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Banana for babies: when and how?
From the start of solids at around 6 months you can offer banana. Split lengthways to hold, or mashed with a fork.
Everything here comes from the food catalogue inside the HeyFini app: the traffic light, how to prepare it at 6, 9 and 12 months, and the source behind every safety statement.
Well suitedfine from the start of solids
How to prepare it, by age
All three stages stand side by side. We don't know how old your child is, so read the stage that fits you.
At 6 months
Split lengthways to hold, or mashed with a fork.
From 9 months
In small pieces that your baby can pick up itself.
From 12 months
Whole in the hand, just like the grown-ups.
Sources: WHO and UNICEF on texture stages, ESPGHAN 2017 on the lumpy-food window in months 8 to 10.
This page gives general information and does not replace medical or dietetic advice. Every child develops differently. When in doubt, talk to your paediatrician or a registered dietitian.
The ages are rough guides. What counts is not the calendar but what your child can already do with mouth and hands.
A tip from everyday life
The easiest fruit on the go. Split lengthwise it's easier to grip and less slippery.
The five safety rules
- Quarter round food lengthwise. Grapes, cherries and cherry tomatoes never go on the plate whole.
- Cook hard food soft or grate it finely. Raw carrot and raw apple break into hard pieces otherwise.
- Nuts are never whole, only as a butter or finely ground.
- Eating happens sitting upright, never lying down and never on the move.
- Stay with your baby while they eat. Choking happens silently.
Sources: AAP, the German BfR and Netzwerk Gesund ins Leben. All dangerous foods at a glance
All 234 foods in the app
HeyFini shows the preparation that fits your own child's age, plus the food passport and the allergen companion for all 14 main allergens.
Common questions
When can my baby eat banana?
As soon as solids are under way, so at around 6 months. Split lengthways to hold, or mashed with a fork.
How do I prepare banana for my baby?
The easiest fruit on the go. Split lengthwise it's easier to grip and less slippery.
What changes with banana from 12 months?
Whole in the hand, just like the grown-ups.
What changes at 9 months?
In small pieces that your baby can pick up itself.
Read on
General guidance, not medical advice. For questions about your child, talk to your paediatrician or midwife. In an emergency call your local emergency number (112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US).