As a nutritionist, I get asked a lot about fruit for babies and toddlers and one of the fruits I seem to get asked about more than any other is bananas, so I thought I would dedicate a whole blog post to them. There also seem to be a few myths and misplaced theories about bananas which I can set straight for you below!
Nutrition in bananas
Let’s start by breaking down what eating a banana gives our bodies in terms of nutrition. Bananas count as one of our 5-a-day which we need as part of a balanced diet. They are baby and toddler-friendly as they contain no salt or saturated fat. Like all fruit and veg, they are also packed with fibre, helping to keep little guts happy, healthy and regular. The less ripe they are, the more beneficial fibre and prebiotics they contain – although do keep in mind that the high starch content in less ripe bananas is less easily digested by small tummies so you should avoid giving little ones underripe bananas.
The fruit sugar in bananas is a quick, natural source of carbohydrate and energy for every-day snacking. They’re readily available and affordable and make the perfect portable fruit – they even come in their own (compostable!) packaging.
Bananas are also a source of potassium, which supports a healthy heart as well as nerve and muscle function, alongside vitamin B6, which helps our bodies to use and store energy from protein and carbohydrates. Bananas also provide some vitamin C, which most of us probably associate more with citrus fruits – but bananas contain some too. Plus, they contain plant compounds called phytochemicals and antioxidants which have been shown to benefit the cells in our bodies. Finally, bananas contain some magnesium alongside tryptophan which converts to serotonin in our bodies. Serotonin (a happy hormone) boosts our mood and, along with magnesium, may help with sleep (more on that below).
How many bananas can my child eat per day?
Although there are no strict rules on consumption, up to one banana a day is probably best as this helps encourage them to eat a greater variety of fruit and veg daily and throughout the week – and not just all bananas! Eating a rainbow of different fruit and veg will help your little one to get a variety of vitamins and minerals during weaning and beyond.
You may also have heard that eating ‘too many’ bananas – and therefore ‘too much’ potassium is ‘harmful’. Although there is a risk in older people of having higher levels of potassium in the body, this doesn’t apply to young children other than in rare cases where their kidneys are not working as they should. The risk for older people is that as we age, our kidneys become less efficient at removing potassium from the blood. For this reason, the elderly are not advised to take a potassium supplement. To give you an idea, and provide reassurance, a medium banana weighing 100g contains 27mg potassium. The NHS recommends 1-3 year olds consume 800mg potassium a day and that adults consume 3500mg. We can get all the potassium we need by eating a balanced diet – but at 27mg potassium per banana, we would have to feed our little ones an awful lot of them to surpass our daily recommendations!
Should my child eat bananas if they have constipation?
Although increasing fibre in your little one’s diet is one way to treat constipation, you may have heard another theory that eating bananas, even though they are fibre-rich, is actually not helpful for treating it. There isn’t any strong evidence to support this theory. On the other hand, many parents do find that the ‘P fruits’ (that is pears, prunes and plums) can be particularly helpful with constipation. That’s because these fruits are high in sorbitol which acts as a natural laxative. If your child loves bananas but is suffering from constipation there is no reason to avoid them as they offer many health benefits – but do focus on those P fruits when you can as well.
And if you DO find that bananas seem to worsen constipation or don’t help, you can stop offering them and have a chat with your GP/Health Visitor.
For further advice on treating constipation, visit the NHS’s guide to treating constipation in children.
Bananas and sleep
It’s important to know that there are multiple, varied things that will affect a toddler’s sleep, including lots of things we can’t change like their personality and genetics. However, many people are often interested in certain foods and their impact directly on sleep – understandably! In all honesty, we don’t have much evidence or data to show directly that particular foods (such as a banana) will help toddlers sleep better. Unfortunately, what impacts our toddler sleep is likely to be very individual for each child.
Anecdotally and historically however, many parents suggest that a banana before bed helps their toddler to sleep better. If a banana works for you, go for it – but do be mindful of a toddler’s need for a balanced diet and the need to have plenty of variety in the foods they are eating each day (as well as the importance of brushing teeth after any foods before bed!). There may be some scientific reasons why a food such as a banana could help your little ones to sleep better:
- They are filling and it might help little ones go to bed nice and full or satiated (feeling satisfied after food, not hungry)
- They contain a few nutrients that have been linked to better sleep, calmness and relaxing such as magnesium, tryptophan, potassium, and B vitamins…some of these nutrients are thought to be important in sleep, rest and muscle relaxation.
- They contain plenty of carbohydrates and soluble fibre which might help that feeling of “fullness”. Additionally, carbohydrates may also help tryptophan (an amino acid that is linked to sleep) get to the brain.
As I mentioned, there is no quick fix for sleep with some toddlers (I know this all too well myself). But a balanced diet, plenty of energy and nutrients during the day (whether that includes a banana or not) may help with sleep at night along with lots of other things including bedtime routines and establishing a little calm time before bed each day! You can read more suggestions and advice on helping your toddler to sleep in my separate blog post.
Finally, I couldn’t write this blog without including some banana recipes too… so here is a round-up of all my favourite ideas for you to try.
Top 5 banana recipes
- Banana bread
- Baby and toddler-friendly peanut butter and banana muffins
- Banana and oat pancakes
- Peanut butter flapjacks
- Baby-friendly oat and blueberry muffins
3 ways to use up over-ripe bananas
To keep bananas fresher for longer, wrap the tops in cling film or beeswax paper and store away from other foods. And if you end up with over-ripe ones in the fruit bowl, try these ideas:
Mash well and add to bakes and cakes in place of sugar or eggs – try in my pumpkin pancakes recipe
Slice and freeze in layers to add to smoothies when you need them with a handful of oats, milk of your choice, a spoonful of nut butter and mixed frozen fruit
Make banana ice cream by blending sliced, frozen bananas with blended fruit (follow the ice cream baskets recipe on my blog for quantities)
I hope you’ve found this blog helpful. I know bananas can be the cause of MANY a meltdown with toddlers. I know all too well from my own kids that one day they’re the best thing in the world, the next they hate them and god forbid you peel the banana the wrong way!!! We do LOVE bananas, but they don’t half cause some headaches!
For more nutritious baby and toddler-friendly recipes you can visit my blog or check out my books, How To Wean Your Baby, How To Feed Your Toddler or How To Feed Your Family. I hope you found this blog on bananas for babies and children useful.
How To Feed Your Family
Following on from her bestselling books How to Wean Your Baby and How to Feed Your Toddler, this book brings Charlotte’s trademark approach of practical support and nurturing step-by-step guidance to help you manage the juggle of family life.