Pineapple

You can offer pineapple once your baby is ready for solids, usually around 6 months. Pineapple and other acidic foods can cause a harmless, short-lived rash where the juice touches the skin, and can make diaper rash worse.

Pineapple is a fruit native to the warm lowlands of South America.

Pineapple supplies carbohydrates, fiber, folate and the vitamins B6 and C. It supports energy, metabolism, iron absorption, nervous system growth, digestion and immunity. It also holds antioxidants such as epicatechin and carotenoids.

Ripeness

Pineapple must be ripe. Unripe pineapple can irritate digestion. Squeeze a piece with your thumb and a finger. If it squashes easily, it is fine to serve.

Mouth tingle

Pineapple holds bromelain, an enzyme that digests protein. Eaten in quantity, it can cause a brief tingle or sting in the mouth and on the tongue. You do not need to worry. Cooking prevents it and serving with coconut milk or yogurt reduces it.

Skin and diaper rash

The acid in pineapple can cause a harmless redness around the mouth and sometimes in the diaper area. It usually fades quickly without treatment. To head it off, apply a barrier ointment, petroleum jelly for example, to the face and diaper area ahead of a pineapple meal.

Juice

Small amounts of pineapple juice can be a drink after 12 months. Leaving regular juice for an older age is wise. Regular juice raises the risk of cavities and can reduce appetite for meals.

Pineapple carries a choking risk. It can be firm and slippery. It also has a mixed texture: a bite holds both solid pieces and juice, which move differently in the mouth. This can cause coughing while your baby learns to eat it.

Pre-cut cubes and canned chunks carry a high risk. Prepare it for your baby's age. Stay close while your baby eats and keep them upright.

Pineapple is not a common allergen. Pineapple allergy is rare, though cases exist, and people with latex allergy may be more prone to it. Most allergic reactions are not severe, but severe reactions to bromelain, the chief allergen protein of the fruit, have been described too. People with oral allergy syndrome from pollen and/or latex allergy may be sensitive to pineapple. The mouth itches, tingles or burns briefly and it is mostly not dangerous. Cooked or canned pineapple can reduce the reaction.

Enzymes such as bromelain can irritate the mouth and tongue for a while. The feeling can be hard to tell apart from oral allergy syndrome. Cooking reduces the irritation.

If you suspect your baby is allergic to pineapple, ask an allergist. Give a small amount the first few times. If there is no reaction, increase the portion.