Apple

Her first apple is a steamed purée. Peel it, take out the core and seeds, then cook it soft by steaming, boiling, or in the pressure cooker until a piece mashes easily with a fork. Blend or mash it smooth, and if it is thick, loosen it with a little breast milk, formula, or water to a soft, spoonable purée.

Cooking it soft this way matters, because raw apple is hard and can make her choke. The apple is sweet on its own, so it needs no added sugar or salt. When she is settled and taking it plain, you can also stir the purée through a porridge or dal she already eats, and start with just a spoonful or two, letting her appetite lead.

Now she can pick up food herself, so offer soft cooked apple in small pieces she can hold. Lifting each piece is good practice for her pincer grasp. This is also when raw apple can come in for the first time, but only grated.

Before any raw apple, always take out the core and seeds first, and never offer it in thin slivers or hard chunks. Grated, it is gentler for her to manage than a chunky wedge, so stay close while she eats.

From a year, apple joins whatever the family is eating. She can take it as soft cooked pieces, grated, or in a raw round slice about as thick as your finger, depending on how well she chews. It can also go into her other foods, stirred into a porridge. Whenever you give it raw, whether grated or in a round, always take out the core and seeds first, since apple seeds can be harmful if she swallows too many.

Firm raw pieces are still a lot for her to manage, so stay close while she eats.

A whole apple to bite into suits her a little later, from around eighteen months, once she chews well and sits calmly. Choose a softer, less crunchy variety, and again take out the core and seeds first. Once the core is out, give her the apple whole to bite from, rather than cutting it into wedges. A whole apple gives her a flatter, more manageable bite.