I know how overwhelming it is starting your baby on solids. If you are stuck on what to feed your baby in between meals, I’ve got you covered with these 15 healthy and easy snacks for babies!
It is one thing to begin feeding your baby meals, yet it is another thing to provide them with nutrient-dense snacks between meals.
When you first start your baby on solids, you don’t need to worry about snacks. They are just becoming familiar with food, so take it slow. I always suggest that parents begin with one meal a day and slowly work your way up to three meals by the time they are 8 months old or so.
If your baby is well-acquainted with food after a couple of months, then you can begin introducing snacks in between meals.
I strongly suggest offering healthy, balanced and nutrient-dense snacks and not just a snack lacking nutrients to pass the time. Of course, there are always going to be days where you only have a piece of cheese or fruit pouch to offer and that is totally fine too! There is nothing wrong with that.
What I Cover In This Post
- WHAT SHOULD A HEALTHY SNACK CONSIST OF?
- WHEN CAN YOU INTRODUCE SNACKS INTO YOUR BABY’S DIET?
- SOME HANDY TIPS FOR SNACK PREP
- 15 HEALTHY AND EASY SNACKS FOR BABIES
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What Should a Healthy Snack Consist Of?
A healthy snack should be a whole food. You want to try to avoid anything processed like crackers, biscuits, commercial bread and cereal (at least for the first 10 months of a baby’s life).
You also want to avoid anything with refined sugar or added sugar for your baby. This can cause irregular blood sugar levels and you want to ensure that your baby’s blood sugar levels are as stable as possible for an overall healthy digestive and immune system.
So, let’s chat about what a healthy snack consists of:
Ideally, you want to offer a whole food that contains a whole carbohydrate, protein and fat. When these three macronutrients are covered, so will a range of other vitamins and minerals, naturally.
Of course, a simple whole food like fruit, vegetable or piece of meat are ideal for snacks. But you can also get creative and try to add some other foods in there if you have the time.
When Can You Introduce Snacks Into Baby’s Diet?
When you introduce solid foods to your baby, begin slow by just offering them one meal a day.
As they become more acquainted with food, you can start offering snacks in between meals.
My baby is currently seven months old. I offer him a snack in his longer wake window after he has had his milk and a meal. If he is still hungry or fussy, I will offer him a little snack. It all depends on their age and wake windows.
You want to prioritise meals before snacks for their growing bodies, but a snack is always handy, especially in the busier times of day.
It also makes for a wonderful play experience, especially if you are following the baby-led weaning approach. (Read my post Why I Think Baby Led Weaning is Best).
Some Handy Tips for Snack Prep
If you are on the go often, then I find batch preparing foods to be helpful. Find one afternoon a week to chop up or bake some easy snacks and refrigerate them for easy access throughout the week.
I love these silicone snack cups for when you are on the go.
I will mention plenty of portable snack ideas below, but these are wonderful snacks to have on hand when you are out or having a busy day and need a simple snack for your baby.
If I am cooking dinner and my baby is fussy, which is often the case. I will either give him a piece of soft fruit to eat or even something I am cooking for dinner, like a chicken strip or some chickpea pasta. Just something easy for him to suck on without a lot of mess.
15 Healthy and Easy Snacks for Babies
Let’s get to some healthy and easy snacks for babies!
Some of these snacks should only be introduced after the 10 month mark, when your baby’s little digestive system is ready for foods like gluten, dairy, egg white and fish (download my Starting Solids Checklist above for more details).
I should mention that every snack here is paired with a fat and/or protein for stable blood sugar levels.
- Baked apple slices coated in coconut oil and a sprinkle of cinnamon (bake at 160 degrees for 15 minutes).
- Sweet potato fries coated in extra virgin olive oil and some herbs (like oregano or thyme).
- Boiled egg (omit egg white until 10 months old – see starting solids checklist above for guidance).
- Shredded chicken.
- Soft boiled chickpea or lentil pasta spirals.
- Easy banana pancakes
- Soft fruit fingers with nut butter (banana strips, sliced soft pear or steamed apple, mango chopped into miniature pieces).
- Greek yoghurt with soft fruit (peach, pear or banana).
- Avocado slices with hemp seeds.
- Mashed banana and avocado.
- Chia chocolate pudding (a quarter cup coconut milk, 2 tablespoons of chia seeds and 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder mixed together until chia seeds are soaked in the milk).
- Grated cheese and tuna (after 10 months old).
- Wholegrain toast with nut butter (after 10 months old).
- Slow cooked lamb strips.
- Steamed carrot slices and hummus (after 10 months old).
I hope these snack ideas were helpful! Let me know in the comments if you would add anything to the list or if you have tried any of these snacks for your baby š
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