommended to be introduced no earlier than the baby is 6 months old.

The stomach of a bottle-fed baby is ready to accept tender fruit pulp from 3-4 months. As a rule, for 3-month-old children, applesauce becomes the first complementary food. Avocado has a delicate texture similar to an apple. Its taste is not bright, which can be a good addition to milk. But still, you can enter it a month after the first apple food and banana samples.

What should an avocado look like?

With the appearance of avocados, not everything is clear due to the large number of its varieties. On Russian shelves, you can most often find 4 varieties out of 400 - these are:

Avocado varieties

"Gwen" - the fruits of this variety are oblong and rather large. Their skin is deep green. The flesh is yellow-green. The closer to the bone, the more yellow.
"Reed" also refers to large-fruited varieties. The shape of the fruit is round, the flesh is light yellow, covered with a thick pimply skin of dark green color.
Sweetish pulp under a smooth green skin is hidden in large fruits of the Fuerte variety.
The most common pear-shaped fruits of medium size are the fruits of the Zutano variety. The flesh of the fruit is often white, sometimes yellowish. The smooth skin is easy to peel off.

There are a lot of varieties, so it is difficult to distinguish which of the fruits is ripe and which is not by the appearance of the peel. The main thing is that the peel is green, not purple. For some varieties, the brown color of the fruit peel is acceptable.

How to choose a healthy avocado?

"Maturity" avocado

When choosing an exotic fruit, you can trust your hands and ears. The first step is to touch the fruit: if it is too hard and when pressed with your fingers, its shape remains unchanged, it is not ripe. The soft fruit of the avocado belongs to the category of overripe. There is a high possibility that under a dense peel the process of decay or fermentation has already begun. It is necessary to choose the golden mean. An obligatory criterion when checking the fruit is the restoration of its original shape after pressing. There should be no dents on the peel.

It's even easier to tell when an avocado is ripe by ear. When shaking it, the stone should make a sound of hitting the shell. If this does not happen, the fruit is not ripe, the grain in the stone fits snugly.

When choosing between unripe and overripe avocados, it is better to give preference to the first. After a couple of days of lying, he will reach the required condition, like a pear.

Storage conditions

Avocados are best stored at room temperature

Store at room temperature. You can’t put it in a freezer or refrigerator - this fruit does not tolerate sub-zero temperatures, it deteriorates very quickly if stored improperly. Like all fruits, it must be eaten fresh, only then it will give the maximum benefit to the body and will not cause harm.

Contraindications

Possible cross-reactions are detected in the diagnosis of allergies

The worst thing to give avocados to children suffering from latex allergies. At first glance, latex and fruit are unrelated. Upon a detailed study of the problem, it turned out that intolerance to bananas, apples, cherries, papaya, melons, tomatoes can subsequently affect cross-allergy. This will lead to severe forms of dermatitis on skin contact with latex products.

The threat of avocados is that latex proteins from the sap of euphorbia and mulberry trees are similar to those found in avocados. Latex products, which include nipples and pacifiers, with such a disease, will provoke the production of IgE. This type of immunoglobulin leads to the clinical manifestations of an allergic reaction.

In order not to condemn the child to suffering, it is necessary to consult a doctor before introducing exotic complementary foods. If the baby has problems after trying bananas, then avocados should not be given to him.

Video: Complementary foods from 4 months

Didn't find your organization?

Add now!

2016-06-21

Previous Children's Day idea

Next Using ginger in children's diet

from what age can I give and how?

Reading time: 5 minutes

Avocado is one of the most unusual fruits, it is high in calories, fat and contains many nutrients. Recently, this fruit has become available in our country, so many are wondering if avocados can be given to children. Is it really that bad for kids? When can you start using it? Is it acceptable to give babies up to a year? Let's figure it out.

1 When you can give the child avocado and how many

1.1 from how many years you can give avocado

1.2 how and how much to give the baby avocado

1.2.1 Useful properties

1.2.2 possible damage

1.3 recipes of delicious dishes

1.4 How to choose the right one

1.5 Drawing conclusions

1.5.1

Avocados can be given to children under one year old only if the mother consumed these fruits during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and neither she nor the child had an allergic reaction.

But avocado is a dietary product, it is easy to digest, very nutritious and has a mild taste. And the tender pulp allows you to give this fruit even to babies, since it is easy to make puree from it. Therefore, many give it already from 7-8 months and even add it to the first complementary foods at 5-6 months.

It is allowed to add avocados to complementary foods from 6 months if the baby is breastfed, but is already familiar with many foods if he has never had allergies, good digestion.

Doctors disagree on the age at which children can eat avocados. Some believe that not earlier than 3 years old, British scientists recommend introducing the baby to this fruit only at 5-6 years old.

Dr. Komarovsky in many of his articles notes that it is better for a child to add fruits that grow in the area where the family lives in complementary foods. He does not consider avocado a very healthy fruit, so he recommends not rushing to introduce it into the diet of babies under one year old. Check out the video in which Komarovsky tells his opinion (beginning 1:24):

Avocado is bad for the environment / Sniffing / Opinion about an Irishman

Watch this video on YouTube

How and how much to give your baby an avocado

It doesn't matter when an avocado appears in your baby's complementary foods. Always start with half a teaspoon. After that, 2-3 days you need to observe the child. No new foods should be introduced during this time. Otherwise, if an allergic reaction starts, it will not be clear what it is for. Children who have not developed rashes, diarrhea, or other side effects can include avocados in their diet.

The question of whether it is possible to give an avocado to a baby and at what age should be decided individually. It depends on the characteristics of digestion, the presence of allergic reactions, the nutrition of the mother during pregnancy. But do not abuse it, it is better for a child to use such fruits no more than 2-3 times a week.

Avocados are very fatty and nutritious and can cause stool disorders and flatulence.

You also need to know how much pulp you can give. If a child does not have pathologies of the digestive system, a healthy liver and intestines, from 3-4 years old he can eat a quarter of fruit a day. After 7 years, half of the fruit is allowed, and for teenagers - a whole avocado. But we must remember that it is not recommended to consume more than 250 g of pulp per day - due to the high fat content, this is a big burden on the liver.

Benefits

This fruit, also known as the alligator pear, is a fruit. But in terms of taste and nutritional value, it is closer to vegetables. It contains a large amount of fatty acids. This fruit is a source of many nutrients. In 100 g of pulp, there are almost 15 g of fat, and the calorie content is 150 Kcal. There are also vitamins B, K, A, PP, E, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, iodine, iron, silicon.

The presence of many useful substances makes avocados a valuable product that can be

to give to children. When used correctly, it has the following effect on the child's body:

strengthens blood vessels, normalizes heart rhythm;
improves digestion, relieves constipation, prevents weight gain;
improves appetite;
ensures the correct formation of the skeleton, strengthens the teeth;
soothes, normalizes sleep;
helps to cope with stress, prevents irritability;
improves the functioning of the kidneys, liver;
normalizes the composition of the blood, increases the level of hemoglobin;
strengthens the immune system, helps to cope with infection, protects against viruses and fungi;
improves memory, attention, increases the ability to learn.

Potential harm

But introducing avocados into the diet of children should be done with caution. After all, it can cause an allergic reaction.

It is especially dangerous to give it to babies with citrus intolerance, latex allergy. In this case, for the first time, you can give the child a taste of this fruit at 5-7 years old.

The use of avocados may cause the following side effects:

urticaria, itching, skin rash;
abdominal pain;
nausea, diarrhea;
flatulence.

When eating an avocado, be aware that its pit and peel are poisonous. It is necessary to carefully clean the fetus, remove the smallest particles of the bone.

Recipes for delicious meals

This fruit is popular for complementary foods because it is soft, has a delicate taste, is easy to digest, and does not need to be chewed. When giving avocados to babies, they first mash only from it. Then you can combine it with other products. It goes well with apples, bananas, peaches, as well as cottage cheese, kefir.

You can use it to make desserts, smoothies, soups, give it as a puree. Just keep in mind that after heat treatment, less nutrients will remain in the pulp, and it can be bitter. Before cooking, the fruit must be washed in hot water. Then peel the skin from it, cut it lengthwise and pull out the bone. If there are scales from it, clean them well. The flesh should be yellow or light green in color, dense. Loose overripe fruits should not be given to children.

When cooking, try to do everything quickly, as the avocado darkens after a few minutes. Therefore, prepare everything in advance, find out how many products you need.

The simplest meal for a baby is mashed potatoes. You need to mash a piece of pulp with a fork or beat in a blender. It is not recommended to add sugar, it will turn out sweet anyway. For babies, you can mix the fruit with breast milk.

You can purée courgettes and avocados later. To do this, boil the zucchini, grind it into a puree, add the alligator pear puree.

Lettuce is made to children after 5 years. For him, you need to cut the cabbage, rub the apple and avocado, mix everything, pour over the lemon juice. Add green onions, dill and a little olive oil.

Instead of butter, a child can spread this fruit puree on bread. To do this, the crushed pulp is mixed with lemon juice.

As a dessert, avocado and kiwi puree is made for the baby. Fruits are ground, then mixed. It is better to rub the kiwi through a sieve to remove the seeds.

The soup is based on chicken broth. It is necessary to grind the pulp into a puree, mix with the broth and bring to a boil. Serve with herbs and croutons.

Avocado soup: video recipe - Doctor Komarovsky

Watch this video on YouTube

How to choose the right one

It is important to choose the right avocado in the store. The peel should be uniform in color, shiny, without spots or damage. You need to press on it with your finger - there should not be dents. If the peel is pressed through, the fruit is overripe, rotting processes could already begin in it. Such fruits should not be given to children, they can cause poisoning.

It is better to choose a slightly unripe fruit, it will ripen in 3-5 days at room temperature. But in order not to take a completely green one, which will be tasteless, you need to shake it near your ear. You should hear the tapping of the bone.

Drawing conclusions

Whether it is possible to give a child or not, and also when it depends on many factors and on the parents themselves. Opinions differ, it is recommended to follow a simple rule that you can give avocados to your child: from 1 to 3 years we try, but carefully from 3 years we give (no more than 2-3 times a week)