Eggplant

Eggplant can be offered from about 6 months, once baby is ready for solids. In many kitchens around the world it adds a creamy, meaty texture. It also goes by names like anara, aubergine, and brinjal. The English name comes from a white variety the size of an egg.

Nutrition

Eggplant brings fiber plus folate and the vitamins B6, C, and K. These support gut health, brain development, iron absorption, and blood clotting. Its antioxidants also help the body's repair work.

Starting at 6 months, give eggplant cooked soft, as long wedges or wide flat rounds. The skin helps hold pieces together. You can peel it if baby struggles with the texture. The seeds are tiny, so you can leave them. Mashed dishes like baba ganoush can go on a pre-loaded spoon or be scooped by hand.

From 9 months, serve soft cooked, bite-sized pieces. You can also add them to pasta, omelets, or casseroles. Baby may spit out the skin. Without molars, skin is hard to break down. Spitting food out is useful practice as well.

At 12 months and up, small pieces, long wedges, or the family dish as it is all work. You can give half a stuffed eggplant boat and let your child scoop out the filling.

Salting before cooking is optional. Today's eggplants are less bitter than older ones.

Raw or undercooked eggplant is firm and slippery. This raises the choking risk. Cook it until fully soft. Stay with your child during meals.

Eggplant is not a common allergen. Allergy to it is rare but has been reported. Eggplant may also cause a reaction in people with an allergy to grasses, latex, or tomato. They may feel a mild, brief itch or burn in the mouth. It usually passes on its own.

Eggplant belongs to the nightshade family. Some people may be sensitive to this family. Peppers, tomatoes, white potatoes, and pepper spices belong to it as well. Eggplant counts as rich in histamine. Eaten with other high histamine foods, it may cause symptoms that look like an allergy.

Give a small amount in the first servings. If there is no reaction, raise it slowly.