Coconut: How to Safely Offer Coconut to Your Baby

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE

How do you make coconut safe for babies? Can they eat raw coconut…or flaked…and what about coconut milk? In this episode we’re breaking down a few easy ways to offer your baby coconut.

SUMMARY OF EPISODE

In this episode we’re talking about:

• Why raw coconut meat is not safe for babies to eat

• How to find unsweetened coconut flakes

• What type of coconut milk babies can learn to drink out of an open cup

COCONUT RICE PUDDING RECIPE

Coconut rice pudding is a very easy way to safely introduce coconut to your baby. It’s made with arborio rice (the same rice you use to make risotto), but you could substitute any short grain starchy rice. Rice is essentially hypoallergenic so it’s fine to introduce rice for the first time on the same day you try another low-risk non-allergenic food like coconut. Offer the porridge from a pre-loaded spoon or you can wait until it cools and form the porridge into logs about the size of your adult pinky finger and let baby self-feed.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups water

• 1 cup arborio rice 

• 1 14-oz can unsweetened coconut milk

• ½ cup uns

• sweetened coconut threads or shredded coconut

• ½ teaspoon vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large saucepan, combine the water and rice and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently until the rice is tender and thick and creamy, about 30 minutes.

2. Stir in the coconut milk and simmer, stirring occasionally until coconut milk is mostly evaporated, about 10 minutes. 

3. Crumble or pulse unsweetened coconut and add to the pudding. Add vanilla if using and stir to combine.

4. Cool and offer pudding to baby from a pre-loaded spoon. Alternatively, you can wait until pudding cools and thickens further, form into strips about the size of your adult pinky finger and offer to baby to self-feed.

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OTHER EPISODES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• Episode 144 - Pasta Water Cooking Method for Making Rice Lower in Arsenic https://blwpodcast.com/episodes/144 

• Episode 157 - Arsenic in Baby Food with Charlotte Brody, RN and Jane Houlihan https://blwpodcast.com/episodes/157 

• Episode 208 - Heavy Metals in Baby Food with @consumerreports James E. Rogers, PhD https://blwpodcast.com/episodes/208 

1. Episode 256 - What Type of Oil Should I Use for BLW? https://blwpodcast.com/episodes/256

BABY-LED WEANING YOUTUBE CHANNEL

For videos on how to safely prep foods for your baby check out the @babyledweaning YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/babyledweaning 

RESEARCH LINK FROM EPISODE

Coconut Allergy: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8168044/ 

TRANSCRIPT OF EPISODE

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