Mothers today have become very careful of what their children eat. And they are right to do so. In today’s world of junk and processed food it is very important. One of the ingredients that has mothers all over the world worried is oil.

What oils are safe for my child? How much oil can my baby have? What are the must have oils for my baby? These are some questions that every mother has. There is a good reason for this.

Oils have gotten a bad name for many reasons. Excess can lead to obesity in your baby. It can even lead to serious heart conditions. That is why mothers are alarmed by oils. The key is in choosing the oils you give. Choose healthy unsaturated fats. Monitor the amount you use when cooking.

Always consult your doctor before starting any new ingredient. This is especially the case for children. Oils are an important source of dietary fats. You need to be careful when choosing them for your baby.

Here are 7 must have oils that should be included in your child’s diet.

7  Top Essential Oils in a Children’s Diet

Olive Oil

We all know the health benefits of olive oil. It is one of the healthiest oils for your little one. You can also use it topically or as a massage oil. This way also your baby can benefit from olive oil. Here are some of the benefits of including olive oil in your baby’s diet.

• It helps promote brain development. It is very beneficial in helping your baby’s brain develop.
• Rich in Vitamins. Olive oil is a storehouse of many essential vitamins. Vitamin A is one such example. Your baby needs Vitamin A for proper development of the eyes. Olive Oil is also rich in Vitamins D and B. Both of these are needed in your baby’s body. A growing baby needs Vitamon D for strong and healthy bones.
• Olive Oil is rich in Vitamin E. This helps keep your baby’s skin and hair healthy
• Loaded with the goodness of “good” calories. Including this oil in your child’s diet is a healthy choice. This way your child will get the daily quota of calories. You will also not need to worry about him or her getting “bad” or unhealthy calories.
• Helps fight obesity. This is due to the “good” calories present in olive oil. Studies have shown that children consuming olive oil are less likely to become obese.

You can easily include olive oil in your baby’s diet. It is widely used as a cooking oil. It can also be used for making salad dressings. You can even fry your baby’s snacks in this oil. Olive oil is also good for your baby as a massage oil. It can be used for healthy skin and hair in your baby.

Make sure you buy a reputed brand of olive oil. This is especially needed when cooking for children. There are many varieties available that are specially made for children. You can try these. They have a milder taste and more suited to your child’s delicate palate.

Mustard Oil

Mustard oil has many benefits for your baby. It has been used in India as a massage oil for babies. Mustard oil has been used for generations. It is also used as a hair oil for babies. This oil has been used for cooking also. There are numerous health benefits of this oil for your baby. These include:

• Low saturated fat content
• Rich content of vitamins and minerals
• Aide in digestion.
• Boosting proper bowel movement in your little one.
• Boosting your little one’s immunity. It has known anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.
• Treating cold and cough. This is due to it’s anti-bacterial properties. It is also anti-fungal. Including this oil in your baby’s diet is a good idea. This will help your child fight infections that cause cold and cough.
• Helps reduce body temperature. Can be a good way to protect your baby from heat injuries. It helps activate your baby’s sweat glands. This aides in throwing out the toxins from his or her body.
• Stimulates your baby’s circulatory system. Healthy circulation helps improve your baby’s skin texture. It is also acts a natural cleanser.

Many don’t like the pungent taste of this oil. But it has been used in many cultures as a healthy and tasty cooking oil. The health benefits make it one of the must have oils in your baby’s diet. It can also be effectively used as a massaging oil in babies.

However, be careful while including mustard oil in your child’s diet. There are reports that suggest possible negative effects. Presence of euric acid is a concern. This may lead to nutritional deficiencies. Ask your doctor about the safety of mustard oil before you give it to your baby.

Fish Liver Oil

Fish liver oils are packed with nutrients. These are extremely beneficial for both you and your baby. Fish oils are rich in EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids. These are essential for healthy growth and development of your baby.

Your doctor must have recommended a prenatal vitamin that had DHA as an ingredient. Otherwise you took a DHA supplement during the pregnancy. This should tell you the importance of this particular oil for your baby.

There are many ways to give this oil to your baby. You can try:

• Chewable fish liver oil tables
• Multivitamins with fish liver oils
• Flavored variety that helps mask the fishy taste
• Mix the supplement tablet in thick smoothies
• Add it in salad dressings

Cod liver oil is one of the most common variants of fish liver oil used by us. These are extremely essential in treating a number of conditions. Some of the amazing health benefits of fish liver oil are:

• Promotes good vision in your little one. Fish liver oil is a rich source of vitamin A. This is essential for development of proper vision in your baby.
• Helps in proper brain development in your baby. It is essential for your baby’s intelligence. Fish liver oil promotes cognitive learning in your child.
• Cod liver oil is a good source of Vitamin D. It is essential for the proper development of bones in your kids. Deficiency of vitamin D can lead to serious deformities. Rickets is one such condition. Including cod liver oil in your baby’s daily diet is a fail safe way to prevent bone related deformities.
• Helps lower the risk of Type 1 Diabetes in children. This autoimmune disease is more common in babies. Giving your baby fish liver oil in the first year of life is an excellent way to prevent this.
• It helps prevent infections. You can include fish liver oil in the daily diet. This will help your child fight colds and coughs. It helps boost the immune system of your kid.

There are certain risks associated with giving your baby fish liver oil. There is a chance of mercury contamination. This can happen in case of some supplements. You also need to be careful about the amount Vitamin A present in the supplement. Excess of this vitamin can lead to serious illnesses in your baby.

It is also a good idea to ask your doctor about the recommended dosage for your baby. Babies of different ages will have different requirements. So make sure your baby is not having more than what he or she needs. This can lead to possible nasty side effects.

Almond Oil

This is yet another oil that is a must include in your baby’s diet. It is a sweet smelling oil. It is very light. Dermatologists recommend use of almond oil on your baby’s delicate skin for massages. It can also be used for its other health benefits.

Always buy a trusted brand of almond oil. It is best to use organic almond oil brands. This way you can eliminate the chances of your baby ingesting harmful chemicals and toxins. Ask your doctor first. If your doctor says it is ok to give your baby almond oil, then only proceed.

Here are some of the health benefits of almond oil for your baby:

• Promotes healthy weight. Including almonds and almond oil in your baby’s diet is a good way to ensure healthy weight gain. Almond oil is rich in healthy fats. So if you are worried about your baby getting fat from having almonds – don’t be!
• Helps regulate cholesterol. Almond oil helps reduce overall level of cholesterol in your baby’s body.
• It is rich in unsaturated fatty acids. These are really good for your baby’s heart health. They allow the nutrients and oxygen to flow freely through your baby’s blood.
• Almond oil is also rich in vitamin E. This makes it great for your baby’s skin and hair. Inclduing this oil in your baby’s diet can help promote healthy hair and skin.
• It is good for your little one’s heart. Adding almond oil to your child’s diet gives him or her an early start to fighting heart diseases.

You can include almond oil in your baby’s diet in a number of ways. we can also add a little to their smoothies. Adding almond oil to your baby’s glass of milk is another way. You can also drizzle it on salads and vegetables.

Talk to your doctor about giving almond oil to your baby orally. It may not be suitable for infants and younger children. Avoid use if your baby has nut allergy. Also avoid use in case of a history of nut allergies in the family.

Sunflower Oil

It is the most common cooking oil. It is known for its energy boosting properties. Sunflower Oil is also great for a healthy heart. It promotes healthy nervous system in your babies.Sunflower Oil is also powerful in preventing infections in your infant. It helps boost your little one’s immune system.

There is immense popularity of this oil.There is good reason for this. It has an impressive reserve of fatty acids. This is extremely important to maintain a host of functions in your baby’s body.

Here are some health benefits of sunflower oil to consider.

• It boosts your baby’s immunity. This is because sunflower oil is rich in Vitamin E. It is directly responsible for promoting good immunity in your child
• It promotes healthy skin. The vitamin E content of sunflower oil helps in cell regenartion This helps your baby have healthy and glowing skin.
• Sunflower oil also helps wounds heal faster. The antioxidants present help neutralize the free radicals. This is helpful in quicker healing of your baby’s wounds. You can also see a reduced number of scars in your child.
• Sunflower oil is rich in fatty acids. This helps boost your child’s energy. The fatty acids present in sunflower oil are unsaturated. This is very good news for your baby. Saturated fatty acids make your child lethargic. On the other hand, unsaturated fatty acids boost their energy.
• It is good for your baby’s heart. It rich in phytochemicals that are good for your kid’s cardiovascular health.
• Sunflower oil helps boost your child’s nervous system. This is due to the Vitamin B content of sunflower oil.
• It helps your child fight infections better. Sunflower oil is especially helpful in preventing infections in infants. Infants who are born prematurely are more prone to infections. Sunflower oil is especially noted for helping them ward off infections.

There are definitely many health benefits of sunflower oil for your baby. However, you need to be cautious. Sunflower oil contains more omega-6 than other oils. If your child is already suffering from obesity this maybe a concern.

Excess intake of sunflower oil by your child can be dangerous. There are many negative health concerns. There can be an imbalance of fatty acids in your child’s body. This can lead to serious complications.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has gained prominence in recent times. It has been used as a cooking and massage oil in India for generations. This is due to the many health benefits of coconut oil. The West has only recently discovered the great benefits of coconut oil for kids.

Coconut oil can be used as a cooking oil. Using organic coconut oil in making your baby’s food is a smart choice. This way you will limit the intake of harmful chemicals. Porcessed oils such as soybean oil are partially hydrogenated. This is very harmful for your baby. There are many health concerns with processed cooking oils.

Let us look at the benefits of coconut oil for your kids.

• It is rich in lauric acid. Lauric is a kind of fatty acid that helps in the production of “good” cholesterol. This helps your baby have a healthy heart.
• Coconut oil helps boost your baby’s immune system. This also due to the presence of lauric acid. This has antimicrobial properties. Lauric acis is also present in the mother’s breast milk. The benefits that your baby got from your breast milk are the same that he or she will get from coconut oil.
• It helps your baby’s digestion. This is because of the medium chain triglycerides that make up coconut oil. These are easier to digest for your baby. Your child’s digestive system is able to digest coconut oil better. This is one of the reasons why it is used as an ingredient for infant formula.
• Coconut oil has antimicrobial properties. This makes it a boon for your infant. Especially in case your baby is suffering from stomach and digestive tract issues.

Breast milk and coconut oil have similar properties. They are both rich in lauric acid. It makes coconut oil one of the best oils that you can include in your baby’s diet. However, there are certain concerns that you should be aware of.

Coconut oil is very calorie dense. It has a much higher saturated fat content than others. This makes it a concern for children prone to gain weight. Moderate the amount of coconut oil your child has. Use it few times in a week to avoid excess consumption.

Coconut oil also has a very distinct flavor and smell. Many mothers find it difficult to use this oil due to to this reason. The strong taste of coconut oil can affect the taste of the dish as a whole. Children may also find it unpalatable.

Rice Bran Oil

Choosing the right oil for your child is a daunting task. You need to consider all the possible pros and cons before making the choice. Children are also prone to the dangers of high cholesterol. This in turn can lead to increased risk of heart diseases later in their lives.

Rice bran oil has come to prominence world over recently. It has caught the attention of nutritionists for its various health benefits. It is not only beneficial for adults but also for children. Including this oil in your child’s diet is a healthy choice. The earlier you make the move to prevent cholesterol build-up in your little one’s body, the better.

Here are a few benefits of using rice bran oil for babies

• Rice bran oil’s proportion of polyunsaturated, saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids is very good. It is almost the same as that recommended by the World Health Organisation as ideal. It is free of trans-fats. This makes it an extremely healthy oil for children.
• It is great for your baby’s heart. It helps decrease cholesterol absorption in your baby’s blood. By including rice bran oil in your child’s diet you can give him or her an early start to a good heart.
• Owning to its high smoking point rice bran oil is an ideal oil for cooking your child’s meals. The ability to retain its nutrients even at a high temperature makes it simply amazing. If your kid likes fried food this a great news. Food fried at higher temperature absorbs less oil. When you use rice bran oil to fry your kid’s food you can be assured that your kid will be having less oil.
• It has a neutral taste. There is no distinctive flavor. This makes it easier for mothers to feed to their children. Children are fussy eaters without having the additional burden of the flavor of an oil.
• It is rich in Vitamin E. This is a powerful antioxidant. It is very beneficial for your child’s overall health.

However, like with any other oil, use in moderation. Too much of rice bran oil can be bad for your baby’s tummy. It can lead to unpredictable bowel movements and gas. Stomach pains and discomfort can also happen. This happens due to the presence of large amount of fibre. It is mostly safe to use for a long duration without having to stop.

Conclusion:

Oils definitely have gotten a bad name in the recent days. However, they are an important factor in the healthy development of your baby. You need to include oils in your baby’s diet. Eliminating oils entirely from your child’s diet is not a wise decision.

There are many healthy recipes that you can use if you are concerned about excessive consumption of oil by your child. You can help your child get the required amount of healthy fats from the oils in his diet. By choosing a healthy option you can help him or her have an early start at a healthy life.

Saying no to oils that are partially hydrogenated is the healthy choice. This way your baby will not be exposed to the dangers associated with those oils. The dangers can include obesity, heart problems, and unhealthy bone development.

Talk to your doctor and ask for the recommended amount of oil for your child. Adhere to this guideline to avoid excessive use. Also consult use of any of the above oils before giving to your baby. Check for allergies and reactions. In case of reactions stop use immediately.