Guava (soft)
- First taste
- 6 months
- Choking risk
- medium
- Common allergen
- no
- Iron
- low
Vitamin C-rich · strain out the seeds
When can babies eat guava?
When to start
Soft guava types can be offered once your baby is ready for solids, usually around 6 months.
Hundreds of guava varieties exist, and their textures differ a lot. Mexican cream guava is soft and smooth, while white guavas are firm like an apple. This card covers the soft kinds. Firm types (amrood, farang, jambu batu) do not follow these tips.
Why it matters
Guava supplies fiber, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin E, and potassium. Its vitamin C is very high, more than four times that of an orange. Vitamin C helps the body take up iron from plant foods.
The fiber is mostly the insoluble kind. It helps bowel movements, and too much can cause gas. Start with a small amount and build up slowly.
Origins
Guava is native to the tropical parts of the Americas. Today hundreds of types grow, from grape-sized to grapefruit-sized. Types that soften as they ripen smell strong and give a little under the hand.
How do you prepare guava for babies?
The most careful route is to halve the guava, scoop the flesh, strain out the seeds, and mash it. You can serve the pulp in a sauce, in yogurt, or in porridge. Spices such as cardamom add flavor.
Frozen packs of plain guava or guava pulp also work. The label should show no sugar or syrup.
Judge ripeness
A ripe guava smells strong and gives a little in your palm. Leave an unripe one at room temperature, then move it to the fridge, where it keeps for about a week.
Preparation by age
The same food is served differently at each age. What matters is how your baby sits, grasps and chews, more than the calendar.
6 months
6 months · Seedless puréemash
Cut: Fork mashed
Halve the guava, scoop out the flesh, and push it through a strainer to remove the seeds. Mash the pulp. You can stir in yogurt or a little butter. Do not add sugar, jam, or syrup.
6 months · Half guava to gnaw onslice
Cut: Halved
Take a soft guava the size of a golf ball or larger, with strawberry-like softness, and cut it in half. Scoop out the seedy center. Hand your baby the remaining half to gnaw on.
9 months
9 months · Stirred into foodsmash
Cut: Fork mashed
Fold mashed guava into warm cereal or yogurt. You may leave the seeds in if you are comfortable. The risk of inhaling a seed is lower when it stays within the pulp and mixes with other food.
9 months · Small soft cubescube
Cut: Bite sized piece
If your baby already manages whole pieces of fruit like watermelon, plum or banana, offer soft guava in small cubes. Removing the seeds makes them easier to manage. A seed swallowed whole may cause coughing or gagging.
12 months
12 months · Fruit salad and smoothiescube
Add chopped soft guava to fruit salad, or blend it into smoothies. You can keep removing the seeds. Do not give raw guava in a stroller or car seat.
12 months · Whole or halved ripe guavaslice
Offer a ripe guava as strawberry-soft as can be, whole or in halves, large enough not to fit in the mouth easily. Your child has to bite into it. Quarters can be riskier because they fit in the mouth whole. Peel it, or peel in stripes, if the skin is hard going. Stay beside your child.
Is guava a choking hazard for babies?
Choking risk: medium
Even soft guava has edible seeds that can be breathed in, so serve it deseeded to young babies. Firm guava types are outside this card.
Guava is not a common choking hazard. Still, even soft types have edible seeds. Seeds are hard for a baby to handle, and they may be inhaled (aspiration). To lower the risk, strain out the seeds and use the pulp.
Stay near your baby for the whole meal. Do not give raw guava in a car or stroller.
Is guava a common allergen?
Guava is not a common allergen. Allergy to guava, or to by-products such as the leaf, is rare but has been reported. People with a latex allergy may be sensitive to guava. Those with birch pollen allergy and oral allergy syndrome may be too. Oral allergy syndrome brings a short spell of itchy, tingly, or burning lips and mouth, and a dangerous reaction is not expected. The reaction may be milder if the fruit is peeled or cooked.
For the opening meals, give just a spoonful. When nothing happens, raise the portion step by step.
Key nutrients
Frequently asked questions about guava
Are guava seeds harmful?
No, they are edible. They can be inhaled or cause gagging, though. Give a young baby strained pulp. Once chewing skills improve, you can try the seeded part.
Can I use frozen guava pulp?
Yes. Choose packs that list only guava or guava pulp. Avoid products with added sugar or syrup.
Does guava cause constipation?
Quite the opposite, its insoluble fiber helps bowel movements. Too much can cause gas and bloating.
Sources for this page
- Liu HC, Chiang CC, Lin CH, Chen CS, Wei CW, Lin SY, et al. (2020). Anti-cancer therapeutic benefit of red guava extracts as a potential therapy in combination with doxorubicin or targeted therapy for triple-negative breast cancer cells. International Journal of Medical Sciences. doi:10.7150/ijms.40131
- Divyashree P, Ravi K. (2014). Psidium guajava: A review on its potential as an adjunct in treating periodontal disease. Pharmacognosy Reviews. doi:10.4103/0973-7847.134233
- McCook-Russell KP, Nair MG, Facey PC, Bowen-Forbes CS. (2012). Nutritional and nutraceutical comparison of Jamaican Psidium cattleianum (strawberry guava) and Psidium guajava (common guava) fruits. Food Chemistry. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.03.018
- Jiménez-Escrig A, Rincón M, Pulido R, Saura-Calixto F. (2001). Guava Fruit (Psidium guajava L.) as a New Source of Antioxidant Dietary Fiber. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. doi:10.1021/jf010147p
- Angulo-López JE, Flores-Gallegos AC, Torres-León C, Ramírez-Guzmán KN, Martínez GA, Aguilar CN. (2021). Guava (Psidium guajava L.) Fruit and Valorization of Industrialization By-Products. Processes. doi:10.3390/pr9061075
Guides on iron, allergen introduction, gagging and drinks. Read the starting solids guides
Medical note
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Talk to your pediatrician before any feeding decision, especially about allergen introduction and reactions.
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Astro Tasarım Simay Yenice · Türkiye · merhaba@lokmini.com