Feeding 12 Month Old Apples

I use a grater to shred the apple, then pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds or so to soften a bit. My daughter loves it and has had no trouble gumming the apple shreds. :)

I didn't read all your responses, so you may have heard this one, but I like the applesauce that is chunky. I don't remember off the top of my head which brand it is, but it is actually small pieces of apple instead of just puree. Since the apples are cooked, they are softer.

I'm glad you asked this question. Apples are extremely dangerous no matter what the age. I used to give my now 4 1/2 year old a whole apple to just munch on when she was about 2. She didn't have any problems at the time, but then last summer, my Uncle-in-law's friend gave his two year old daughter (who was very upset and crying) an apple to calm her down. She took a bite, and continued screaming. She inhaled the piece of apple and the EMTs couldn't dislodge it. She officially 'died' three times. They revived her and ultimately got the apple out, but she was severely brain damaged (from lack of oxygen) and eventually died when taken off life support. The EMTs told my aunt-in-law that they wished more parents knew the dangers of apples and would either wait to give their kids apples or cut them up into really small pieces when they are younger. They said that the composition of the apple makes it extremely hard to dislodge from someone's throat, and it is one of the leading causes of choking deaths in children.

With that said, I like Misty's idea of the apple peeler/corer. I also have one like that that cuts it up into very thin slices and takes off the peel. After I pull it off the core, I take one more step and cut the thin pieces into tiny triangles (about the size of candy corns). My kids actually really like it that way because it's easy to eat and less messy than a whole apple. Plus there's no seeds to eat around. I like it that way because I feel so much safer giving it to all four of my kids with only one preparation (4 1/2, twins 2 1/2 and 18 months). My 4 1/2 year old likes to eat the long string of peel the corer leaves behind and calls it "candy."

Lindsey's idea (the munchkin net things) is also a very useful bit of info. Especially since she only has two teeth at the moment. You can put things like carrots, apples, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, etc in there without having to worry about her choking on it. Just watch as she gets more teeth that she doesn't chew a hole in the netting. When she has enough teeth to do that, she probably can handle smaller pieces of some of those foods on her own. Anyway... just be careful with apples. The smaller the pieces at this point, the better! But you don't have to completely stay away from them if you make them small enough. And just remember, a child can gag and cough on just about any food. That doesn't necessarily mean they're choking. If the piece is small enough, they'll either just swallow it, or spit it out. Just watch while she's eating, be safe, and you'll both be fine! Good luck!

Apples are great- esp teething.
Since the most nutrition is in the skin I score the skin before giving it to a baby/young toddler. By during this I know they will not get a large piece of skin caught in their throat.
I start most of the babies (mine and daycare) with apples around 7 months and have never had a problem.
Diced and mashed.
Diced as finger foods.
1/3 of an apple chuncks to teeth on
Whole apple to keep them busy (sitting in shopping cart) while shopping :)
You know your kid best on what they are ready for...
I highly recommend 1st aide and CPR class- be empowered with how and what to do.

sometimes it helps me to think about how i eat a food. for instance, i chew apples with my molars. so until my child has molars, i only give them applesauce.

You might try cutting them in smallish pieces(maybe add carrots, chopped, too), and boil them in a little water for 5 or 10 minutes until they are soft. My baby likes them that way, and since it is safe, I do too. They are still firm enough for him to pick them up and "feed himself", and keep for about a week in the fridge.

Like Carrie E, I waited till my daughter had molar before I gave her anything that requires chewing. Otherwise I gave her things that mashed easily.

I still have issues with worrying about things like this and mine are seven and four. You never know, if they don't chew well that ONE time they can choke.
I would not feed a one year old anything but applesauce or slivers. I used to cut and peel an apple then cut it in strips, very thin strips. That way they could not bite too much, it was in a thin piece instead of a chunk so to speak.
My daughter had seven teeth by her first birthday and until she had her molars in I was ultra careful, even she almost choked on a wheat thin (they are very hard and sharp edges).
Then at two she almost choked on a clementine orange.
Just make sure you are right there, give her only what she is capable of chewing up well and don't assume anything at any age! :)

C.,
Try grating them. Keeps them nice and thin and soft.

My 18 month old had trouble at that age with the apple peels. She would get chocked on them. I would have to peel and cut it into slices. I bought an apple peeler/corer (it cuts it into slices while cutting the core out at the same time). I don't peel them any more, but now both my 18 month old and my 3 year old eat them like a sliced orange. They eat the "meat" off the peel and leave the peel LOL. Apples are just hard for little ones to eat. I would really recommend getting a corer, it is a really time saver and the slices are a great size for little hands and mouths.
Good luck

-M.

SAHM of 3, 3 and under, Mia 3, Maddie 18 months and Isabelle 2 1/2 weeks.

I give my 1 yo a slice of the apple, pear, banana, whatever, and she finds her own way of getting her pieces. With the apple, she'll basically teeth at it until she's done or it's gone. Her instinct now is to spit it out if she puts the whole thing in her mouth and cannot manage it. Does your child have that instinct? You can also give her the whole fruit--there's not way to get that whole thing in her mouth! My child has been nibbling at fruit this way since she was 8 months.

My son used to eat apples whole before he was 12 months old. I watched him carefully so he wouldn't eat too far down to the core. He just loved apples and he wanted to eat it that way. He took bites and chewed and swallowed just fine.
He did have more than two teeth at the time, but baby gums are really hard and good for chewing with.
If you're really worried, give her applesauce until she has more teeth.

Hi C.,
I started feeding my son apples a few months ago, when he was around 12 months. He loves to eat them the same way I do, raw, out-of-hand. I peel them first, make sure he is in his high chair, not running around, and sit with him while he eats to make sure he doesn't choke. Otherwise, I peel and cut apples into chunks and cook them with a little water or apple juice and a little cinnamon until they are tender enough for him to eat as finger food. He loves them that way too, and I find that works well for any food that is just too hard for him to eat until he gets more teeth. Good luck.

Raw apples and carrots are just too hard for babies. My boys were 2 before they could really eat raw apples, although when they were 1 I would give them a whole apple to keep them busy. They never got much off of it but they had fun with it. The major choking hazards for kids up till age 4 are grapes, hot dogs, carrots, apples, peanuts and other small hardish food.

You could try one of those mesh feeding bag things. I wouldn't give her an apple on its own, though. Cooked, soft apples without the skin may be okay but I doubt there's much nutritional value in that so it's probably not worth it.
Here is one version of the product that I'm talking about.
http://www.munchkin.com/products/detail.html?section=prod...

I always steamed the apples in the microwave for a while before feeding them to my kids at that age. But I new others who would just hand their kids apple slices. It really depends on the kid, trust your instincts....Plus we tend to eat really crisp apples, not red delicious. I do know that the peel is easy to choke on, so when my daugher was a little older I would cut the apple in 8ths and the cut the slices again in little pieces.

Good luck!
R.