Nutritional Information
Avocados are nutritious, delicious and make a great food for baby since they are full of 20 different vitamins and minerals and support heart health, digestive health, and brain health, among other things.
- Healthy fats help support your baby’s rapidly growing brain
- Fiber helps keep baby’s bowel movements regular
- Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects against free radicals, and supports healthy eyes and skin
Avocado Tip: When storing a cut avocado in the fridge, store in an airtight container with the pit to help slow down browning. You can also squeeze lime juice on the cut half to reduce browning.
When can you introduce avocados to your baby?
Are avocados a choking hazard to your baby?
Are avocados a common allergen?
Do avocados cause constipation for babies?
How to Serve Avocado
Avocados are a nutrient rich food that are also incredibly easy to serve to babies and toddlers in a variety of ways. Avocados can be a great food to help your baby adjust to different textures, as you can serve them smooth like a puree, in chunkier, mashed pieces for guacamole, or in whole form.
6+ Months
See below for these recipes.
Avocado Puree
Self-Feeding: Baby-Led Weaning
- Avocado for Baby-Led Weaning: thick slices with half of the peel on, slices rolled in hemp seeds or as a puree
7+ Months
Stage Two Purees
9+ Months
Stage Three Purees
Self-Feeding: Finger Foods
- Avocado for Self-Feeding: thick slices with half of the peel on, slices rolled in hemp seeds, chunks, large slices, or as a puree
12-36 Months
Toddler Recipes
Recipes
Avocado Puree
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Servings: 5 ounces
Age: 6+ months
Ingredients
- 1/4 avocado
- 1 tsp breast milk, formula or water (optional)
Instructions
-
Place the avocado on a cutting board, and taking the back of a fork, smash until you get your desired consistency. For a smooth puree, add in the liquid and smash until smooth.
Notes
Age: 6+ months
Yield: 1 serving
Storage: If saving any leftover avocado or avocado puree, since it’s likely your baby will not eat the entire avocado, squeeze a few drops of lemon or lime juice on the avocado to prevent it from turning brown. Avocado puree or strips will last 1-2 days in the fridge. Avocado puree can be frozen with a little lemon or lime juice mixed in for up to 2 months.
Avocados for Self Feeding
Avocados are a good food for your baby to self-feed, whether for baby-led weaning, which happens around 6 months of age, or during the finger foods stage at 9 months.
6+ months: thick slices with half of the peel on, slices rolled in hemp seeds or a Puree: Avocados are slippery and hard for babies to grasp, so leaving the peel on or rolling slices in hemp seeds (or finely crushed nuts) helps baby to handle it. You can offer purees and still allow your baby to lead the way with self-feeding by placing some spoonfuls directly on your baby's tray or bowl to let them explore on their own, or you can hand them a pre-loaded self-feeding spoon.
9+ months: chunks or large slices. At this age, babies have started to develop a pincer grasp, so avocado chunks are great for your baby to practice this skill. You can also continue serving larger slices based on preference or for ease with eating.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Servings: 1-2 servings
Age: 6+ months
Ingredients
- 1/4 ripe avocado
Instructions
-
Slice with Peel: Cut a slice of avocado with the peel on. Using a sharp knife, cut the peel 1/3-1/2 the way up the side of the avocado until you get to the flesh. Do not cut all the way through the avocado slice. Take the peel off and serve the avocado slice to baby with them holding the peel that is still on the avocado.
- Coated Avocado Slices: Take the sliced and peeled avocado and roll in the hemp seeds, breadcrumbs, finely chopped nuts or crushed baby puffs.
Notes
Age: 6+ months
Yield: 1-2 servings
Puree for Self-Feeding: Yes, it can be done! You can offer purees and still allow your baby to lead the way with self-feeding.
- Place a few spoonfuls of purees directly on the tray or in a bowl for your baby to dip fingers into. Model how to dip your fingers into the puree and bring them to your mouth, to taste some.
- Offer your baby a pre-loaded self-feeding utensil and hold it out for them to grasp or set on their tray.
- Use a solid food as a dipper. You can also offer a soft stick-shaped piece of food, such as a soft roasted carrot or bread lightly toasted and cut into strips to dip into the puree.
Video
Feeding Tips
- We love having avocados on hand because there’s no prep or cooking involved
- Avocado can be served as a puree, a spread, in smoothies, or in pieces for BLW
- If serving avocado slices, try rolling them in hemp or chia seeds to make them easier to grasp
- Keep the skin on half a slice of avocado to make it easier to hold for baby
More Avocado Recipes
Avocado Banana Puree
Avocado Green Smoothie
Blueberry Avocado Mini Muffins
Avocado Blueberry & Banana Puree
Avocado Hummus Sandwich
Avocado Spinach Pasta
How to Pick & Store Avocados
How to Pick Avocado
- Color: Compare an avocado to several others around it - if the skin is darker in color than the others, it may be riper than avocados with lighter skin. Also check the skin for any large indentations as this might indicate bruising.
- Firmness: Gently squeeze the avocado in the palm of your hand. If it yields to gentle pressure and feels slightly soft but not mushy, it is likely ripe and ready to eat.
- Choose a Variety: Unless you are truly just wanting to eat avocado once during the week, it’s best to pick a few different ripeness levels. Avocados that are firm and bright green will be ripe within 4-5 days, and those that are softer and darker green can be enjoyed the day of or next day.
How to Store Avocado
- Store ripe avocados in the fridge if you plan to eat it in a day or two to prevent the fruit from becoming overripe or spoiled.
- Store unripe avocados at room temperature. If you want your avocados to ripen quicker, place them in a brown paper bag with an apple or banana.
- If you want to save half of a cut avocado for later, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, pressing it as close to the avocado as you can before sticking it in the fridge. Rubbing a little lemon or lime juice onto the flesh will help it stay fresh and green. Storing the avocado with the pit inside will not prevent the flesh from turning brown.
- You can freeze avocados whole, with skin on or mashed with lemon juice to use later in smoothies or baked goods. Keep in mind that the texture and color of avocados will change after freezing, so you won’t want to use them in salads or on toast. Frozen avocado stores well up to 3 months.
Seasonings that Pair Well with Avocado:
- Basil
- Chili Powder
- Chives
- Cilantro
- Coriander
- Dill
- Mint
- Oregano
- Lemon Juice
- Lime Juice
- Garlic
Avocado Facts
- California and Florida grow most of the avocados in the United States, but the majority of avocados sold in grocery stores come from south central Mexico.
- Did you know that you can substitute avocados for butter in recipes? Avocado adds moistness to cupcakes, breads and other baked foods. You can use a 1:1 ratio of pureed avocado for butter.
Reviewed and Co-Written
