How To Introduce and Offer Mango

Juicy, delicious and nutritious, mango is a great food to offer to your little one. The large pip and slippery nature make it a fun option for food exploration for bubs too. The pip also works really well as a teether and our pro tip is to pop it in the fridge first to make it nice and cool. 

Nutrition

Mangoes are not only a tasty summer fruit but also have a lot to offer when it comes to nutrition. They are packed with vitamin C, beta-carotene, folate, B vitamins and fibre! Its juicy nature makes it a good choice for some messy food play too.

Is it an allergen?

No, like most fruit and vegetables the risk of allergy is super low and a mango allergy is very uncommon.

How to serve it

• Serve the large whole seed/pit as a resistive food for bub to munch away on 
• The flesh can be very stringy and hard to swallow if it isn’t really soft so double check this and opt for a juicy ripe one
• Frozen mango can be very firm and woody. If you’re using frozen mango in things like porridge double check it is soft enough to squish for little gums 
• You can use canned mango but opt for ones in juice over syrup and drain before serving it up
• Avoid dried mango as it is very tough and a choking hazard

6-9 months:

• The whole pit with most of the flesh removed 
• Pureed or fork mashed 
• Spears of flesh but ensure it is nice and rip/soft

9+ months:

• You can serve smaller pieces (like you see in the far right of the photo) as that all important pincer grip is developing, and they are getting better at chewing their food
• Ensure it is soft and not woody so it is safe

Serving ideas

• Add it into oats or breakfast dishes
• Serve it alongside a meal or snack 
• Add it into muffins or pancakes 
• Mix into yogurt
• Roll in coconut, chia, flax, hemp or almond meal to help with grip when serving as a finger food, as it is very slippery for little fingers.

References

1. https://www.schn.health.nsw.gov.au/fact-sheets/allergy-fruit-and-vegetable-allergy

  and https://allergyfacts.org.au/allergy-anaphylaxis/food-allergens