Gooseberry

Use ripe, soft gooseberries. They are tart, so cooking them down to a smooth, lump-free purée or mash is the gentlest way to start; you can stir it into yogurt or oatmeal. If serving any piece, quarter each berry lengthwise so no round shape remains. Never offer one whole or in round halves.

Smooth cooked purée or mash; if in pieces, quartered lengthwise, never whole or round-halved.

Keep gooseberries soft, cooked if needed. As the pincer grasp develops you can offer small pieces, but each berry must still be quartered lengthwise so nothing round or halved is served. The round, firm shape stays a choking risk at this age.

Soft pieces, each berry quartered lengthwise; never whole or round-halved.

Continue quartering each gooseberry lengthwise into four. Even as a toddler, the round, firm berry is among the higher-risk shapes, so keep pieces small and non-round and keep mealtimes seated and supervised.

Each berry quartered lengthwise into four; still never whole or round-halved.

Keep quartering gooseberries through the preschool years. Health authorities anchor the round-food rule at about age four, before which a whole or round-halved firm berry remains a real choking risk. Continue offering them in small, non-round pieces, soft and supervised.

Quartered into small non-round pieces until about age four; whole or round-halved only after that.