Low effort baby + toddler meal and snack ideas. From a paediatric dietitian
Low effort baby + toddler meal and snack ideas. From a paediatric dietitian and nutritionist
I’m a big believer in home-prepared baby food wherever possible- and it doesn’t have to be fancy- but homemade food gives you more control over what you are feeding your baby.
That said, I know - as a fellow parent- time is tight. So I have also put together some tips for quick easy baby meals and snacks for making baby food simpler
These meal and snack ideas include a mix of low-prep AND also prep-ahead meal and snack ideas. SO pick and choose what works for you!
What you will find here:
Breakfast
Main meals
Lighter meals/snacks
Supermarket “no-cook” short list
On-the-go without pouches: purée edition
On-the-go without pouches: finger food edition
Prep ahead snack-on-the-go
Breakfast
Yoghurt mixed with mashed raspberries and a sprinkle of ground flaxseed / chia seed
Porridge bite (precooked) with a few squished blueberries (babies with pincer grasp only/ over 9 months)
Toasted crumpet with smooth peanut butter and half a banana (option to top crumpet with a sprinkle of hemp hearts or small seeds like linseeds or chia seeds for added nutrition)
Whole plain yoghurt in a bowl with a whole apricot peeled in half + stone removed. Option to stir some smooth nut butter through the yoghurt
Toasted bagel with smooth peanut butter and soft ripe peach slices (option to top bagel with a sprinkle of hemp hearts or small seeds like linseeds or chia seeds for added nutrition)
One-egg omelette, sliced into fingers, served with a few cherry tomatoes sliced into thin lengths/or quartered
Smooth peanut butter stirred through yoghurt with whole strawberries sliced in half
A savoury muffin with a few slices of ripe plum
Chia pudding – milk + chia seeds left over night, and topped with soft ripe fruit like mango
Main meals
Mashed avocado with wholemeal toast fingers, served with a few cherry tomatoes sliced into thin lengths/or quartered (babies with pincer grasp only / over 9 months)
Cooked lentils, stirred through plain yoghurt or coconut yoghurt
A savoury muffin with a few raspberries or a whole ripe apricot
Pot of hummus with toast fingers or roasted veggie fingers
Pre-cooked shredded chicken (try your local supermarket rotisserie chicken for low-prep pre-cooked chicken) (pulled into very thin and flat strips along its fibres) served with a rice sachet heated in the microwave and with a few spoons of full-fat Greek yoghurt stirred through the rice (or dairy alternative like coconut yogurt). Offer the yoghurt rice preloaded onto a weaning spoon or smeared on the highchair tray for messy play-eating along with the chicken strips
Scrambled egg with wholemeal toast fingers and some squished raspberries
Pre-cooked, shredded chicken (try your local supermarket rotisserie chicken for low-prep pre-cooked chicken), served with cucumber sticks, skin removed and cut into baton. Option to add some toasted and buttered pitta fingers
Soft, slightly over-cooked pasta tubes (rigatoni/fusilli/penne) drizzled with olive oil, served with pre-cooked salmon fillets (you can buy these in some super markets), with skin removed, and broken into pieces with canned peas mashed with a masher with a spoon of butter / or a spoon of full-fat Greek yoghurt (or dairy alternative like coconut yogurt) stirred through
Cream cheese on half a toasted bagel, served with cooked carrot sticks
Flaked pre-cooked salmon with soft-cooked new potatoes, sliced in half and a piece of steamed broccoli
A sachet of pre-cooked rice heated in the microwave with a few spoons of yoghurt mixed through, served with pre-cooked salmon fillets, with skin removed, and broken into pieces (ensure no bones) (you can buy these in some super markets), and sliced butternut squash roasted in the air-fryer or oven with a drizzle of olive oil (you can buy bags of pre-chopped squash in some supermarkets)
Pasta with pesto stirred through and a handful of squished raspberries
Lighter meals/snacks
Cream cheese and sliced ripe fruit
Oat cakes with a handful of blueberries
Boiled egg cut into quarters with sliced peppers (roasted pepper for under 12 months) (cook a few eggs at a time, and roast strips of veggies for the week ahead)
Whole roasted or air-fried salon fillet, flaked into bite sized pieces
Pasta and a nutty pesto (shop bought or home made)
Baked egg cups (eggs whisked and poured into muffin holes and baked in the oven)
Wholemeal toasted pitta with smooth hummus
Flatbread cut into fingers served with falafel balls (buy these pre-made) (try Plants Chickpea, Spinach & Basil Veggie Bites*+)
Little pre-made eggy frittatas or muffins (try Higgidy Slow-Roasted Tomato & Cheddar Mini Muffins*+, Higgidy Cheddar & Spinach Mini Muffins*+)
A home made savoury muffin (try my Spinach + pea muffins recipe)
Sweet potato wedges (a whole sweet potato cut into wedges, drizzled with oil and cooked in the oven or an air-fryer)
A slice of ripe mango and half a toasted bagel with butter
Sliced soft-ripe pear and a pile of grated cheese (pincer grip babies only over 9 months) OR a very thin (wafer thin) slice of cheddar cheese (cubes or chunks of cheese can be a choking hazard)
Yoghurt with mashed banana and chia seeds
Supermarket “no-cook” short list
Plain, full-fat yoghurt or coconut yoghurt
Ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
Tinned green/brown lentils (no added salt)
Tinned sardines or tuna fish in spring water
Frozen veg (peas, chopped spinach balls to add to meals, Mediterranean chopped veg mix)
Microwavable grains (no-salt quinoa/brown rice) - can be stirred through sauces or yoghurt for younger babies to be spoon fed
Fruit which is soft when ripe - like banana, pear, berries, watermelon
Smooth nut and seed butters like peanut and almond butter
On-the-go without pouches: purée edition
Buy a plain natural yoghurt pot
Try a mashed banana with a fork
Grab a pot of smooth hummus (there may be a little bit of salt, but it is a trade off, and overall I would argue it is a more whole and nutritious food than lots of processed baby snacks are)
Cut a ripe avocado in half and scoop out the stone (a messier, but still a low prep option for on-the-go)
Grab some tinned green/brown lentils and stir through some yoghurt (this one might be a bit of a stretch - but you never know!)
Boiled egg pot- mash with a fork and a little of babies milk
On-the-go without pouches: finger food edition
Pre-sliced watermelon fingers
Cooked boiled egg pot (slice into wedges - for older babies only, 9 months plus!)
Grab some cooked chicken and shred with your fingers into very thin strips
A whole ripe banana
A wrap or flatbread cut into strips
Ripe fruit, like a whole strawberry or an apricot - which is soft and squishable between thumb and forefinger
Cooked mini egg frittata (you can grab these in some ready to eat food sections)
Cooked flaked salmon pot
Older babies with more advanced chewing can have plain unsalted rice cakes, oat cakes, and blueberries halved or squished
Prep ahead snack-on-the-go
Pack a tiny bento box with: some ripe fruit like apricot or banana, some leftover from dinner cooked shredded meat or falafel slices, some left over cooked sweet potato wedges / pasta pieces / toast fingers - or oat cakes / plain rice cakes for older babies
If you have handy in the freezer- any of the following: an oat / porridge slice, black bean bar, savoury muffin, eggy frittata
Spoon feeding: yoghurt pot, hummus pot, ripe banana (can be mashed easily on-the-go
And water in an open cup, and spare milk for hungry babies!
*Always check individual products and check the texture is suitable for your child, these are general suggestions only and any food can pose a choking hazard for babies and young children, products may also change
+Note these products do contain added salt.