You may be wondering if it is safe and healthy to introduce butter into your baby’s diet. In this blog, we will explore if butter is good for your babies’ health, when and how to offer it to them, alternatives to butter, and even IF butter can be used to help little ones sleep better.
When can babies have butter?
Butter can be offered to your baby as soon as they are ready to start solids.
Typically this is around 6 months of age. Not sure if they are ready? then check out when do I start my baby on solid food?
Is butter healthy for babies?
Butter is a dairy product made from small amounts of proteins and fats from cows’ milk. Most dairy butter comes from cows’ milk but there are also other milks like goats’, sheep and buffalo that can be made into butter. Nowadays you can get a variety of plant based butters too. For clarity we are talking about butter from cows’ milk in this post.
Butter is essentially mostly fat, and the type of fat it contains is saturated. This type of fat can contribute towards growth and development in babies, but they don’t want to be eating large amounts of saturated fats. Saturated fats are fine in moderation but bear in mind that eating too many saturated fats (such as butter) can raise levels of LDL or “bad” cholesterol and may increase the risk of heart disease as they get older.
How much butter is ok for babies, is discussed later on.
Butter also contains a range of vitamins in very small amounts such as vitamin A, D, E and K. These are all beneficial to our health such as vitamin A for eye health, vitamin D for immune function and bone health, but the amount available in butter is quite small. Butter is also a high source of calories, so it is a good way to add extra calories to kids’ meals.
Best butter for babies
For babies under 12 months, the ideal choice of butter is the unsalted variety, as it contains no added salts. It is important for babies to consume minimal added salt in their diet during this stage.
Even after 12 months, it is advisable to continue using unsalted butter whenever possible to avoid introducing unnecessary amounts of salt into their diet.
Is grass- fed butter ok?
Grass fed butter may have a slightly different nutrition make up to standard (non-grass fed) butter, with some reports suggesting it may be higher in Omega-3 Fatty Acids as well as some of the vitamins present in standard butter, but any health benefits of “grass fed” butter, over standard butter are not proven. Additionally, both types of butter are still high in saturated fats and so should only be offered in small amounts for adults and young children.
What about organic butter?
There may be slight differences in the nutritional make up of organic butter and, additionally, reduced levels of pesticides and additives too. Organic butter is fine to offer babies and young children if this is what you prefer to offer.
The NHS doesn’t specifically recommend grass fed butter or organic butter as a “better option” for babies.
Alternatives to butter
Margarine
When margarine was initially developed it was hailed as a healthy alternative to butter. However, manufacturers were using a process called hydrogenation which involves heating oils to very high temperatures in order to make them solid. Unfortunately, this created what we now know as “trans fats” which have been shown to raise the “bad” cholesterol in the body and lower the “good”.
Since this was discovered manufacturers in the UK worked very hard to reduce the levels of trans fats in margarine and now most of these products contain only traces of it. The process of hardening these fats without hydrogenating them is now a process called interesterification and involves changing the structure of the fat molecule which is usually done with chemical catalysts such as sodium methoxide and enzymes called lipases. This means many people feel that margarine is “highly processed” and avoid it, which isn’t necessary if you’re only offering small amounts in the diet.
Additionally, butter is also made in a way that involves a fair amount of processing too – for example the “neutralising process” uses neutralising agents like calcium hydroxide or sodium bicarbonate to reduce the acidity of the butter, as well as the addition of quite a lot of salt and sometimes other preservatives (although perhaps not as many as those used in the processing of margarine).
Ghee or clarified butter
Ghee is butter which has been simmered until the milk solids and water evaporate, leaving behind pure butterfat. This process removes the lactose and casein making it suitable for lactose intolerant babies and children. It is also still high in saturated fat like butter.
Lard (rendered pork fat)
This is the fat from pork which undergoes a little processing but not as much as margarine. It also contains more monounsaturated fats than butter. Best in pastry as it helps create flaky pastry.
Olive oil
Very different to butter as it is high in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants. Olive oil is great for drizzling on salads, toast and cooking with.
Is butter safe for babies
Yes – Butter is safe for babies to eat in small amounts. If offered for the first time- remember it is a dairy product that contains cows milk and can be allergenic for some babies. So if you are offering it to your baby for the first time, it is best to offer a small amount early on in the day so you can check for any reactions. For more information then check this out on introducing allergens to your baby.
A potential choking hazard – butter can be quite hard if served as a large lump and best avoided given to babies this way. To reduce the risk of any choking hazard, always serve in an age appropriate way (see below).
If you are worried about choking, you can learn more about the difference of gagging vs choking.
How much butter can I give my baby?
There is no guidance on the exact amount of butter you can give your baby. Offer small amounts as suggested below and in moderation.
However it is important that other types of fats are offered to your baby too so they are getting a balanced diet. Think about other sources of unsaturated healthy fats such as mono and polyunsaturated fats.
You can find these in foods such as:
- Avocados
- Olive oil
- Ground nuts/nut butters
- Ground seeds
- Oily fish
How to serve Butter to Babies
6 months old
- You can start introducing butter around 6 months of age or when they are ready to start solids. Introduce it into your baby’s meals such as in a homemade sauce, soup or mashed potato, other mashed vegetables or spread a thin layer on a lightly toasted piece of toast.
- Ensure there are no hard lumps of cold butter in food, as these can pose a choking risk.
- Start with tiny amounts to begin to ensure they are not having any reactions to it and follow allergy guidelines if it’s the first time your child has had any dairy foods.
12 months old
- Serve butter in a variety of ways and meals that your family eats.
- Once they are a bit older and able to hold a knife they could start to learn to spread a little butter thinly on toast.
Butter for babies to sleep
There has been a recent tiktok trend of parents giving their babies dollops of butter before bedtime, claiming that they sleep better and don’t wake up in the night.
Whilst this may sound helpful, there is currently no evidence to suggest that babies will sleep better or sleep longer. with any kind of butter.
This is certainly not advised by health professionals to try with your baby.
It is also important to remember that if your baby is waking regularly in the nights, there could be a whole number of reasons such as teething, sickness, temperature, overtiredness, or hunger. Some babies just take a long time to get into regular sleeping patterns and sleep through the night. Butter is unlikely to be your answer!
Butter can get a bad reputation due to its high saturated fat content. However it is ok to give butter to babies in moderation and in small amounts. Remember to use unsalted butter and include lots of other sources of healthy fats too to keep to a balanced nutritious diet.