Palak

Wash the leaves well under running water, then simmer or steam them until they are really soft. Mash or purée them smooth so no stringy bits are left, and if the mash feels thick, loosen it with a spoon of breast milk or formula until it scoops up softly.

From the start you can also stir it through something soft she already takes, like her dal and rice, a khichdi, or a porridge. Keep it plain, with no added salt while she is under one and no sugar before she turns two, even if someone at home adds a pinch to soften its faint bitterness. Fold the palak in smooth, since a loose cooked leaf or strand can stick in her mouth and make her gag.

If your family prefers to start palak at seven or eight months, go in exactly the same way, with the same soft mash and the same small amounts. Offer just a spoonful at first, and let how eager she is guide how much you give.

By now she can move on from the smooth mash to cooked palak chopped or torn into soft small pieces, folded into her khichdi, dal, or a mash she can scoop. Cook it soft enough to squash easily between your fingers, keep the pieces small, and keep her share without added salt while she is under one. Picking up those soft pieces is how she builds her pincer grasp, the thumb-and-finger hold she uses to feed herself.

An occasional gag on a stray bit of leaf while she is still learning to chew is normal, and not the same as choking, so you do not have to drop back to purée.

By a year, palak takes its place in the family's everyday meals. Give it to her well cooked and soft, stirred through dal palak, spinach khichdi, or another cooked dish, chopped small enough for her to chew easily, and go easy on the salt in her portion now.