Simple Banana Sticks with a Touch of Cinnamon (V)
Indian baby food recipe - finger food
When Aaliyah started showing an interest in picking up food and trying to feed herself, I decided that the finger foods I was going to offer her were going to taste interesting, as I was already incorporating aromatic spices within her meals.
The recipes didn’t have to be complicated…. in fact, the simpler the better as I didn’t want to overwhelm her little taste buds. I just wanted to enhance the taste of basic fruit and vegetables she had already become accustomed to eating; helping her adapt to new flavours. So as banana is already a ripe, squishy fruit and was one of Aaliyah’s favourite fruits (in fact, it still is), I decided to pair this fruit with the deliciously sweet, aromatic spice cinnamon.
Cinnamon not only adds an extra layer of scrumptiousness to the banana, it is loaded with health benefits for baby. Great for aiding digestion and strengthening the immune system to help keep cold and flu viruses at bay. The banana too is potassium-rich - vital for heart function and for keeping internal organs in excellent working condition. So this is an incredibly nutritious finger food for babies.
Just be sure you have already introduced aromatic spices into your little one’s diet using the ‘four day rule’ as you would have done when you first introduced fruit and vegetables into her diet. As mentioned, Aaliyah was already accustomed to hints of aromatic spices within her stage 2 meals so was completely fine when I offered this finger food to her.
One thing to be aware of though….
BANANAS ARE SLIPPEREY!
Adding a slight complication when your little one tries to pick up the banana with her cute, podgy little fingers. There were numerous occasions when the banana simply slipped out from between Aaliyah’s fingers. So I tried cutting the banana into different shapes to see if some shapes were easier to pick up than others. I tried sliced banana and cubed banana, but the shape that worked best for my little one was a stick shape, as there was more of the smooth outer flesh for her to hold onto.
Give different shapes a try though as all babies are different so what didn’t work for my little one might work for your little one instead. However, if all fails, just hand your little one a spoon and let her pick up the banana pieces with that instead.
Makes 1 serving. Total preparation and cooking time – 2 mins
Ingredients
- ½ banana – cut into 2” sticks (or chunks)
- Tiny sprinkle of ground cinnamon
Method
Cut the banana into four sticks by cutting the banana in half lengthways and then in half lengthways again.
Lay the banana sticks on a plate and lightly sprinkle over some cinnamon with your fingers. Serve to baby on a colourful plastic plate and let the mess fun begin!
