Papaya

We start her on mashed ripe papaya. You want one that is fully ripe and soft, with the skin peeled off and every seed scooped out. The flesh is soft and pulpy, so a fork mashes it smooth with no cooking at all. If it feels thick, you can loosen it with a little breast milk, formula, or water, just keep it a mash and not a thin juice.

Ripe papaya has its own sweetness, so nothing needs to go in: no sugar before she turns two, and no added salt in this first year. A spoonful can also go into a food she already takes, though it is just as nice on its own. Keep those very first tastes small, and let her own appetite decide how much she wants.

Now that she can pick things up, ripe papaya can come as soft bite-size pieces she feeds herself. Keep it fully ripe and soft enough to squash between your fingers, with the skin and seeds taken out. Small soft pieces, rather than round chunks, let her practise the pincer grasp she is building.

If the pieces are too slippery for her to hold, you can roll them in a little shredded coconut for grip, or go back to a soft mash for a while. Stay close while she eats, and let her appetite decide how much she takes.

From a year, papaya is simply part of the family's fruit. She can have it as soft, ripe pieces she manages with her fingers or a small fork, still with the skin and seeds taken out.

She may go back and forth between fingers and a spoon for many months yet, and that is completely normal. Ripe papaya stays an easy everyday fruit, whether she has it on its own or with the rest of her meal.