Adding Good Fat to Your Baby Puree
Babies need fat!
This was a weird concept to me to grasp because for so many years we have been brainwashed into thinking that ALL fat is bad and should be avoided at all costs. But when it comes to babies and feeding them fat, I was wrong.
Fat is good. Good fat is key.
Adding good fat is essential for growing babies and helps with cell repair, energy, fullness, brain development and organ and bone growth. The guidelines are that until a child has finished growing, their daily intake of calories from fat should be between 40-50% of their diet. Studies have shown that infants under 2 who consumed a low fat or fat restricted diet suffered from growth failure in either height and/or weight.
It doesn’t take much to meet these requirements. Babies need roughly 6 tbsp of good healthy fat a day, which they get mostly from breast milk or milk. By adding an additional tsp or so to their baby food you are assuring that they are meeting these guidelines. Plus good fat makes all food taste better, so they will gobble up all the good purees you make even faster.
Fats to avoid:
- partially hydrogenated oils
- vegetable oils
- margarine
Good Fats:
- Organic Coconut Oil
- Organic Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Unrefined Olive Oil
- Organic Grass Fed Butter
- Chicken, Beef, Fish or Liver Stock
- Organic Coconut Milk in a can
- Avocado
At 8 months, all you have to do is add 1 tsp – 1 tbsp [depending on how much you are making] of good fats to the cooking or pureeing of your babies food.
Some ideas on adding good fats:
- Sweet Potato Puree with Butter and Thyme
- Roasted Carrots, Parsnips and Butternut Squash Puree with White Fish and Olive Oil
- Apple, Pear and Plum Puree with Coconut Oil
- Broccoli, Pear and Spinach with Chicken Stock
22 Comments on “Adding Good Fat to Your Baby Puree”
Fabulous post!! Extra virgin coconut oil is the best fat you can give to your baby which is healthy and have natural healing properties. – smoilie.com
I totally agree! Good fats are so good for baby!
xo, Michele
I agree Shweta! 😁
Fabulous post!! Extra virgin coconut oil is the best fat you can give to your baby which is healthy and have natural healing properties. – smoilie.com
I totally agree! Good fats are so good for baby!
xo, Michele
This is great to know! I have actually never heard about this! So for one single serving of about an ounce or two of food, how much should I add? Thanks!
Sorry, thought I replied to this. You only need a small amount in an ounce of food (like a drizzle or pinch of butter), I usually add 1-2 teaspoons of fat per 15 ounces of food when making batches of food.
Hope that helps,
Michele
Hello Michele,
Don’t you think that’s on the low end? That’s about five grams of fat. According to this article about adding calories to your baby food:
“Add one teaspoon of butter, margarine or vegetable oil to every 4 ounces of fruits, vegetables, iron-fortified baby cereals, or meats. ”
https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/education/ways_to_add_calories_into_your_babys_food/
Of course, ignore the margarine/vegetable oil!
This is great to know! I have actually never heard about this! So for one single serving of about an ounce or two of food, how much should I add? Thanks!
Sorry, thought I replied to this. You only need a small amount in an ounce of food (like a drizzle or pinch of butter), I usually add 1-2 teaspoons of fat per 15 ounces of food when making batches of food.
Hope that helps,
Michele
Hi there! What do you think about avacado oil? Would it be bad to give a tsp of avocado oil (or any fat that you’ve recommended) to a 13 month old daily. Or do you think that’s too much?
I love this idea! avocado oil is a super healthy fat for baby.
Hi there! What do you think about avacado oil? Would it be bad to give a tsp of avocado oil (or any fat that you’ve recommended) to a 13 month old daily. Or do you think that’s too much?
I love this idea! avocado oil is a super healthy fat for baby.
Our doctor recommended this because our youngest babe (7mo) has fallen off the growth chart weight-wise. He’s happy and content, so I was hesitant to mess with his foods, but it’s encouraging to hear of others adding fat just for baby’s overall health. I think we’re going to try it. Butter, coconut and avocado are the ones we’ll be using. I just want him to gain weight! He’s growing height-wise and head-circumference-wise, but has only gained 3/4th of a lb in three months. At 7mo he’s only 13.5lbs. Thanks!
Those are all great healthy fats to add. Let me know how it goes!
Our doctor recommended this because our youngest babe (7mo) has fallen off the growth chart weight-wise. He’s happy and content, so I was hesitant to mess with his foods, but it’s encouraging to hear of others adding fat just for baby’s overall health. I think we’re going to try it. Butter, coconut and avocado are the ones we’ll be using. I just want him to gain weight! He’s growing height-wise and head-circumference-wise, but has only gained 3/4th of a lb in three months. At 7mo he’s only 13.5lbs. Thanks!
Those are all great healthy fats to add. Let me know how it goes!
I noticed the fats/ oils that are in baby formula, soy, sunflower, palm to name a few. Are these also good additions to purees? If so what form or processed type is best cold pressed , unfiltered, virgin,organic etc ? It is difficult to find palm oil but it is in alot of foods. What’s the scoop of what to avoid in store bought fats and oils for our babies/ ourselves?
Can you put too much fat? For example, I did 4 bags of Gala apples from Target. I used a full can of organic coconut milk. I did 2 large bundles of bananas and again added a full can. For 2 bundles of carrots from Costco I used about a cup of Avacado oil. I just want to make sure I’m not giving her too much.
Are we supposed to add the avocado oil to a dish before steaming or after? We have been steaming dishes with the avocado oil added?
Drizzle on dish before it’s steamed or after?
6 tablespoons? I thought one tablespoon was 15 grams? Online sources say they need at least 30 grams. That’s just 2 tablespoons. Where do you get the 6 idea???