We start her on the prune on its own. Take the pit out, cover the fruit in hot water and leave it ten to fifteen minutes, until a prune is soft the whole way through. Then mash it, or blend it smooth, loosening it with a little breast milk, formula, or water if it sits too thick to scoop.

Offer a small amount at first and let it grow only as she takes it, watching how her tummy handles it. Prunes carry a lot of fibre, so too much at once brings gas and loose stools. It needs nothing extra stirred in for taste. Added salt stays out until her first birthday, and no added sugar before she turns two. A prune is sweet enough as it is.

She can take the purée straight from a spoon, or you can stir a spoonful through her oats porridge or plain curd if the taste is new to her.

She is picking food up herself now, and the prune still needs its soak. Once the pitted fruit is soft, chop it very small, soft enough that a piece flattens under your finger. Nothing whole and no big pieces while she is still under one, since firm dried fruit can lodge in her throat.

Those small soft pieces are good practice for the pincer grasp, the neat thumb and finger pinch she is working on at this age. The smooth purée has not gone anywhere either, and a spoonful still stirs easily through whatever she is already eating.

From a year, a pitted prune can be finely chopped and given as it is, soaked or dry, though the soak still softens it and makes it easier for her. She takes the pieces on their own, or stirred through anything she is scooping up that day.

Whole prunes wait until around eighteen months, once her molars and her chewing are up to the job. Eating one yourself in front of her, biting with your front teeth and chewing slowly so she can watch, shows her how it is done.