Easy guide on how to cut banana for baby-led weaning, which banana is good for baby, when can baby eat banana, how much banana can a 6 month old baby eat and info on banana allergy in baby.
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Baby-led weaning banana
Baby-led weaning (BLW) is a method of introducing solids that puts your child in control of how they eat as well as how much they eat. It allows your child to completely follow their own instincts and skips out any need for purees or mashed food.
Bananas are a great first food for babies that are baby-led weaning because they pose very little choking hazard, are soft, delicious and nutritious and require almost no preparation.
Babies can eat bananas as soon as they are ready to start eating solid foods.
They are not a common choking hazard but they are common cause of gagging.
Serve the softest banana you have, a very ripe one and it should be easy for baby to eat it.
Banana Nutrition
Bananas are a higher calorie fruit with a good amount of carbs and sugars and that is why you may find that your baby is quite full after eating one.
They are a healthy source of fiber, potassium, folate, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and others.
The nutrients in a banana will vary with the ripeness.
Banana allergy in baby
Bananas are not really a frequent allergen and there are higher chances of your baby developing a different food allergy rather than bananas.
You would need to observe your child more closely if they have a family history of food allergies (bananas especially) as well as a latex allergy or have developed atopic dermatitis already.
If you don't know whether your child is allergic to bananas or not, make sure to offer them for the first time during a working day when your doctor is only a phone call away and in the morning hours.
Which banana is good for babies?
A baby can eat any type of banana, especially if it is pureed.
However as a first food we recommend serving a soft and ripe banana to minimize and choking or gagging.
How to cut banana for baby led weaning?
There are multiple ways to prepare banana for BLW, depending on baby age and your preference.
- banana for 6 month old baby-led weaning
- option 1 - cut the banana in half; carefully remove the top of the peel with a knife so half of it still has the peel on as it is easy for baby to grab that way
- option 2 - fully peel the banana and let the baby hold; this may or may not be too slippery for them but they may prefer it more than option one as it lets them chew on the whole banana not just the top
- option 3 - half the banana, peel it and separate into thirds by pushing your finger through the middle (or cut)
- banana for 9 month old baby
- you can still use any of the options as for the 6 months old baby or
- cut into bite size pieces
- mash on a piece of toast or baby pancake
How to make banana baby food?
Banana can be given to a baby that is just starting to eat solid food in either a puree form or as baby-led weaning as described above.
When making banana puree you also do not need to cook the banana but rather just place in a blender with a bit of water and blend.
If your baby is beyond purees but you are still not confident to give them banana blw then you can mash it with a fork.
You can find more in-depth information on making banana puree or banana mash for baby here.
Even if you are feeding baby purees you can still let them have control by giving them a preloaded spoon and letting them put the spoon in their mouth by themselves.
How to store banana for baby?
Bananas are best served immediately after peeling as they do start browning even though they are still fine to eat if brown.
Store them in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze them to use for smoothies or banana bread.
Other ways of serving banana to baby
Since banana is such a nutritious and high calorie food it is a great first food for baby and later on as a healthy baby snack.
There are many ways of adding it to a baby's diet, some of our favorites include baby oatmeal, pancakes, teething popsicles and smoothies.
Here are some of our readers favorite recipes with banana for baby.
FAQ
There is no upper limit for eating bananas but with everything in life, food included, moderation is key. You don't want your baby being sick because they stuffed themselves on bananas. So for the first year 1 banana per day is sufficient.
Bananas are a good source of essential vitamins and minerals especially potassium and are a great way to get your kid eating fruits if they don't usually like to do so. They are also great for replacing sugar in certain sweet meals like pancakes, cakes and muffins.
Do limit the intake to 1 per day and use a variety of different fruit and veggies to make sure your baby is being exposed to a fair amount of different foods.
Bananas, especially unripe bananas, are known to cause constipation. The way to try and prevent that is to make sure that you (or your child) are drinking enough water throughout the day and around that not-so-ripe banana meal to make sure you are minimizing the risk of constipation.
More baby-led weaning recipes
--> see all baby-led weaning recipes
Recipe
How to serve banana BLW
Ingredients
- ½ banana
Instructions
serving options for banana for 6 month old baby-led weaning
- cut the banana in half; carefully remove the top of the peel with a knife so half of it still has the peel on as it is easy for baby to grab that way
- fully peel the banana and let the baby hold; this may or may not be too slippery for them but they may prefer it more than option one as it lets them chew on the whole banana not just the top
- half the banana, peel it and separate into thirds by pushing your finger through the middle (or cut)
serving options for banana for 9 month old baby
- mash on a piece of toast or baby pancake
Notes
- Babies can eat bananas as soon as they are ready to start eating solid foods.
- They are not a common choking hazard but they are common cause of gagging.
- Serve the softest banana you have, a very ripe one and it should be easy for baby to eat it.
- If not eaten immediately they will start to brown. Bananas are safe to eat when brown and if need be, store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days or freeze.
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