When can babies have chocolate?

January 30, 2023
Many mothers want to know when they can give their babies chocolate. Chocolate is a food that many people like, but kids can’t get enough of it. That’s why they like chocolate bars. But babies shouldn’t have chocolate because their digestive systems might not be ready to handle the caffeine and sugar in chocolate bars. Instead, you should feed them healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. If you want more information about how safe chocolate is for babies and what good and bad things it can do, keep reading our post.
When can babies have chocolate officially?
As with other dairy products, you are giving your baby chocolate after six months old is generally safe. However, many experts advise against it because it can cause tooth decay and doesn’t have enough nutrients for a growing baby.
If you give your baby chocolate often, they might get a sweet tooth and become picky eaters. When you want to introduce sweet foods while weaning them, choosing fruit-based options like banana pudding or apple sauce is better.
If you want to give your baby chocolate, do so occasionally and in small amounts.
What’s the best way to get babies used to chocolate?
Pediatric experts say chocolate milk is probably the safest chocolate for babies and is the best choice (9). The reason is that pre-made, packaged chocolate milk has an average of 5mg of caffeine per 8oz (226g), while the exact weight of dark chocolate has 160mg of caffeine (10). Even milk chocolate has about 48mg of caffeine in an 8-ounce serving. Because of this, a baby will get less caffeine from chocolate milk than from a chocolate bar. You could also choose chocolate baby formula, which has the same nutrients as a regular formula but tastes like chocolate. Choose ready-made chocolate milk for the baby that is low in sugar, has no preservatives, and has extra vitamins and minerals added.