One of the staple foods in this house throughout the weaning phase, and beyond, is banana.

Banana is a brilliant source of vitamins and minerals, especially potassium. Potassium helps muscles work including the muscles that control heartbeats and breathing. So they does so here are my top five ideas of banana-based foods, perfect for baby led weaning. Enjoy!

Apple and Banana Pancakes

Grate an apple, squeezing out the excess juice, and mix with one egg and a ripe banana. Add two tablespoons of flour to the mixture and a dash of cinnamon if you want to spice it up a bit. Drop about one tablespoon of the mix into a frying pan to make the pancake. When bubbles start to appear, flip them!
They’re also perfect for freezing so let them cool, wrap them up and just warm them in the microwave next time.

Banana and Spinach Pouches

Blend 125ml of Greek yoghurt with two bananas and handful of spinach until completely combined and smooth. Put the mixture into a bowl and gently fold in another 375ml of yoghurt. Pour into reusable squeeze pouches for the perfect snack!

Strawberry and Banana Smoothie Lollies

Blend two bananas with 70g strawberries, a dash of vanilla essence and 295ml of milk (breast or formula!). Pour into lolly moulds overnight. These are great for teething babies too as they’re nice and cooling on their gums!

Raspberry and Banana Biscuits

Put 40g sultanas into a bowl and soak in boiling water. In a large mixing bowl, add 95g oats and ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon to two mashed bananas and stir. Add 100g frozen raspberries and stir until they have broken up and been incorporated into the mixture. Drain the sultanas and add them in. Use tablespoon sized balls and squish down into biscuit shapes. Feel free to add more oats if the consistency needs to be thicker. Put into a preheated oven at 180C for 15 minutes. These are great for older siblings to help make too and are great for lunchboxes, as well as weaning!

Banana Bread

Add 3 large, ripe bananas to a blender, with 330g oats, two eggs, one teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, two teaspoons cinnamon and one teaspoon of vanilla extract. Feel free to add in some optional extras too like 150g dates or sultanas, a tablespoon of flax seeds and a tablespoon of chia seeds (or throw them all in). Pour the smooth mixture into a baking tin and put in a preheated oven (170C) for 30 minutes. Leave for an hour before slicing. This is also perfect for freezing!

Lauren Woolf is founder of That Little Outfit , a handmade kids’ clothing brand and parenting blog.
Find Lauren on Instagram or Twitter .