Figuring out snack ideas for baby can seem impossible. A mix of burnout and exhaustion from thinking out and making so many meals tends to put us in a rut. If you’re looking for some new baby led weaning snacks, we’ve got you covered.
At my oldest son’s 9 month appointment, I was told it was time to start giving his 3 meals and 2 snacks a day.
It seemed like too much food! And I quickly got burnt out. We soon got into a habit of having the same three things in rotation.
Eventually, I started to find way to give snacks the didn’t take a ton of time and allowed for variety. I started searching for new snacks as well as mess free snacks for babies.
WHich brings us to this post on baby snack ideas!
Keep in mind when choosing BLW snack:
Texture.
We want to avoid anything hard like nuts, raw carrots, etc. Also, things that are too sticky (think a spoonful of peanut butter) or chewy (a gummy).
Shape and size.
Be sure to avoid anything smaller than what your baby can already handle. If your baby is 6-9 months old, this means long finger length sticks that are easy to grab and chew.
Sitting versus Moving.
Until your baby is able to eat without distraction and you are confident in her chewing skills, I highly recommend sticking to snacks in the highchair for safety. Never let your baby have a snack in their car seat, for the sake of choking risks.
We used to let Ryan snack in his jumper very closely watched. Owen was strictly in his high chair because he was distracted easily.
Our Ultimate List of Baby Snack ideas
Ready to get started? Here are our favorite blw snacks.
Tortilla roll-ups. Take a tortilla of your choice and put PB&J or PB and sliced bananas, roll up and serve. You can also try hummus or cream cheese.
Pancakes. We love them cut into sticks for babies or as the “bread” in a PBJ.
Yogurt with fruit or jam mixed in. Make sure the jam is no sugar added and the yogurt is plain!
Chia pudding. Packed with protein and nutrients, this option is east to whip up ahead of time and enjoy later.
Baby oatmeal. This is another great option to prep ahead of time and freeze. you can change it up easily with fruits! It’s also a great use for breast milk.
Applesauce. A great, safer alternative to an apple. Even better, get the pouch options are clean and mess-free! Check to ensure no sugar added. Serve on a preloaded spoon for BLW.
Canned beans like black beans, pinto beans, or chickpeas. If baby is 6-9 months make sure to mash them ahead of time. Grab a low sodium version and rinse them off before serving.
Fruit and veggie snacks for babies.
While not always the cleanest, fruit and veggies can be your best option! Here are some great ones for baby snacks.
- Strawberries
- Bananas
- Defrosted peas
- Raspberries
- Pears, sliced
- Oranges or clementines
- Pineapple
- Avocado
- Steamed or cooked veggies
- Baked fried (sweet potato or white potato)
- Watermelon
- Cucumber spears
- Broccoli
Veggies with dippers. We love using Greek yogurt as a dip, but other options are homemade or a salt free Ranch, hummus, or salsa.
Recipes for our fave snacks
While it can be a pain, making a big batch of something and freezing or storing for a week of snacks is a great option. Here are some of my favorite options.
- Sweet potato muffins
- Easy carrot muffins
- Spinach muffins
- Healthy chocolate cookies
- Banana baby cookies
- Healthy Apple Muffins
- Breastmilk pancakes
- Spinach pancakes
Mess Free Baby Snack Ideas
Pouches! Yes, they can be pricey but they’re such an easy snack for babies. Choose one with veggies as well as fruit and possibly a protein or grain if you want it to tide them over longer.
Freeze dried fruit. Freeze-dried fruit for babies is one of my FAVORITE no mess ideas. Not only are they getting all the benefits of the fiber a fruit offers, but it’s easy for babies to easy. It dissolves in the mouth of babes so it’s easy for babies under 9 months.
Raw green beans or snow peas. They’re fun for babies to gum and great cold for sore gums. If your baby is new to food, try steaming them for a bit to soften.
Dry snacks. If baby has a good pincer grip and can pick them up and has chewing down pat, dry cereal and snacks are great. We love plain cheerios for their minimal processed junk, but for a treat Annie’s Bunnies are awesome. (plus, you get to snack on a few too!)
Banana cookies. Anytime we go anywhere for more than an hour or two, I throw a bunch of these into a zip top bag and throw it in the diaper bag.
Apple. I talk about apple in my baby led weaning apples post, but for babies under 1, slices of steamed apple work as a great snack. If they are 9 months and have a good handle on chewing, raw apples cut into paper thin slices are great.
Sliced grapes. Slice grapes lengthwise and put into a snack cup and let ’em go. Make sure your baby is ready for small items, though.
Cheese. Soft cheeses cubed or cheese like cheddar in sticks are a great option for babies! Just beware of sodium.
Store Bought Snack Ideas
Sometimes grabbing something premade is a necessity. Thankfully there are so many good options!
Pouches. We love these especially if they have a veggie added in. Perfect for throwing in your bag.
Puffs or yogurt melts. Made for babies of course and melt in their mouth. Just be sure to use fresh ones. If they stale, they become a choking hazard.
Baby cookies. There are many options, some with added veggies, so look at the nutrition label to find what you like for your family.
Crackers. Find options with low salt and that aren’t too crunchy. Always remember that where you baby is on her food milestones t decide is something crunchy is a good option for you.
Yogurt pouches. Another option we love. Some don’t even require refrigeration! Either way, they’re a great option when you need something quick and protein-packed.
Applesauce pouches. Similar to the normal pouches, but a great options everyone in the family will like.
More baby led weaning posts
If you’re new to baby led weaning, or just want more information on the process, check out the other posts in my baby led weaning series:
When to start Baby Led Weaning
How to Cut Food For Baby Led Weaning
Pincer Grip Foods
Ultimate Guide to Baby Led Weaning
First Foods, Fruits and Vegetables
Baby Led Weaning Meal Prep
Baby Led Weaning On the Go
Benefits of Baby Led Weaning
What are your little one’s favorite snacks? Let me know in the comments!!
sarah@creatingbettertomorrow says
Oh I love the idea of freeze dried food vs. puffs…we have done puffs 🙁 though I wanted to resist but have stuck to the organic ones…but love this idea!!!
Morgan says
When it was puffs time, I couldn’t find a single one that didn’t have soy, which Ryan had an allergy too. But I think the fruit is actually cheaper than puffs so I’m not complaining!!
Joanne says
Awww what a cutie! My best friend has a seven month old, so I”m going to pass this along her to so she can see what’s in store!
Morgan says
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing!
Danielle says
My 3 year old loves all of those freeze dried fruits too! Now I try to limit then because he can down the whole bag in one sitting!
Liz Joiner says
He’s too cute! Great that he loves fruit 🙂
You know, Sophie’s a year and half now and from age I’m going to guess 10 months on? We never fed her regularly in the high chair, it was either in a bouncer, on the floor, wherever she would eat her dinner, lunch, breakfast. For dinner time she rides in her stroller, or if we don’t get a walk in, she just eats straight from the dining room table, she usually comes to the left side of my chair waiting to grab food off of the table, or she comes to the side and looks for food there. It’s only lunch time she sits in the highchair, other than that, she’s just running around eating food wherever we’ve put it for her (usually on her stroller tray).
liz @ sundays with sophie
Morgan says
hahah that’s awesome!! My son eats meals in his high chair, but the main reason I don’t feed him on the flood (which I have done MANY times at my dad’s!) is because with the dog, Ryan wouldn’t get a bite in at all!!
Sarah @ Sweet Miles says
Oohh interesting! I’ll have to remember this for the future 🙂
Morgan says
Baby led weaning is seriously my favorite/most successful part (so far) about parenting!
Anastasia says
My daughter loves yogurt covered raisins, crackers with colby cheese, and grape tomatoes cut in half. She also loves plain, cold tofu which I don’t even like and I eat some questionable foods sometimes haha
Morgan says
Yogurt covered raisins are such a good idea! I’ve been avoiding raisins since he doesn’t have molars, but I think it’s time to get over it!
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says
All you mammas totally impress me. I can barely feed myself! Haha!
Morgan says
Hahah trust me, I thought the same thing! But it’s kind of sink or swim, and the sink option is definitely not an option…. hahahha
Heather@hungryforbalance says
Yes to all of these!! And toddlers are SO GROSS! I mean, we love them, but is there anything that they won’t put in their mouths, slobber all over, and then hand back to you?
Cut up apple pieces and little containers of raisins are Matilda’s current favorite snack.
Morgan says
They are seriously the grossest. Ryan has recently started pulling food OUT OF HIS mouth and pushing it into mine. And then cry when I don’t want his chewed, slobbery apple chunks in my own mouth.
Heather says
Baby led weaning was so much easier for us than purees (and much less messy)! It can be hard to always keep it everything completely non-processed, but another of our favorites once our kiddos got old enough to handle them were the organic pureed pouches. They still got to feed themselves and they were so easy to just throw in my bag. Even now it’s sometimes the only way I can get them to eat enough fruits/veggies in a day if they’re being super picky. :p
Morgan says
I tried to get my son to eat those but he can’t get the hang of ’em! I should try it again!!