Plum
Fruits- AGE
- 6 months +
- COMMON ALLERGEN
- No
- CHOKING RISK
- Moderate
- IRON
- Not iron-rich
- GOOD FOR
- Vitamin C · Fiber
When can babies have plum?
From 6 months (corrected age), in the age-right form below.
- Provides vitamin C, which supports the immune system and helps absorb iron from plant foods
- Skin-on plums bring gentle fiber that keeps digestion moving
How do I serve it at each age?
Safe form at 6–8 months
A ripe plum half with the pit twisted out and the cavity checked, skin left on as the grip surface, roughly half-palm sized and soft enough to dent under a fingertip.
Pass/fail test: Press the flesh with a fingertip — it should dent like a ripe avocado. If it springs back, steam the halves 5–8 minutes and re-test.
Why this form: Six-to-eight-month-olds hold food in a whole-fist palmar grasp, and a domed half with its skin on gives a wet fist real traction while the flesh stays gum-mashable.
How to prepare
- Wash the plum, cut along the natural seam all the way around, and twist the halves apart.
- Pop the pit out and run a fingertip through the cavity to catch any splinter left behind.
- If the flesh resists a fingertip, steam the halves 5–8 minutes until they pass the dent test, then cool.
- Serve one half at a time, skin side out in the baby's fist.
Common mistakes
- Serving a firm, crunchy plum raw — only truly ripe or steamed flesh mashes against bare gums.
- Peeling the half, which throws away the only non-slip surface the baby has.
- Skipping the cavity check — clingstone plums often shed pit fragments during the twist.
How much?
One skin-on half at a time — gnawing and sucking the flesh counts as eating even when little visibly disappears.
Amounts are starting points, not targets — watch the baby, not the numbers.
How do I get the texture right?
- Ripeness test: a ready plum smells sweet at the stem end and gives slightly along the seam under gentle thumb pressure.
- Make the pit ritual automatic: twist, pop, then always sweep the cavity with a fingertip before the fruit touches the tray.
- Ripen firm plums in a paper bag on the counter for 1–3 days; refrigerate only once they yield.
- Very juicy varieties soak the tray — serve skin side down on the flat side so pieces don't skate around.
Is plum a choking hazard?
Choking care
The hard central pit is the hazard: it is smooth, oval, and close to airway-sized, and firm underripe flesh is too resistant for gums. Mitigate by twisting the pit out of every plum, sweeping the cavity with a finger for fragments, and serving only flesh that dents under a fingertip — steam anything firmer.
Anything to watch for?
Plums are rich in sorbitol, which can loosen stools noticeably — start with small amounts and build up.