Portobello (portabella) mushroom

Portobello can be offered once baby is ready for solids, around 6 months. Cooked is best.

More than 2,000 edible mushroom types exist, and portobello is among the most eaten. It is the same species as the button mushroom, just allowed to grow to full size. Its taste turns meatier and stronger. Store mushrooms usually come from indoor mushroom farms.

Nutrition

Portobello gives a little protein and carbohydrate. It also brings fiber, fluid and folate, along with choline, zinc, selenium, potassium, B6 and K. These help gut health, brain development, fluid balance and bones. Plant compounds in it are said to have antioxidant effects, but this is not a proven benefit for babies.

Cook the mushroom. Raw is possible, but cooking lowers foodborne illness risk and makes it easier to digest and chew.

At 6 months give long slices or finely chopped pieces. At 9 months move to bite-sized pieces. After 12 months you can try dishes where mushroom replaces meat.

Buy mushrooms from a trusted source. Do not serve foraged mushrooms unless an expert has confirmed they are edible. Poisonous look-alikes are common.

Portobello can be hard to chew. A new eater can struggle to break it down in the mouth. That trait raises choking risk.

Cook the mushroom through. Serve long slices, very finely chopped pieces or mushroom mixed into a dish. Stay beside baby during meals.

Mushroom is not a common allergen. Mushroom allergy is rare but does occur. Mushrooms contain chitin, a carbohydrate also found in shellfish and insects, which may add to an allergic reaction in some people. Many mushrooms also release spores into the air. These spores can trouble people with breathing problems or sensitivity to airborne allergens.

People with oral allergy syndrome may react to mushroom as well. This syndrome causes brief mouth itching and a dangerous reaction is not expected.

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