Bone broth

Bone broth can start as an ingredient in meals around 6 months, once baby is ready. It can also be a drink in small amounts. Through the first year, keep the daily amount under 4 oz (118 ml), since breast milk or formula should remain the main source of fluid and nutrition.

What it is

Bones are covered with water, with vegetables and seasonings if you like, and simmered until the liquid turns rich in collagen and flavor. Some kitchens call it broth and others call it stock. Many people use the two names interchangeably.

Nutrition

Nutrition depends on how it is made. Typically it supplies water and sodium, plus minerals, among them zinc, magnesium, iron, copper and calcium. There may be protein and fat too. Together they help with hydration, strong bones, healthy blood and how food tastes. A baby needs little sodium, so serve high-sodium broths only now and then.

Between 6 and 11 months you can use bone broth in food as much as you like. Use it to thin purées and porridges. If you serve it as a drink, treat it like water. Offer 60 to 120 ml in an open cup with a meal.

The same cap applies when your child is sick. Under one year, give 60 to 120 ml at most and skip the bottle. For a child over one, more is fine alongside a variety of foods and drinks.

Bone broth is a liquid, so choking risk is low. Still, any food can cause choking in theory. Make sure no bone fragments or meat shreds are left in after straining.

Meat and poultry broth is not a common allergen. Ready-made broths and stocks, however, can include allergens like soy and wheat. Read the label. Allergy to beef, chicken and pork has been reported, though rarely.

Broth that simmers a long time can be high in histamine. In some people this causes symptoms that look like an allergy.