Mango
- First taste
- 6 months
- Choking risk
- medium
- Common allergen
- no
- Iron
- low
Serve ripe · slippery · fibrous
When can babies eat mango?
You can offer mango once baby is ready for solids, usually around 6 months.
Mango is a stone fruit from South Asia. Today it grows in tropical regions around the world. More than 500 kinds are known. The Tommy Atkins variety has golden flesh under skin that is red with a green tint. Ataulfo is smaller, sweet and tangy. Kesar is round and sweet.
It holds carbohydrate, fiber and fluid. Potassium, folate, and antioxidants come with it, plus vitamins K, E, C, A, and B6. These support energy, digestion, vision and immunity.
How do you prepare mango for babies?
General tips
Choose ripe mango. It should squash easily under light finger pressure. Firm fruit raises choking risk.
Hold off on dried mango until close to age 2. Dried fruit raises choking risk and often contains sulfites and preservatives. If you only have dried mango, soak it in water and chop it.
Unripe mango
Unripe mango is allowed, but be careful. Being firm, it carries choking risk when cut into cubes. Safer options are thin julienne strips and the whole pit. You can also use amchur, which is dried green mango ground to a powder, or chutney that has no honey. Green mango is rich in vitamin C and sour. Its raw starch can cause gas and bloating in babies. Start with small amounts.
Juice
Serve pasteurized mango juice after 12 months. For regular sugary drinks, waiting until age 2 is better. Frequent sweet drinks raise the risk of cavities. They can also fill the belly and lower appetite for meals.
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 · How to prepare as long spearsstrip
Cut: Finger strip
Peel a ripe mango. Cut the flesh off the pit into long spears. The fruit should be ripe enough to squash when pressed lightly between thumb and forefinger. Holding the spear out in the air helps baby grab it. To cut the slipperiness, roll the spear in grated coconut or crushed whole grain cereal.
6 months · How to prepare minced and as a pitmash
Cut: Finely chopped
Mince the mango very fine and place it on a scoopable food such as yogurt or ricotta. A peeled pit with most of the flesh scraped off is also a low-risk mouth workout at this age. It helps baby build mouth movements. If the pit slips, roll it in grated coconut or infant cereal.
9 months
9 months · How to prepare as small piecescube
Cut: Bite sized piece
Keep offering spears and pits. Once baby's pincer grasp has developed, offer bite-sized pieces by hand or on a fork you have loaded in advance. The mango should still be ripe enough to squash easily.
12 months
12 months · How to prepare dicedcube
Cut: Bite sized piece
Serve ripe mango in small cubes as finger food. Add a fork to encourage using utensils. Spear a piece ahead of time and rest the fork beside the fruit so the child can try to pick it up.
Is mango a choking hazard for babies?
Choking risk: medium
Mango may be both firm and slick. Pick ripe fruit and prepare it for baby's age. Do not serve unripe mango in cubes.
Mango may be both firm and slick. These traits raise choking risk.
Pick ripe fruit and prepare it to fit baby's age. Stay beside baby, within arm's reach, for the whole meal.
Is mango a common allergen?
Mango allergy is rare. Latex allergy or sensitivity to birch, grass, mugwort or ragweed pollen can go along with a mango allergy. Cross-reaction has been seen between cashew, pistachio and the mango seed. It has not been seen with mango pulp. For a baby allergic to cashew or pistachio, cut or mashed mango pulp is generally safe. You may not want to hand over the pit to gnaw.
Sap in the mango skin has a substance that reacts like urushiol, which is what causes poison ivy rash. A person sensitive to urushiol may get a rash from handling the skin. The edible flesh should not cause it.
Start with a small amount for the first servings. If there is no reaction, raise the amount slowly.
Not a tree nut
Mango is a fruit, not a nut. It shares a botanical family with cashew and pistachio. The cross-reaction is in the seed, not in the pulp.
Key nutrients
Frequently asked questions about mango
Can I give my baby a mango pit?
Yes, a peeled pit with most flesh scraped off is a low-risk mouth workout at 6 months. Do not give the pit to a baby who is allergic to cashew or pistachio.
Can babies have dried mango?
Hold off until close to age 2. It carries choking risk and may contain sulfites. A feeding therapist may use it for chewing practice.
Why can mango skin cause a rash?
The skin holds a substance that cross-reacts with urushiol from poison ivy. A sensitive person may get a rash from touching it. The flesh should not.
Sources for this page
- Paschke A, Kinder H, Zunker K, Wigotzki M, Steinhart H, Weßbecher R, et al. (2001). Characterization of cross‐reacting allergens in mango fruit. Allergy. doi:10.1034/j.1398-9995.2001.056003237.x
- Ukleja-Sokołowska N, Gawrońska-Ukleja E, Lis K, Żbikowska-Gotz M, Sokołowski Ł, Bartuzi Z. (2018). Anaphylactic reaction in patient allergic to mango. Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology. doi:10.1186/s13223-018-0294-1
- Sareen R, Shah A. (2011). Hypersensitivity manifestations to the fruit mango. Asia Pacific Allergy. doi:10.5415/apallergy.2011.1.1.43
- Trehan I, Meuli GJ. (2010). Mango Contact Allergy. Journal of Travel Medicine. doi:10.1111/j.1708-8305.2010.00420.x
- ESPGHAN Committee on Nutrition, Fidler Mis N, Braegger C, Bronsky J, Campoy C, Domellöf M, et al. (2017). Sugar in Infants, Children and Adolescents. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. doi:10.1097/MPG.0000000000001733
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