Granadilla

The pulp and seeds of ripe granadilla can be offered once your baby is about 6 months old and ready for solids. Granadilla is acidic. Contact with skin can cause a harmless rash, and it can cause or worsen diaper rash.

Granadilla comes from South America, where it grows on an evergreen climbing vine in tropical and mountain forests. Many people eat it today, among them people in Africa and Australia, where it is known as passion fruit. Granadilla is in the same plant family as passion fruit but tastes milder than the orange, purple and red kinds, which are tart. The ripeness signal also differs. A ripening granadilla keeps a shiny, firm, smooth skin, while many passion fruit varieties wrinkle to show they are ready.

The pulp and seeds supply fluid, water and carbohydrates, with a number of phytochemicals. Detailed data is limited. Its profile is probably much like passion fruit, with plenty of vitamins A, B6 and C.

Serve only ripe fruit. Unripe granadilla, and the leaves and skin of the fruit even when ripe, can be toxic. Do not let babies or toddlers chew the skin. A ripe granadilla has a firm, smooth skin and does not wrinkle.

At 6 months stir the pulp with its seeds into porridge or yogurt. For spoon practice, stir it into a clingy food like thick yogurt, banana or avocado, and offer a spoon you have pre-loaded. At 9 months keep adding it to meals the same way. After 18 months you can make smoothies or give a half fruit so the child digs out the pulp.

Because it is acidic, large amounts can upset the stomach. A barrier ointment such as pure petroleum jelly or a plant oil and wax blend on the face and diaper area before the meal prevents irritation.

Juices, jams and jellies often have added sugar. Hold off on serving them often until the second birthday. Do not give juice before age 1. After age 1, under 118 ml a day, diluted if possible, though waiting until the second birthday is helpful.

Babies are not often at risk of choking on the pulp and seeds of granadilla. In theory any food can cause choking. Some say the seeds are a hazard, but no data supports this. The seeds can be eaten from 6 months. Strain the pulp before serving if it worries you.

Babies who are only starting to handle food in their mouths may gag when the pulp coats the tongue. Stay within arm's reach during meals.

Granadilla is not a common allergen. Even so, latex allergy can make a person sensitive to it.

The fruit is naturally acidic. Large amounts of pulp and seeds can upset the stomach. A harmless skin rash can result from the acid, typically around the mouth and sometimes on the diaper area. It clears up fast without treatment.

As with any new food, start with a small amount for the first meals and raise it over later meals if nothing happens.