Ultimate List of Healthy Snacks for Babies (By Age and Stage)

As a Registered Dietitian, I often get asked about healthy snacks for babies that you can prepare in minutes to help expose them to a variety of flavors and nutrition. These are my favorite baby snacks on-the-go, or suggestions to make at home to enjoy with baby!

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Disclaimer – This post is for informational purposes only and is not for diagnosing or treatment. See your medical provider or Registered Dietitian for individual recommendations. 

Whether you’re doing baby led weaning or needing inspiration for feeding your baby, this list of healthy snacks for babies includes several snack ideas, ranging from pureed baby foods to whole finger foods and everything in between!

As a Registered Dietitian with a decade of experience, I absolutely enjoy the process of feeding babies. Testing recipes and creating healthy snacks for babies brings me so much joy.

Even the time of year may dictate some food choices.

For instance, breastmilk popsicles or strawberry kiwi popsicles may be more fun in the warmer months!

Hence, we’ve broken down these healthy snacks for babies into different categories by age, so busy parents can easily find the age group you’re looking for.

These baby snack ideas are good any time of day, for on the go or at home.

And of course, anything you serve to your baby is generally safe for your toddler, too! I always urge parents to take a cpr class before introducing solids, and then often times to re-take it once baby starts eating to refresh everything.

Early Snacks for Babies: Starting at 6 Months

Once you start solids with your baby, you can really start serving them a variety of foods and flavors, provided you cut and serve them safely.

Aside from that and your pediatrician’s approval, you only need a splat mat and a sturdy and safe high chair before serving food to your baby.

While fancy plates and utensils aren’t necessary, I prefer the ezpz plates and cups since they are silicone and stick to the tray for easy cleanup!

What To Start With

Most people prefer to start with baby purees (storebought or homemade), or even soft foods, like sweetpotatoes or avocados.

And while there are several nutritious packaged options available now (we have many favorites we auto-order from Thrive Market!), there are also so many easy homemade baby snacks you can make in your kitchen.

Some of our favorite purees are:

• Kiwi puree for baby
• Baby blueberry puree
• Cantaloupe puree
• Parsnip puree
• Sweetpotato spinach baby food

Some other soft options are:

• Avocado chia pudding
• Mango kiwi smoothie – At 6 months they probably can’t use a straw yet, but you can pre-load a spoon for them!
• Unsweetened applesauce
• Anything with soft/mashed avocado – here are several avocado recipes for baby led weaning that are full of healthy fats
• Anything with soft/mashed sweetpotato or even sweetpotato baby finger foods
• My Serenity Kids pouches
• full fat greek yogurt – Greek yogurt for babies is an easy vehicle to mix with other nutrients, like baby peanut powder, pureed meats, smashed beans/lentils, etc. There are so many yogurt recipes for babies to check out.

What you choose to feed your little one may vary depending on the diet you follow, any allergies (ie – dairy free snacks for babies), their age and proficiency with chewing/swallowing, what food you have available, etc.

Healthy Snacks for Babies 6 Months – 8 Months

For younger babies, I try to rely on healthy, wholesome snack ideas with minimal ingredients. Mainly whole foods with a focus on healthy fats and iron, both of which are so important for brain and normal development.

I also stick to minimal ingredients (1-3 ingredient recipes) because babies are still new to eating and we aren’t sure of their allergens yet.

So, what should babies eat at 8 months?

These ideas for baby led weaning foods help introduce simple solid food, and I love this list for babies 6-9 months.

At this point, parents are still navigating either breast milk or formula with younger babies, which is their primary source of nutrition.

There is no timeline in which you need to introduce all of these foods – do what works best for your baby and family.

• oatmeal (good iron source) – as babies get older, you can serve these oatmeal bites for babies
• raspberries – mashed into yogurt, oatmeal, purees, or a jam
• squash
• avocado – same as above
• smoothie melts – great for on the go!
• ripe pear slices – I like to roast these and serve with cinnamon
• roasted broccoli florets with butter or olive oil
• baked carrot sticks or cheesy carrot bites
• meatballs – we often make these popular baby led weaning meatballs or chicken zucchini meatballs
• sweetpotato – There are several recipes for sweet potatoes for babies and kids!
• broccoli – you can puree broccoli or serve it steamed
• liver – great source of iron, Vitamin A and nearly all nutrients!
• cantaloupe
• bison or beef (great iron source) – We love these air fryer bison burgers, cut into thin strips for baby to hold
• baked parsnips – these are a great finger food and easy for baby to hold
• thinly sliced steak (good source of iron)
• beans (great iron source)
• zucchini – There are so many options for zucchini for baby led weaning!
• eggs – I like to serve as egg strips or in muffins, like quinoa egg muffins
• strawberries – I’ll generally serve a big strawberry that little hands can try to hold or shred it into oats, yogurt or purees.
• lentils – we mash or puree them. So many great lentil recipes for baby here!
• salmon
• chicken
• We also love the Serenity Kids pouches when in a bind (use code BUCKETLIST for 15% off!)

This is a great list that will probably take a few months to get through. For more options, here are a few different options for baby led weaning at 7 months.

Snacks for Babies at 9 Months and Up

Once your baby hits 9 months, they should be starting to get in the groove of eating and finding their stride. Healthy snacks for a 9 month old baby take into account they may even have a few teeth to help with chewing!

When my youngest was 9 months, I felt pretty comfortable serving him just about anything when he was safe in his high chair, except honey and added sugars.

He was a capable little eater! He would use his baby spoon sometimes but also just dig in with his hands, and I loved it.

Here is a video of the little guy eating at 9 months – he was always a hungry guy!

At 9 months, he was generally eating breakfast around 7:30-8am (usually eggs or oatmeal), lunch around 12pm, and dinner around 5 pm.

I would tend to offer milk and snacks between meals and naps. Remember they have tiny tummies so it doesn’t have to be large portions!

You could start offering combination foods around 9 months, such as pasta with cheese and meat or beans, and even smoothies to work on their suck strength.

Some other snack ideas:

• air fried acorn squash with cinnamon
• liver and other cooked/pureed meats
• yogurt melts
• cheerios
• peanut puffs
• bison or beef (great iron source) – We love air fryer bison burgers and ALWAYS use Butcher Box organic meat.
• amara smoothie melts
• yogurt parfaits (full-fat yogurt or cottage cheese with nut butter and fresh fruit)
• cheese or any dairy products
• Eggs – scrambled, egg strips, hard-boiled eggs, egg muffins or mixed into meatballs.
• kiwi
• smooth peanut butter – Here are several peanut butter recipes for babies.
• soft grains – rice, cous cous, quinoa, barley, farro pre-loaded on a baby spoon or mashed into something

12 Month Old Baby Snack Ideas

If your baby is on the verge of turning one or has already turned one, you may want to advance some of your snack options.

These 12 month old snack ideas are a little heartier and have multiple food groups, since by now, you should be aware if your child has any allergens.

At 12 months old, babies should not be eating added sugar, but instead work on food variety with essential nutrients. For instance, healthy fats are vital for brain development!

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and World Health Organization recommend avoiding added sugars until age 2.

With that being said, here are some of my favorite nutrient-dense snack foods for 12-month-olds and toddlers that we offer regularly.

• fruits and vegetables
• smoothies – here are my favorite smoothies for toddlers
• crushed nuts or thinned out peanut butter
• eggs
• avocado
• meats and poultry (can start to introduce more ground meet now if they have pincer grasp)
• beans, lentils and legumes
• dairy milk or soy milk
• My Serenity Kids pouches
• full-fat Greek yogurt
• cheese – I like to offer string cheese, or grated cheese mixed in other dishes
• tofu or tempeh
• DIY yogurt pouches
• seafood – canned salmon is a great source of healthy fats!
• whole grains – whole grain bread, pasta, quinoa, barley, oatmeal
• tortillas
• nutritious add-in’s, such as chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds

As baby gets older, you may find that they start to eat larger portions. You also likely feel more comfortable with feeding now and can offer more options.

Compared to the 12 month old snack ideas, snacks for a 15 month old and older babies may include more food groups and more combination foods.

For example, rather than serving half a banana and some plain yogurt on a plate (which may be for a 12 month old), you may be able to mash the banana in some oatmeal and add some chia seeds or peanut butter.

I’ll also generally introduce snack bars around the 15-16 month age range.

Another difference with 15 month olds is that they should be proficient eaters now, and can likely pick up small pieces of cut food, too.

Master List of Toddler Finger Foods

More Recipes for Healthy Baby Snacks

In my opinion as a mom and dietitian, it’s very important to establish the foundation for eating now.

Offer a variety of foods and nutrients. It’s usually around the 15-18 month timeline where some kids can be labeled picky eatesr because they become more autonomous.

Here are some easy baby snack recipes that are great for a variety of baby ages and stages. Many have simple ingredients or can pair well with other foods.

• Acorn squash muffins
• Almond flour banana muffins
• Apple pumpkin baked oatmeal
• Avocado chia pudding
• Banana chia pudding
• Banana cottage cheese muffins
• Butternut squash fries
• Butternut squash egg muffins
• Baby cantaloupe puree
• Cherry puree
• Cheesy carrot bites
• Chicken meatballs for baby
• Healthy carrot cake bars
• Healthy coconut popsicles (omit honey for babies under age 1)
• Parsnip puree
• Flourless pumpkin cookies
• Pumpkin peanut butter bites
• Sweetpotato zucchini muffins
• Healthy baby waffles
• Sweetpotato pancakes for baby
• Sweetpotato salmon cakes

STORAGE

If you need recommendations for storing some of these healthy baby snacks, I really love these stackable containers for on the go. These are great for keeping things a certain temperature, especially if stored in a cooler or near ice packs.

Storebought Baby Snacks

When serving storebought snacks for babies, I’ll usually check the added sugars and sodium levels. Ideally, there are no added sugars and not large amounts of sodium.

• My Serenity Kids pouches
• fruit/veggie pouches (We love NOKA pouches because they also have flax seeds)
• peanut puffs
• yogurt melts
• plain hummus – great on its own or strips of whole grain bread
• Fruit crunchables
• plain greek yogurt – Be careful, some of the brands marketed to “babies” add unnecessary sugars
• Plain or cinnamon applesauce (with no added sugars)
• Teething crunchy snacks

Tips for Parents and Caregivers

• Try to offer a variety of snacks to your baby – Before 12 months old, we are moreso establishing taste buds and curiosity around food. Offer different flavors!
• Try to focus on healthy fats and iron in snacks, if possible. Meatballs, beans and legumes, hummus, nut butters, whole-fat dairy options are great. Healthy fats are crucial for brain development and need to be incorporated regularly through food (formula and breastmilk also provide it).
• Young babies don’t need multiple snacks – When they first start solids, they may only need one solid exposure per day, and then two. You want to focus most of their nutrition on breastmilk or formula and snacks are an accessory.
• By 12 months, babies should be eating three solid meals/day. You can balance snacks with breastmilk/formula/milk intake.
• Always sit with baby during their allotted snack or eating time – They learn to model you and you want it to be a pleasurable eating experience.
• Make sure baby is safely seated upright in a high chair at 90 degrees any time you are feeding solid food. Never have baby laying down, slouching or sitting in your lap.