Six Reasons Why Bananas are The Healthiest Fruits for Babies

Weaning babies and moving them to solid food is an important and exciting step for babies and parents! Bananas are a great first food to introduce to babies as they’re easy to digest, already soft and mushy, and packed full of vitamins and minerals. You can also easily mix bananas with rice cereal that your baby might already be eating they are the perfect natural sweetener or just serve (mashed) bananas straight up.

Here are six great reasons to choose Chiquita bananas as one of your baby’s first solid food:

Babies love the sweet taste

Babies love Chiquita bananas because they are naturally sweet, in fact they can serve as a natural sugar replacement, with an irresistible creamy texture which makes them easy to eat. Mashing bananas raw is really important, because all the essential nutrients and vitamins in the fruit are kept intact (opposed to other fruits and vegetables that you have to cook first which can kill the nutrients).

Banana nutrition is so good for babies

Chiquita bananas are not only delicious for babies, they’re also perfect for their little growing bodies. A medium Chiquita banana contains around 100 calories and 19g of fructose, a simple, natural sugar. Bananas are also a great potassium-rich fruit. Potassium is a crucial nutrient for growing babies as it acts as an electrolyte that manages hydration levels and makes it possible for oxygen to reach their cells. Bananas are also packed with calcium, magnesium, zinc, and vitamins A, B6, B12, fiber and folate – which are all essential vitamins and nutrients that help babies gain healthy weight.

Bananas are easy to digest

Tiny tummies need food that’s simple to digest – and when you’re looking for easy eating, nothing beats a Chiquita banana! Bananas are a great source of carbohydrates, particularly when ripe, and most babies can eat them easily. Ripeness is important for babies, because in ripe bananas, the pectin starts to break down, softening them and making them more digestible.

Bananas are the ultimate convenience food

Bananas are also super convenient – they can be easily carried around and kept clean in their own packaging and mashed when they’re needed. You don’t need any fancy baby food making equipment, or even a fridge, as bananas are best stored at room temperature. Bananas are also great to add to your baked goods as a natural sweetener.

Bananas grow with your baby

As your baby grows and can handle less pureed food, you only need to mash bananas more roughly to take your baby to the next stage. When your baby is ready, you can add tiny chunks of banana to the puree. After that, you can then introduce bigger chunks of Chiquita banana as your baby’s first finger food. Bananas are easy to cut into little chunks that are great for tiny hands to grasp, making them an easy and fun first food for self-feeding.

You can mix and match bananas

One of the great things you can do with Chiquita’s baby-friendly bananas is add them to other foods (like pureed apple, pumpkin or rice porridge) so that your baby can expand their food range with the help of a flavor they already love.

So are you ready to introduce your baby to one of the world’s healthiest fruits?  Banana nutrition just can’t be beaten. Not only a potassium-rich fruit, but bananas are also great when it comes to ease and convenience, plus they are a natural sweetener! Millions of babies around the world love bananas – and we hope yours does too! Happy exploring!