First foods database
🍞 Banana bread for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies eat banana bread? Yes, from about 6 months, if homemade with no added sugar. Ripe banana gives plenty of sweetness, and soft fingers of banana bread are easy to hold.
Good source of: Carbohydrate, Potassium, Fibre
How to serve banana bread by age
6 to 9 months
Bake a low-sugar version with very ripe banana, flour, egg and milk, with no honey or syrup. Offer soft finger-sized slices, or crumble a little into yoghurt.
9 to 12 months
Offer small squares or fingers. Add grated carrot, apple or ground almonds for variety and extra nutrition.
12 months and up
Serve as a snack or breakfast, perhaps with a thin spread of nut butter. Shop and café versions are often high in sugar, so homemade is best.
Choking safety
Soft banana bread is low risk, though dry crumbly pieces can make some babies cough. Avoid versions with whole or chopped nuts, chocolate chips or large chunks of dried fruit for young children.
Gagging is common and noisy while babies learn to eat. Choking is usually silent. Always stay with your baby while they eat, sitting upright. How to help a choking baby (NHS).
Good to know
- Most shop and recipe versions are high in sugar.
- Usually contains wheat, egg and milk allergens.
Introducing it as an allergen
It contains gluten, egg, milk, which are among the 14 major allergens. How to introduce gluten · How to introduce egg · How to introduce milk
Easy ideas
- No-sugar banana and oat bread
- Banana bread with peanut butter
- Banana and carrot loaf
Goes well with
Weaning with OBubba
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Questions parents ask
Can babies eat banana bread?
Can babies eat banana bread? Yes, from about 6 months, if homemade with no added sugar. Ripe banana gives plenty of sweetness, and soft fingers of banana bread are easy to hold.
Can babies have banana bread?
Yes, homemade with ripe banana and no added sugar or honey. The riper the bananas, the sweeter the loaf, so blackened bananas are perfect.
Can I freeze banana bread for babies?
Yes. Slice it, freeze the slices separately and defrost fingers as needed. It keeps well for up to 3 months.
Sources
- NHS Start for Life: Weaning
- NHS: What to feed young children
- NHS: How to stop a child from choking
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
OBubba gives general information based on UK guidance. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Every baby is different. If your baby has a known allergy, severe eczema or a medical condition, speak to your doctor or health visitor before starting solids. Learn baby first aid, and in an emergency call your local emergency number (999 in the UK).