New parents probably receive a lot of conflicting advice when it comes to starting their babies on solids.
Some say that, as soon as your baby starts reaching for your food, it means he is ready to eat it. (Does that mean that when my baby reaches for a bottle of beer, he’s ready for that, too?)
Others claim that, if your baby doesn’t sleep through the night, adding solids to her diet will help her to sleep longer. (I’d like to find some of those people and make them explain to me why my daughter woke up to nurse more often the week we gave her avocado before bed.)
A common debate is which food is the best first food for babies. The typical first food for babies is rice cereal, but more and more parents are steering away from that common trend. Many begin with bananas. One of the more recent, popular first foods for babies is avocados. In fact, it’s what my husband and I decided to give to our baby before giving her any other solid food.
What makes avocados the perfect baby food? To begin, they’re easy to prepare. Avocados don’t need to be cooked or pureed before serving. We just cut them in half, remove the pit, and mash them by hand. For her first feedings, I added some breast milk to the mashed fruit.
Why choose avocados over bananas? Bananas are famous for their high potassium levels; however, avocados have 60% more potassium than bananas.
Some other bragging rights of avocados:
* They have the highest protein content of any fruit.
* They are extremely low in the types of cholesterol that are harmful to health.
* They are a wonderful source of vitamin E and contain healthy amounts of vitamin C.
* The fat found in avocados is mostly monounsaturated. This type of fat is easily burned for energy (your busy little bee needs all the fuel he can get!) and is unlikely to clog arteries.
Perhaps one of the most important nutrients found in avocados is Omega-3 fatty acids. You’ve probably heard about Omega-3 fatty acids, but you might not know why they are important for your baby.
For starters, your baby has to get the necessary amount of Omega-3’s through the foods she eats, as her body can’t make them. (An adult’s body can’t make them either.) Omega-3’s have a very important place in the life of a baby, as they aid in brain function, growth, and development. Omega-3’s are highly concentrated in the brain, and are very important for memory, performance, and behavior.
If you’re a parent who wants to give your sweets-loving baby an appreciation for vegetables, avocados are a good place to start. They aren’t as sweet as a banana, but probably won’t be as offensive to little taste buds as beans or broccoli.
Avocados truly may be the perfect food for a baby. Give them a try! If your baby turns her nose up at them, they make a pretty great snack for parents, too.