How To Make Banana Baby Food?

Are you a parent looking to introduce your little one to solid foods? Making your own baby food can be a satisfying and economical approach to make sure your child is eating wholesome, fresh food. If you have some ripe bananas on hand, you’re in luck! Bananas are a great first food for babies due to their sweetness and smooth texture.

In this guide on how to make banana baby food, I’ll walk you through the simple recipes to create delicious and nutritious banana puree for your little munchkin. From selecting the ripest bananas to preparing and storing the puree, we’ve got you covered. So grab those ripe bananas, and let’s get mashing!

When To Introduce Banana To Babies?

According to the ACD (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) newborns can start eating ripe bananas as part of a balanced diet as early as six months. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises starting bananas at this age as a lump-free puree or mash. As the infant grows more extensive, you can incorporate bananas into other baby-friendly dishes like oatmeal and baby cereal.

Thinly sliced bananas are suitable as snacks for babies as young as nine months old. Once the infant is a year old, you can introduce banana bread, banana pancakes, and baked banana chips made with banana flour. Banana flour can be used to thicken stews, smoothies, shakes, and soups.

Nutritional Value Of A Banana

Bananas include a lot of carbs, dietary fiber, bioactive phytochemicals, potassium, and minerals.

The nutritional content of bananas varies based on the kind. An average ripe banana (115g) supplies the following nutrients for the baby:

A lot of people get plantains and bananas mixed up because they look so much alike. However, because of how they taste and feel, they are used in different ways in cooking. Plantains, also called cooking bananas, are tougher and have more starch than other bananas, so kids shouldn’t eat them raw. It’s best to feed them after you bake, roast, grill, or cook something for them.

Health Benefits Of Banana For Babies

The following advantages of including bananas in your baby’s well-balanced weaning diet could arise:

Provide Essential Nutrients

Ripe bananas are high in carbs, which can help meet a baby’s energy needs. It also contains folate, which boosts brain ability, and potassium, which is necessary for overall healthy growth in the body. It contains calcium, magnesium, and vitamin B. Bananas’ iron content helps to avoid anemia, while vitamin A improves vision.

Support digestive health

Because of their high fiber content, bananas may eventually help with digestive issues. Over 75% of a mature banana’s soft pulp is water, which makes it easy to digest and pleasant for a baby’s stomach. Bananas can assist in gut repair and replenish electrolytes—like potassium—that are lost during diarrhoea or vomiting, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 

Promote bone health

Bananas have a considerable quantity of calcium and phosphorus. These nutrients benefit your baby’s bone growth and development in the long run.

Boost immunity

Bananas contain trace amounts of vitamin C and bioactive chemicals such as carotenoids and carotenoids, which have antioxidant properties. These chemicals may help support immunological health. According to research, banana lectin, a protein contained in bananas, may operate as an immunomodulator, benefitting and enhancing immunity.

How To Make Banana Baby Food?

Here are some nutritious and delicious banana recipes to feed your baby and toddler.

Banana And Apple Puree (6 Months)

You will need:

• ½ banana (peeled)
• ½ apple (peeled and steamed)
• ¼ tsp jaggery powder (optional)

How to prepare

• Mash the banana and apple together using a fork until they form a lump-free, smooth mixture.
• To modify the consistency, mix in some breast milk or formula. If the puree is chunky, use a blender or grinder to smooth it up.
• To enhance the taste and nutritional content, transfer the puree into a small bowl and mix in the jaggery powder. Serve as a filling lunch or breakfast. 
• You can use this puree to make porridge more nutritious.

Baby Banana Cerelac (6 Months)

You Will Need

• 3tbsp homemade Cerelac
• ½ banana (peeled and mashed)
• 1tsp raisin puree
• 1 cup water

How to prepare

• Combine homemade Cerelac, raisins puree, and water in a mixing bowl to create a smooth, lump-free consistency.
• Pour the ingredients into the saucepan and cook for 10 minutes over low heat or until the cereal thickens. Turn off the heat and let the mix cool down. 
• Add mashed banana to the mixture, making sure there are no lumps. The Cerelac is ready for feeding.
• This recipe for sweet or savory Cerelac dishes for newborns can be modified to include seasonal fruits such as berries, kiwi, apples, and pears and vegetables such as sweet potatoes. 

Banana And Yogurt Mix (8 Months)

You will need:

• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• ½ banana (peeled and mashed)
• 1tsp dry fruit powder
• ⅛ tsp cinnamon powder
• Pinch of nutmeg

How to prepare

• Put all the things in a mixing bowl and stir them together well to make a smooth, lump-free mixture.
• Put the mixture into a bowl for serving, and serve right away. This dish has a lot of good bacteria in it.
• Add cooked rice or quinoa to this meal for babies over eight months old.

Ragi And Banana Porridge (10 Months)

You will need:

• 2tbsp ragi flour
• ½ banana (peeled and mashed)
• 1tsp date puree
• 1tsp dry fruit powder

How to prepare

• Combine ragi flour and 1 cup water in a mixing basin to make a smooth-flowing slurry.
• Place the ingredients in a saucepan and boil over low heat.
• As the mixture thickens, add the dried fruit powder and date puree. Mix everything thoroughly, making sure there are no lumps.

• Turn off the heat and set the saucepan aside to cool.
• After the mixture has cooled, put it in a bowl, add the mashed banana, and serve right away.
• You can make this recipe taste better and be healthier by adding other fresh fruits.
•  This is great for feeding a gluten-free and lactose-free meal to your baby.

Banana Custard (12 Months)

You will need:

• 1 banana (peeled and pureed)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1tbsp custard powder
• 1tbsp raisin puree
• 1tbsp dry fruit powder
• Pinch of cinnamon

How to prepare

• Combine custard powder, raisin puree, and 1/4 cup whole milk in a small mixing dish. Set aside.
• Pour the milk into a pan and boil over medium heat.
• Once the milk starts to boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for five minutes.
• Add the custard powder mixture and dry fruit powder to the milk gradually, stirring constantly.
• Let the mix boil until it gets thicker. Turn off the heat and stir every so often until you reach the right consistency. 
• Set the saucepan aside to allow the custard to cool. Add the banana puree and cinnamon to the custard mixture and chill for 20 minutes before serving. More seasonal fruits can improve this dish’s flavor and nutritional value.

Banana Cookies (12 Months)

You will need:

• 1 cup rolled oats powder
• 1 cup banana puree
• 2tbsp almonds and walnuts (finely chopped)
• 2tbsp jaggery powder
• ½tsp cinnamon powder

How to prepare:

• Turn the oven on to 350°F (176.6°C). Arrange parchment paper over a baking sheet and set aside. 
• In a large mixing basin, combine all of the ingredients until a batter forms.
• Spoon batter onto parchment paper. With the spoon, flatten the batter to resemble a cookie. 
• Place the cookie pan in the oven for 12 minutes or until the cookies have turned golden.
• Remove the cookie pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool.
• Serve one or two cookies with a cup of warm milk and keep the remaining cookies in an airtight container. Use the cookies within two weeks after refrigerating them. 

Banana Pancakes (12 Months)

You will need:

• 1 large egg
• 1 medium ripe banana, mashed
• 3tbsps iron-fortified infant oat cereal
• 1/8tsp Ground cinnamon
• Oil or butter (for cooking the pancakes)

How to prepare

• Divide the egg white and yolk between two small mixing bowls.
• Mix the mashed banana, oat cereal, and cinnamon with the egg yolk.
• Whisk the egg white rapidly until it becomes frothy.
• Fold the egg white froth into the banana-egg yolk combination.
• Grease or butter a pan and place it over low to medium heat. 
• Pour 2 tbsp batter at a time, cover, and cook the pancake for 2 minutes.
• Flip the cooked pancake and cook for 2 minutes over low heat.
• Remove from the heat and serve warm.

Banana Muffins (12 Months)

You Will Need:

• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• ¼ tsp salt
• Vegetable oil

How to prepare

• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• Combine the bananas, applesauce, sour cream, vanilla essence, and egg in a medium mixing dish.
• Beat the ingredients until smooth using a whisk or fork.
• In an other bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• Stir the wet items into the flour mixture just until combined.
• Spray a muffin tin with vegetable oil.
• Pack each muffin cup about two thirds full.
• Bake the muffin tin until well done, about 20 minutes.
• Serve warm, or keep the muffins in an airtight bag. 

Precautions To Take While Feeding Banana To Babies

The following are some precautions to take when feeding babies of all ages bananas.

• Ripe bananas are more accessible to digest, sweeter, creamier, and more appealing than unripe green bananas.
• If you buy raw bananas (green bananas that have not yet ripened), keep them at room temperature until they become yellow. Put them in a paper bag with a ripe apple to make them ripen faster.
• Breast milk or formula milk can be added to banana mash and soup to help babies swallow it better.
• To keep baby food from having lumps, which can be dangerous, mash ripe bananas well before making it.
• Don’t be concerned if a banana turns brown a few minutes after peeling, slicing, or pureed. It results from the oxidation of polyphenols in bananas, known as enzymatic browning.
• Introduce banana mash or puree without any other ingredients. Follow the “three-day wait” rule and do not feed any new food during this time. It could help diagnose banana intolerance, sensitivity, or allergy.
• Begin with a teaspoon per meal, gradually increasing to a tablespoon, then two.
• Maintain a moderate consumption because bananas can fill your child’s stomach, reducing their appetite for breast milk for, formula milk, and other foods.
• If the infant appears uncomfortable, cries, or behaves crankily after eating a banana, stop feeding and try again after some time.
• In alternative medicine, such as Ayurveda, feeding bananas at night in the cold is not recommended. Bananas may increase mucus production and aggravate colds and coughs.
• True banana allergy is uncommon, but possible. Typically, banana allergy results from cross-reactivity with tree pollens and latex. Cross-reactivity with tree pollen causes irritation and inflammation in the mouth and throat, a condition known as oral allergy syndrome (OAS).

How Do I Know If My Baby Is Allergic To Bananas?

The signs of a banana allergy are like those of other food allergens. Itchy rashes (hives), skin swelling, and wheezing are all symptoms that appear seconds or minutes after eating a banana. Some babies may cry because they are experiencing abdominal pain and nausea. how to make banana baby food

Bananas are high in fiber and nutrients your kid requires for proper development. It can be a nutritious supplement for newborns’ weaning diet. Bananas are easily digestible, and ripe bananas can be fed to children as young as six months old. Bananas provide numerous benefits to your kid, including improved digestive health, bone health, and immunity. However, ripe bananas are more accessible to digest, so serve in moderation as they can quickly fill your child’s tummy. how to make banana baby food

Are Bananas Often Considered a Choking Hazard for Babies?

Anything can be a choking hazard if not presented to a baby appropriately and adequately. Ripe bananas are usually not a choking hazard, but they can cause a youngster gag or choke if the bits are too significant to swallow even after mashing. A banana could get stuck inside a child’s mouth. how to make banana baby food

Processed bananas, such as banana chips or dried bananas, can be choking hazards for babies and toddlers. As a result, to reduce the danger, it is always preferable to choose fresh, ripe bananas for the baby and serve them in an age-appropriate manner. For example, if your child is between 7 and 18 months old, feeding them bananas in mashed or pureed form is preferable. Once they have established adequate swallowing and chewing reflexes, you can give them little banana bites to swallow and chew .

Is Banana Good for Babies During Cold and Cough?

Yes, a child can eat bananas even if he has a cough and cold, but it should be avoided in children who are allergic to them. Furthermore, avoiding offering bananas to newborns or toddlers at night is recommended, especially during the colder months, because doing so may worsen a cold or cough by producing more mucus.

Final Words

Introducing solid foods to your baby can be done simply and healthfully by making banana baby food. Rich in vital nutrients and easy for sensitive stomachs, bananas are a great option for early feeding. Make a delightful and healthful treat for your baby by using the easy recipes in this book.  So prepare some banana baby food and see how much your child enjoys this new, delicious experience!