I often get asked about what foods to choose when preparing snacks for a baby during my Weaning Wednesday Q&A over on Instagram (every Wednesday). Firstly, snacks are introduced at nine months as you drop your baby’s mid-morning and mid-afternoon milk feed. Your baby may not be initially hungry for snacks so it's fine to skip until they do.
I love to offer finger foods and dips as a snack because it’s more visual for your baby. That’s where snack plates come in.
How to build a snack plates
If your baby can manage finger food I would suggest you make up their snack plates with a variety of finger foods including dips or purées. Make each plate up with a source of protein, carbohydrate and a fruit or vegetable. Snack plates allow you to easily change it up each day and offer variety.
An example of a snack plate:
Toast finger - lightly toast bread, remove the crust and cut into fingers
Nut butter - make sure it is smooth. Spread on toast fingers or serve as a dip.
Ripe Kiwi - peel chop the kiwi into quarters or into bite sized pieces.
Here are a few recipes that are perfect to add to snack plates.
Muffins
Muffins are the perfect snack for little hands. Try out our Banana and Berry Muffins, a great texture that your baby can hold and feed themselves. Make sure to back extra and freeze for future use.
Courgette Cupcakes
Our Courgette Peanut Butter Cupcakes are a real treat – sugar free and ready in 30 minutes. The creamy peanut butter adds great texture and flavour to these healthy cakes. This recipe will be a hit with your little one! Freeze a batch in Portion Pots for future use.
Our Weaning Advice page provides information and advice on weaning your baby. It includes recipes, tips, and articles on a variety of topics related to weaning, such as introducing finger food, adding herbs and spices to baby food, and healthy snacks for your baby, and lots more
