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Berry Banana Baby Led Weaning Muffins
Baby led weaning is one of my favorite things to talk about with first (or second or third!) time parents who are embarking on the journey of starting solids. Baby led weaning is a popular method of feeding babies that focuses on offering safely-prepared whole foods for babies to learn self-feeding instead of offering traditional baby food/purees. This way, babies are exposed to a variety of textures and flavors that help them get acquainted with the wide world of delicious food!
You might be thinking, “muffins for babies? Aren’t muffins loaded with sugar!?” These berry banana muffins are actually perfect for baby led weaning. They’re made from whole foods, have only natural sweetness from fruit and no added sugar, are soft, and easy for babies to pick up and explore! So today I’m sharing a baby-led weaning muffin recipe that I’d love for you to bookmark for your next bake!
Baby Led Weaning Muffins Recipe
Understanding the foundation of baby led weaning can help you build a bank of ideas to feed your child. Many of the foods we eat every day are actually also great finger foods for babies, when prepared and offered with a few baby-friendly guidelines in mind!
If your baby is at least 6 months of age, showing interest in food, and has good trunk and head control, then you may be ready to start baby led weaning.
And if you’re ready to experiment with some baking for your baby, these muffins are great to make! They’re made with ripe banana, olive oil, and a combination of almond, oat, and whole wheat flour. They’re a moist, easy texture to chew, and you can feel confident about offering these to your baby!
What is Baby Led Weaning
Baby led weaning is a feeding approach that embraces serving whole foods as opposed to just pureed baby food, spoon fed by an adult.
Of course, you have to ensure that the foods you serve are soft, mashable, and easily chewable. We’re not out here giving carrot sticks to babies! But think things like avocado spears, yogurt, ground meats, and crusty bread with melted butter that they can gnaw on. These are all things that can be appropriate for babies to practice eating.
Baby led weaning can certainly incorporate some pureed foods as well. If you think about it, even some of the foods we eat as adults are naturally pureed like yogurt, hummus, applesauce, etc. If you choose to do baby led weaning, that doesn’t mean you can never offer pureed textures! It just means that you’ll also be offering a variety of other textures too, right off the bat! And, baby would be in charge of feeding themselves, vs. you putting a spoon in their mouth for them.
In baby led weaning, we want to serve iron rich (because iron stores start to decrease around this age), high-fat foods (because fat is vital for brain development). We want to avoid added sugar, added sodium, honey (risk of botulism under 1 year old), and anything that is crunchy, hard, chewy, or sticky.
That’s it! There aren’t a ton of rules. I know it can feel tricky and overwhelming at the start, but it’s actually pretty simple once you nail the basics!
What Is A Good Muffin Recipe For Baby-Led Weaning?
First, you want to avoid recipes with added sugar for babies. It’s important to maximize their nutrition when they are in such a critical stage of growth and development. And they’re at an age where you can be 100% in control of what you offer them!
You also want to avoid recipes with any chunks that would be hard or chewy, like nuts or dried fruit. We want to make sure the texture is appropriate for novice eaters.
I’ve got you covered with a great baby led weaning muffin recipe. It’s got whole grains, some healthy fat from nut flour, oil, eggs, and milk, and it’s honestly pretty delicious- I even ate one!
Healthy fats are extra important for babies, because they need fats for their brain and central nervous system development.
Ingredients for Baby-Led Weaning Muffins:
DRY:
1 cup ground oats (ground in blender/food processor; do NOT use baby oatmeal, the consistency doesn’t work well in baking)
¾ cup almond flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
WET:
1 heaping cup mashed banana (2 medium or 3 small)
¼ cup olive oil (could also use avocado oil or liquid coconut oil)
2 eggs
½ cup milk (dairy or soy)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions for Baby-Led Weaning Muffins:
Step 1, preheat your oven to 350 F and prepare your muffin tin with liners.
Step 2, in a medium bowl, mix together your whole wheat flour, ground oats, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Step 3, in a separate, large bowl, mash your bananas until smooth.
Step 4, add the oil, eggs, apple cider vinegar, almond flour, milk, and vanilla extract to your banana mash.
Step 5, add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and mix until combined.
Step 6, mix in 1 cup of your fresh (or frozen) berries of choice.
Step 7, divide your batter evenly among the 12 muffin tins, filling them about ¾ full.
Step 8, bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 F.
Step 9, transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring them out of the tins and onto the rack.
You can also bake these muffins in a mini muffin tin if you want mini banana muffins. If you choose to do so, you may need to reduce your cooking time by 5-8 minutes. I would keep an eye on them around that 15 minute mark as smaller muffins will cook faster!
Berry Banana Baby Led Weaning Muffins
Equipment
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats, ground
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup mashed bananas, heaping cup, about 2 large or 3 medium bananas
- 1/4 cup olive or avocado oil
- 2 eggs, large
- 1/2 cup milk, dairy or soy
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup frozen blueberries, or other berry
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F and prepare your muffin tin with liners.
- In a medium bowl, mix together your whole wheat flour, ground oats, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a separate, large bowl, mash your bananas until smooth.
- Add the oil, eggs, apple cider vinegar, almond flour, milk, and vanilla extract to your banana mash.
- Add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Mix in 1 cup of your fresh (or frozen) berries of choice.
- Divide your batter evenly among the 12 muffin tins, filling them about ¾ full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 F.
- Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring them out of the tins and onto the rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is calculated by a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. All nutrient values are approximations, as there are natural variations in ingredients and measurements.
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy
Double Chocolate Muffins
Healthy Baked French Toast Sticks
Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal
More on the Best First Foods for Baby
If you’re wanting a little bit more direction on best first food for baby, I’m your girl! I’ve got information on feeding all the age groups- from tiny babies to tots to kids!
I also have a few other muffin recipes like these zucchini banana bread muffins for kids and these healthy strawberry muffins that would be great for toddlers and above.
