Coconut oil

How to serve coconut oil by age

6 months+

A little used in cooking

Melt a little coconut oil in the pan to soften vegetables, or toss vegetable fingers in a thin coat before roasting them until soft. NHS baby recipes from 6 months use a little oil this way. Coconut oil is very high in saturated fat, so use it in small amounts, and don't add salt.

Size

A small amount used to cook soft vegetables, lentils or rice, then mashed, or soft-cooked vegetable fingers about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).

Check before serving

Squash a vegetable finger between your thumb and finger: it should flatten easily. Look for a thin coat, not oil pooled on the plate.

US and UK advice differ here. The AAP suggests mashed food or soft pieces no larger than ½ inch; the NHS suggests soft finger-sized pieces your baby can hold in their fist. Both agree the food must squash easily.

9 months+

In cooking

Use a little coconut oil in a mild dal, vegetable curry or soft stir-fried vegetables, and cut the food to a size that suits your baby. Use olive or rapeseed (canola) oil most of the time.

Size

Foods cooked with coconut oil, cut into pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).

Check before serving

Squash a piece of the food between your thumb and finger. It should flatten easily.

12 months+

In family meals

Share family dishes cooked with a little coconut oil. Take your child's portion out before adding salt, and keep coconut oil an occasional choice rather than the everyday cooking fat.

Size

Foods cooked with coconut oil, cut to about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).

18 months+

In cooking or baking

Use coconut oil now and then in cooking or baking. The NHS says to keep the saturated fat your family eats to a minimum, so oils such as olive or rapeseed make a better everyday choice.

Size

Bite-sized foods about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or as part of a dish.

Always have your child sit upright in a high chair or at the table, and stay with them the whole time they eat. Keep to the size and texture for their stage. Every baby develops on their own timeline.

How to prepare coconut oil

1. 1

   Choose plain coconut oil, with no added salt or flavorings.

2. 2

   Rinse vegetables under running water, then cook them until soft.

3. 3

   Melt a small amount in the pan, or warm a little to coat vegetable fingers before roasting. Don't add salt.

4. 4

   Let the food cool before serving, and dab off any extra oil with kitchen paper.

How much to offer

Use a small amount, about enough to cook or coat a baby-sized portion. Coconut oil is there to help cook other foods, not to be eaten on its own. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth.

Common mistakes

Questions parents ask

If your baby refuses coconut oil

• Coconut oil is usually part of another food, so try a different food or texture rather than more oil.
• Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
• Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
• Funny faces don't mean they dislike it. They're getting used to a new taste and texture.

Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.

Buying and storing coconut oil

• Keep coconut oil in a cool cupboard with the lid on, and use a clean, dry spoon each time. Follow the date on the jar.
• Cooked dishes made with coconut oil keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
• Freezer times depend on the dish, so follow the food page or recipe for what you cooked. Reheat cooked dishes only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them cool before serving. Cooked rice has stricter rules: cool it within 1 hour, eat it within 1 day and reheat it only once. See the rice page.
• Throw away any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).