First foods database
🧈 Butter for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies eat butter? Yes, from about 6 months, melted into cooking or spread thinly. A little unsalted butter adds fat, flavour and energy to vegetables, porridge and toast, which helps small tummies get enough calories from small portions.
Good source of: Fat, Vitamin A, Vitamin E
How to serve butter by age
6 to 9 months
Stir a small knob (about 1/2 teaspoon) of unsalted butter into mashed sweet potato, parsnip or porridge. For finger food, spread a thin scrape on toast fingers or soft pancake strips.
9 to 12 months
Use butter to soften steamed vegetables, toss with pasta and peas, or melt into scrambled eggs. A thin layer on toast or crumpet fingers stops the bread feeling dry.
12 months and up
Butter can be part of family cooking in moderate amounts. Keep choosing unsalted where you can, and let your toddler spread their own toast with a blunt knife.
Choking safety
Butter itself is not a choking hazard, but thick dollops on dry bread can make a sticky ball in the mouth. Spread it thinly and offer sips of water with meals.
Gagging is common and noisy while babies learn to eat. Choking is usually silent. Always stay with your baby while they eat, sitting upright. How to help a choking baby (NHS).
Good to know
- Choose unsalted butter for cooking for babies; salted butter adds around 1.5 to 2g salt per 100g.
- Butter is a dairy product, so avoid it if your baby has a cow's milk allergy unless your GP or dietitian says it is fine.
Introducing it as an allergen
It contains milk, one of the 14 major allergens. How to introduce milk
Easy ideas
- Buttery mashed carrot and swede
- Toast fingers with a scrape of butter and mashed banana
- Peas and orzo tossed in melted butter
Goes well with
Recipes with butter
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Questions parents ask
Can babies eat butter?
Can babies eat butter? Yes, from about 6 months, melted into cooking or spread thinly. A little unsalted butter adds fat, flavour and energy to vegetables, porridge and toast, which helps small tummies get enough calories from small portions.
Should babies have salted or unsalted butter?
Unsalted is best for cooking, because babies under 12 months need less than 1g salt a day.
Is butter better than margarine for babies?
Both are fine in small amounts. Avoid low-fat spreads for under-2s, who need the energy from fat.
How much butter can a baby have?
A small knob in a meal is plenty; too much can crowd out other foods.
Sources
OBubba gives general information based on UK guidance. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Every baby is different. If your baby has a known allergy, severe eczema or a medical condition, speak to your doctor or health visitor before starting solids. Learn baby first aid, and in an emergency call your local emergency number (999 in the UK).