Yes, babies can eat avocado from around 6 months, as soon as they are ready for solids. It is one of the easiest first foods: soft, easy to grip when cut into a wedge, and rich in the fat a growing brain needs. Serve it ripe enough to squash between your finger and thumb.
Cut a ripe avocado into long wedges, roughly the size of two adult fingers. Leave a little skin on one end as a handle, or roll the wedge in ground oats for grip. Let your baby bring it to their own mouth.
Once a pincer grasp is developing, offer bite-sized pieces about the width of your little fingernail. Mashed avocado on a pre-loaded spoon works well too.
Serve it however the family eats it — diced in a salad, smashed on toast, or blended into a dip with plain yogurt.
Ripe avocado is soft and gives way easily, so the choking risk is low. The real problem is grip — it is slippery. Leave a strip of skin on as a handle for a 6 month old, or roll the wedge in ground oats or fine breadcrumbs so small hands can hold it.
Avocado is on almost every first-food list for a reason: it needs no cooking, it is soft enough for a baby with no teeth, and its fat content suits a stage when babies need a lot of energy in small volumes.
Expect mess. Most of the first few avocado wedges end up squashed into the high chair rather than eaten, and that is exactly how babies learn to handle food.
The five-minute breakfast for a new eater: soft avocado on toast, cut into strips a baby can actually hold.
Yes. There is no reason to limit it, and the fat content is useful at this age. Offer other foods alongside it so your baby meets a range of flavours and textures.
No. Avocado allergy is rare. There is a known link with latex allergy, so mention it to your pediatrician if latex allergy runs in your family.
Roll the wedge in ground oats, crushed unsweetened cereal or fine breadcrumbs, or leave a strip of the skin on as a handle.
No. Firm avocado does not squash easily and is harder to manage. Wait until it yields to gentle pressure.
Medically reviewed by TODO REVIEWER NAME, RD, pediatric dietitian — last reviewed . See our editorial and review policy.