Nutritious, soft, sweet, and easy to prep and eat: When it comes to ideal first foods for your baby, bananas are at the top of the list.
But whether you’re following baby-led weaning or starting solids in the form of purées, you might be wondering about the best way to add bananas to your budding eater’s menu. Chances are, your curious cutie will get a kick out of trying this tasty fruit.
Here are some ideas for serving bananas to babies and toddlers, plus when it’s safe to start offering them.
When can babies have bananas?
Your new eater can try bananas as soon as she dives into the world of solids, usually sometime around 6 months.
If you’re offering bananas baby-led weaning-style — meaning, you’re skipping purées and heading straight into finger foods — you’ll want to wait until at least the 6-month mark, when your little one is more capable of self-feeding. Your pediatrician can help you decide on the right timeframe to introduce solids.
How to prepare bananas for your baby
Good news: You don’t have to do much! The key is making sure your bananas are ripe to the point where you can easily smoosh them with your fingers — a sign that they’re soft enough for your baby to mash with her gums or emerging teeth. Pull off any rogue strings, too, which can pose a choking hazard.
The tips below can help parents determine how to serve bananas at different stages, but keep in mind that all babies develop at their own pace. Speak with your pediatrician before beginning baby-led weaning, and talk to him or her if you have any concerns about your child's oral-motor skills, chewing skills, swallowing skills, or if you're unsure whether or not your baby is ready for certain food preparations.
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How to prepare bananas for a 6-month-old
If you're following a baby-led weaning approach, big, grippable pieces are the name of the game at 6 months.
Try cutting a banana in half and peeling halfway down so your baby can gum at it while using the peel to grasp the fruit. Another option is to slice the banana into long strips that she can grab with her palm. If the strips are slippery, try dusting them with a little baby cereal.
You can also serve bananas mashed, and either spoon-feed them to your baby, have her rake the banana with her fingers or hand her a preloaded spoon with mashed banana.
How to prepare bananas for a 9-month-old
Help your sweet pea develop her pincer grasp by cutting a banana into small pieces — think the size of oat circle cereal.
How to prepare bananas for a 12-month-old
These days, the bananas on your baby’s plate can start to look more like what you’d serve yourself. You can cut them into slices or quarters, or break a whole, peeled banana into a few large pieces.
How to prepare bananas for an 18-month-old
It’s usually fine for young toddlers to munch on whole bananas at this age. Continue to offer them fully peeled with strings removed.
Banana recipes for babies and toddlers
Your sweetie might not be ready for sliced bananas on top of a bowl of cereal quite yet. But there are plenty of fun, tasty ways she can get her fill of the yellow fruit. Just remember to always introduce one food at a time, especially top allergens like eggs, peanuts, soy, wheat, dairy and seafood.
- Spread banana spears or slices with a thin layer of peanut butter (if she's already been introduced to nuts).
- Spread mashed banana on toast strips (or cut into small pieces, depending on her age).
- Make naturally sweet cookies by mixing mashed bananas with oats, rolling into balls and baking.
- Mash and add banana to muffins, pancakes or baked oatmeal strips.
- Blend banana with yogurt and freeze into popsicles.
- For toddlers practicing with utensils, stir mashed banana into oatmeal or yogurt.
What are the benefits of bananas for babies and toddlers?
Bananas are a top source of potassium, which is a must for building strong, healthy muscle tissue and supporting healthy nerve and brain function. They’re also rich in vitamin C and fiber.
Keep in mind that bananas can have a binding effect (they’re great for combating diarrhea). So even if your little one loves them, don’t let her go totally bananas on bananas.
Can babies be allergic to bananas?
Bananas aren’t a common allergen, but it’s still worth knowing the signs of a possible reaction. Your baby or toddler might have a food allergy if, immediately or within an hour or two after eating, she experiences:
- Hives
- Itching
- Skin, lip or tongue swelling
- Sneezing
- Wheezing
- Throat tightness or trouble swallowing
- Nausea, vomiting, stomach pain or diarrhea
- Trouble breathing
Call your doctor right away if your child experiences symptoms of an allergic reaction. An allergic reaction may be more severe or possibly life-threatening (called anaphylaxis) if multiple areas of the body are affected. In the rare event that your child shows signs of a life-threatening allergic reaction like trouble breathing or swallowing, call 911 right away.
Are bananas a choking hazard for babies?
Bananas are not considered a common choking hazard for babies. However, prepare them safely by removing all rogue strings (which babies can choke on), making sure bananas are very ripe before serving them (hard pieces of fruit can be a choking hazard) and offering them in appropriate sizes.
Make sure, too, to always supervise your young child when she's eating, sit her upright during mealtimes and never serve food while she's reclining, walking, sitting in a car seat or playing.
Bananas are always a good bet when it comes to first foods. With so many tasty, simple ways to serve them, the only question is which one your new nosher will love the most.
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