Baby Led Weaning – Pancake Edition

Baby led weaning pancakes have gained popularity over the past few years. Due to their shape, size and consistency, pancakes are an easy food to begin introducing solid foods when on a baby led weaning journey. Let me tell you why pancakes are a great first food!

When starting a baby led weaning food journey, it can be intimidating to know what a baby’s ‘first food’ should be after breastmilk / formula. After the first few solid foods like sauerkraut, bananas or avocados, pancakes can be an easy choice for first combo solid foods.

They are especially easy to make when combining new tastes and textures into one bite. Pancakes are cheap to make, do not take a lot of time to prepare and freeze well (which is essential for meal prepping!)

Baby-led weaning pancakes can be made in a variety of ways. Our favorites include, sourdough discard pancakes, blending three ingredients together and when in a pinch – boxed pancake mix.

While there is no favorite in our household, we do enjoy customizing and creating pancakes to fit our little ones needs while making them something our whole family can enjoy.

One of our favorite ways to make pancakes is to make them in a large batch. We love this easy meal prep for those mornings when we need a quick breakfast.

First we allow them to cool in the fridge in a single layer to avoid them from sticking together when placed in the freezer.

When our family needs a quick breakfast or snack, we simply allow one to thaw out in the fridge or place it in the microwave or toaster before serving. The best part is they keep their soft texture!

How to make healthy baby led weaning pancakes:

• Firstly, make the baby led weaning pancakes by utilizing sourdough discard. For one ingredient baby led weaning pancakes, once can use sourdough discard only.
  • To amp up the flavor, we add in banana. To give sourdough discard pancakes more volume, try adding gluten free flour like almond flour and cassava flour, flaxseed meal, one egg, sugar, salt, oil, water, baking soda and baking powder.
• The second option to make baby led weaning pancakes combines three ingredients, essentially making banana pancakes. This is considered the traditional healthy baby led weaning pancake recipe:
  • Flour (ground oat flour made from quick oats or coconut flour)
  • Bananas
  • Egg (Optional)
    • Blend the three (or two) ingredients together and cook on a pan. Enjoy them by themselves or with a topping!
• The third option to make baby led weaning pancakes is with a boxed mix. This is a conventional and easy route to make pancakes. Depending on which box pancake mix one buys, it may be as simple as adding milk, breastmilk, or water to a pancake mix. Simply follow the instructions on the back of the box and make the pancakes.
• A fourth bonus option on making baby led weaning pancakes is by combining two ingredients: flour (white flour or whole wheat flour) and a fruit squeeze packet or puree (like pumpkin puree, sweet potatoes, prune puree, banana puree or even applesauce).
  • This is a great recipe for leftover squeeze packets. Simply add enough flour until a pancake batter is made, make on a griddle, cast iron skillet or frying pan on medium heat and serve once the bottoms are golden brown! To make a fluffier pancake, try adding raising agents like whipped egg whites or baking soda to the recipe.

Pancake variations: Mix-ins and topping ideas

There are a variety of options to mix-in to pancakes and to top them with.

• For mix-ins try:
  • Protein rich enhancements like ricotta cheese or eggs
  • Healthy fats like ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, coconut oil, olive oil, butter or a nut butter – like peanut butter
  • Spices like cinnamon or vanilla extract
  • Mashed banana, berries, peaches or pears
  • To begin introducing common food allergens – you can add in dairy, eggs, peanut flour or tree nut flour
• For toppings:
  • Butter
  • A smear of cream cheese or goat cheese
  • Mashed fruit
  • Hidden vegetables (beets, spinach, broccoli, sweet potato). We love adding different veggies to our pancakes. In fact, spinach pancakes and sweet potato pancakes over the traditional regular pancakes when making them for little ones!
  • Sweetener/Added sugar: Agave, maple syrup, honey, ripe banana, stevia. (For honey – do your research if under 1 years of age)

How to cut pancakes for a (6, 7, 8) month old:

Serving baby led weaning pancakes will depend on the age of your child. For six to nine months old, cut a pancake into large strips, about the size and length of two fingers together. Once a little one has the pincer grasp (around nine months of age), cut a pancake into bite-sized smaller pieces.

Around 18 months of age a little one may enjoy larger pieces (up to a full pancake) where they can bite pieces off or tear it themselves. Older kids may also benefit from mini pancakes which is great for little hands!

Baby Led Weaning Pancakes – A rockstar for the budgeting family

Baby led weaning pancakes are optimal food option for a family on a budget because they have minimal ingredients, can be shared amongst all family members, have a low cost to make, and can be utilized for meal prep.

Can a 6 month old have a pancake?

This depends! Once your pediatrician or little ones medical professional has given the ‘green light’ on adding solid foods to a diet, you can begin the journey. Typically, this is when a child can hold their head up by themselves and shows signs of developing core strength. They will not fall over when seated by themselves.

Additionally, little one will follow your every move when it comes to food and liquids brought to your own mouth. They will show interest in what you are consuming – and may even try to take it from you to enjoy! To serve a six month old a pancake, cut them into strips the length and width of two fingers together. Babies are likely to mouth food at this stage as opposed to eating many solids.

Can babies eat pancakes with syrup?

Depending on which baby led weaning nutritional guidelines you follow, will depend on if a little one is introduced to sugar before one year of age. Natural maple syrup (not the kind loaded with high fructose corn syrup), is loaded with important nutrients like manganese, copper, iron and riboflavin (source).

Try combining a dollop of syrup with a fat like almond butter or butter for more ‘staying power’. On the topic of toppings for pancakes, consider staying away from honey until 1 year old, due to the risk of infant botulism.

Remember, a little one’s taste buds are still developing at this stage, so a topping like syrup may not be necessary for consumption. Syrup, even maple syrup, may even be excessively sweet for a little one.

What is a good alternative to syrup for babies?

Topping pancakes can be a tricky question for babies. With sweetener options like maple syrup, agave or honey, there are a variety of options! Agave has the least impact on blood sugar levels and does not run the risk of infant botulism – like the sweetener, honey. Consider topping a pancake with alternatives like homemade chia seed jam or a smashed berry (like strawberries) for extra flavor.

How do you reheat baby led weaning pancakes?

Reheat baby led weaning pancakes on the stovetop, microwave, air fryer, toaster or within the oven. For the microwave, wrap in a slightly damp paper towel and heat for 5-10 seconds.

For the stovetop, turn a pan on low heat and place a pancake into the pan. Heat until cooked through. For the air fryer, heat for 1-2 minutes.

To heat in a toaster, allow to heat for 1-2 minutes. For the oven, heat until warm at 250 degrees. If taken immediately from the freezer, the pancakes may need a bit extra time to warm.

How long does a pancake last for in the refrigerator or freezer?

Allow the pancakes to cool at room temperature before placing them in the refrigerator in an airtight bag or container for up to 3 days. By allowing the pancakes cool at room temperature, there is less chance for the bag to have condensation from the combination of the warm pancakes and the cool temperature of the refrigerator.

After the pancakes cool completely in the refrigerator, place them in a freezer safe bag for up to 3-6 months. We often place a piece of wax paper (or parchment paper) between each pancake to prevent a singular, sticky pancake stack.

The wax paper allow them to be separated from each other easily when frozen. Wax paper can go in the microwave when heating an item (just be sure not to place it in the oven – been there, done that!).

Can babies have waffles?

Babies who enjoy pancakes often enjoy waffles! Head over to my instagram for plenty of waffle ideas. In our household we like to say waffles are like pancakes, they just have more holes to hold the toppings! Babies who can have pancakes can absolutely have waffles.

Can babies have cinnamon?

Babies can have cinnamon! Cinnamon is a wonderful, warming spice which brings a slight sweetness to dishes. Use this spice outside of fall dishes to ‘spice up’ a pancake recipe.

Add a little cinnamon into pancake batter for a fun twist, or sprinkle a little on top. If you really want to amp up the flavor profile of pancakes – spread a layer of butter first, then add a little cinnamon sugar on top!

Can you make baby led weaning pancakes without egg?

Baby led weaning pancakes are an easy egg free option. Top allergens can be a concern for any caregiver when introducing solid foods. With continued exposure to foods, children are less likely to develop a food allergy and intolerance through time.

Though the first exposure to allergens like milk, wheat, soy, peanut, tree nut, soy, egg and shellfish can be intimidating, pancakes are an easy food to make without eggs. For those with an egg allergy, it is easy to make a pancake without eggs. Try these tips for egg free pancakes:

• Make a pancake with sourdough discard. All you need is sourdough discard – and maybe a banana for sweetness.
• Because pancakes do not really need a ‘binder’, like eggs, it is not necessary to add a vegan egg swap like flax eggs or chia eggs. If you do use a vegan egg binder, combine 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed or chia seed to 3 tablespoons of warm water. Allow to form a gel (about 5 minutes) and add to your pancake mix. Blended fruit can also act as a binder and sweetener for pancakes. Options could include bananas, pears or applesauce.
• Use a pancake mix which requires water (or milk), only.
• Finally, combine two ingredients – oats and banana – together for an easy baby led weaning pancake.

When did your little one start eating pancakes? Do you know a friend who may enjoy this article? Share it with them, today!