pears need to be cooked?

[Roselyn]

I was thinking about starting my 5 1/2 month old on pears.
Do the pears have to be cooked?  How do I cook them?
I've read that pears should be cooked for babies under 6 months.  What is the reason?

[Deb_in_oz]

i think you only need to cook them if they are hard. if they are very ripe and you are able to puree them without cooking then you can do that.  if you do cook them iu just peeled fruit and cut into chunks and either boiled or steamed until you can cut in half with a fork, then puree in blender... HTH

someone else might have a reason for the cooking, but i was under the impression that soft fruits / very ripe could just be mashed up (ie banana, papaya, etc) so woudl apply that to any fruit that was tender to the touch

[EASYconfusedMom]

My DD loves pears, and I have never cooked them, just waited for them to get very ripe.  I peel them and put them in the food processor.  We have used bartlett pears and bosc pears (depends what's on sale!)  I read about cooking them too somewhere, but it was after I had been giving them uncooked.  I agree that it is likely so they are softer and easier to puree/mash.  I have had no problem with her eating pears uncooked.

[RachelC]

From the "Super Baby Food Book"... "Cook fruits to make them soft and more digestible for your baby's immature system."

To cook:
Peel and chop.  Place in a saucepan, cover and cook over low heat for about 4 minutes.  Puree and serve.  You can then freeze in ice cube trays.

HTH
~Rachel

[EmMUK74]

I still cook the pears for Rachel because she can't digest them raw, even though she is fine with every other fruit, I think a lot of it is trial and error with your own LO

[mena]

I still cook them (boil) just because it's easier to puree. I'd try that way first, and then raw, as the others said.
My LO loves pears, it's his favourite fruit after grapes... or they're even, I think