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Banana for babies

How to serve it at 6, 9 and 12 months.

The CDC lists bananas among fruits to offer babies 6 to 12 months, and the AAP names ripe banana as a soft food a baby can mash with their gums. Not on the CDC's or AAP's choking lists. Not a major allergen.

Checked October 29, 2026.

How to serve banana at 6, 9 and 12 months

Serving banana, following the CDC and AAP texture and choking guidance
AgeHow to serve it
About 6 monthsMash it smooth, or offer a ripe, soft, finger-shaped piece once your baby sits up and brings things to their mouth.
About 9 monthsOffer lumpy mashed food or soft pieces no larger than one-half inch.
About 12 monthsSoft pieces your child picks up and eats at the table, kept small.

Every baby is different. Start the same way for every food: your baby sits up, you are right there, and the pieces match what they can do.

Is banana a choking hazard?

It is not named on the CDC's or AAP's choking lists, but the CDC says its list may not include every hazard, so the size and texture rules still apply. The AAP says to cut food for infants and young children into pieces no larger than one-half inch, to have children sit while they eat, and to watch every meal.

Is banana an allergen?

It is not one of the nine major food allergens the FDA names.

Even so, try one new single-ingredient food at a time, so you can tell what a food does (CDC).

Where this comes from

Named by: CDC: Foods and Drinks to Encourage; AAP: Baby-Led Weaning, Is It Safe?; AAP: starting solid foods (finger foods). The serving steps follow the CDC's texture advice and the AAP's finger-food and choking pages.

Call your pediatrician if…

Your pediatrician knows your child. Call them if you have a worry about a food, a reaction or choking. The AAP and the CDC have more:

Peabody editors write these pages from the sources below. We are not doctors, and this is not medical advice for your child.

Sources