If you venture down the baby food aisle in the grocery store, chances are good that you won’t find a jar of pureed avocado. Nonetheless, this super food is great for babies. Consider the benefits of avocado:

• They provide nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, and iron.
• They are low in saturated fat and rich in mono and polyunsaturated fat (good fat).
• They are cholesterol and sodium free.
• They can be mashed or pureed to a smooth and creamy consistency — without cooking.

With these benefits in mind, it is no wonder that more and more babies are being fed avocados from an early age. If you want to introduce avocado to your baby (age 6 months or older), the following recipes will get you started.

Just Avocado
Ingredients
1 avocado
Directions
Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit.
Scoop the meat out of the shell.
Blend, puree, or mash the avocado until the desired consistency is reached.
For a thiner consistency, breastmilk, water, juice, milk, or formula may be mixed in.
Freeze unused avocado puree in ice cube trays or baby food storage containers. Note that thawed avocado may brown slightly but this will not effect the nutritional value of the food.

Green Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
2 potatoes, peeled, cooked, and cubed
1 avocado, pitted, scooped, and cubed
Directions
Add potatoes and avocado to blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Spiced Avocado
Ingredients
1 avocado, pitted, scooped, and mashed/pureed
8 oz. canned pureed pumpkin
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Directions
Mix avocado, pumpkin, and cinnamon together until thoroughly blended. Note that the color of this mixture will be rather unappetizing but your baby shouldn’t mind.

Orchard Avocado
Ingredients
3 of either apples or pears (or a combination of the two), cored, peeled, cooked, and mashed/purred
1 avocado, pitted, scooped, and mashed/pureed
Directions
Mix avocado with apples or pears until thoroughly blended.

Avocado Yogurt
Ingredients
1 avocado, pitted, scooped, and mashed/pureed
1 cup plain or Greek yogurt
Directions
Stir avocado into yogurt and serve plain or as a dip for finger foods.

Meaty Avocado
Note — if your baby dislikes the grittier texture of home-pureed meats, the avocado will provide a creamy texture that helps to mask the grittiness.
Ingredients
1 cup cooked and cubed beef, pork, or chicken
1 avocado, pitted, scooped, and cubed
Directions
Add meat to a blender or food processor and blend until there are no large bits of meat remaining.
Add cubed avocado and blend until smooth.