Butter

Butter can start when your baby is about 6 months old and ready for solids. It is made from milk fat and protein, most often from cow's milk. It was once peasant food, then a luxury for nobles. Today it enriches kitchens worldwide. It goes on bread, into baked goods, onto vegetables cooked in ghee, in herb butters, on grains flavored with fermented smen and in stews enriched with spiced niter kibbeh.

Butter gives dense energy for a baby's rapid growth. Saturated fat is one of the most common fats in breast milk. It provides omega-3 fatty acids and the vitamins K, E, D and A. Together they help the developing brain, skin, bones, defenses and clotting.

Add it to meals

Stir butter into mashed vegetables or porridge. You can cook suitable fruit and vegetables in butter. Spread it in a thin layer on suitable foods, for example a toast strip. Leave no firm, cold chunks.

From 12 months, whipped or melted butter can be a dip. Near the second birthday a child can spread soft butter with a suitable knife.

How much

Babies and toddlers do not need their butter intake counted or capped. Fat gives plenty of energy for the fast growth of the brain and body. Butter keeps in the freezer for about 6 to 9 months from purchase.

Butter is low risk when prepared for your baby's age. Any food can still cause choking. Do not leave firm, cold chunks of butter in a meal. Stay with your baby during meals.

Butter is mostly made from cow's milk. Milk is a common allergen and causes about one in five childhood food allergies. Sheep, goat and buffalo milk products can cause similar reactions.

Milk allergy often fades. Most children with cow's milk allergy outgrow it by age 6. Many babies with mild symptoms can reintroduce milk around their first birthday with a doctor's guidance. Milk is also a common cause of FPIES, a delayed allergy. In FPIES, repeated vomiting and diarrhea start suddenly a few hours after eating. FPIES that starts early usually fades by 3 to 5 years. Lactose intolerance is different from allergy.

If you suspect a milk allergy, ask an allergist before serving butter. Once milk has been given and an allergy ruled out, butter can be served without a small first portion.