When Can Babies Eat Puffs? (With Nutritional & Safety Info)

Once your baby reaches the weaning milestone, many new questions come to the surface, such as what type of solid foods are perfect for babies? Can my baby eat puffs? What kinds of puffs are healthy for your toddler? And so on.

Once your kid is in the weaning milestone, they can consume baby puffs. However, it should be done in moderation and with caution. 

Many experts recommend offering your little one puffs between the age of seven and eleven months. Fortunately, you don’t have to take guesses because there are several signs that indicate that your child is ready to consume baby puffs, such as:

• Baby is starting to put things in their mouth
• Baby is adjusting to solid foods
• Baby is practicing the “Chewing” motion
• Baby can sit on its own

To give you more perspective, in this article, we have discussed everything you need to know about baby puffs and some of the healthiest puff recipes that your little one will love!

At what age can Babies Eat Puffs?

When your little one starts to consume finger food, it becomes harder and harder to find a product that won’t cause any health problems to your baby. Therefore, most parents select baby puffs as the 1^st ever snack for their children. 

These snacks are delicious and versatile. Due to their dissolvable nature and smaller size, you can toss them into a diaper bag without worrying about space. Plus, they don’t even require much effort to prep, making them an excellent choice for busy parents.

Even though these snacks dissolve quickly, they are still not an ideal first solid food that you should offer your infant. Most puff manufacturers recommend feeding them to crawling babies. However, it is not an ideal guide because every baby is different. 

While some babies start to crawl early, others might take some extra time or skip the crawling milestone completely. Therefore, instead of waiting for your little one to crawl, you should try to offer puffs to your little ones at a specific age.

The ideal age for toddlers to consume finger food is around 7-11 months. Furthermore, keep in mind that no two infants are the same. If one baby is developing and learning at a normal rate, the other one might take some extra time. Therefore, it’s best to consult with your pediatrician before altering your baby’s diet.

Here are some things that indicate your baby is ready to consume puffs:

• Baby-Led Weaning – While most babies start their weaning milestone with purees and take a lot of time to start eating puffs, baby-led weaning can allow you to start this practice a little sooner.
• Baby can put food into their mouth – If your baby has developed proper motor skills, they will surely start self-feeding. At this stage, they are certainly ready to eat puffs.
• Baby practices “Chewing” motion – Did you know your little one does not need teeth to start masticating on solid foods? Babies can practice their chewing motions even without food. They usually do this jaw motion on soft toys.
• Baby can sit on its own – Sitting independently is another important milestone. Once your baby starts to sit on its own, it’s an indicator that they are ready to migrate from solid foods to finger foods.

Keep in mind that these are only guidelines; they are not rock-solid rules. It is a possibility that your little one is far behind or ahead of their “normal” schedule. So, you don’t have to worry much because it is quite common!

Can a Baby choke on Puffs?

The risk of choking on puffs is quite low. This is because these snacks are created to dissolve quickly so that your little one can swallow them even without proper chewing practice. According to one study, puffs just take nine seconds to dissolve and don’t pose any substantial choking hazard.

You might find several stories on the internet about kids choking on the puffs. However, in most cases, babies are not actually choking on the puffs but are gagging. This issue will resolve as soon as puffs dissolve. So, you don’t have to worry about choking hazards while offering your kid puffs.

It’s noteworthy to mention that gagging and coughing are not actually choking. In choking, there is some obstruction in your kid’s airway that is causing suffocation. As puffs dissolve quickly, even without chewing, they cannot cause suffocation in kids. 

What are the best Baby Puffs?

There are numerous baby puff brands available out there with different specifications and price tags. Out of all these brands, HappyBaby and Gerber are surely the most popular. They offer organic and all-natural baby puffs with real fruit puree or juice and whole grains.

Another brand that deserves a spot in our article is Baby Gourmet. This brand offers unique puffs that are made of lentil and quinoa flour instead of rice or wheat. As a result, these puffs offer essential nutrients such as fiber and protein in every serving. 

Furthermore, these puffs are also available in different flavors, such as:

• Strawberry beet
• Cheesy broccoli
• Banana Kale

What are Baby Puffs?

We have been talking about when you should offer puffs to your kid. However, the real question is, what exactly are baby puffs?

Simply put, baby puffs are portable finger foods specifically made for babies. Normally, these snacks are made from cereal and numerous other ingredients. Just like the name suggests, these snacks have been “Puffed” to create an easy to process, airy, and light texture. 

That being said, you should not just buy any snacks that you see. There are hundreds of brands available out there that create puffs, and it’s noteworthy to mention that not all these products are produced equally.

Here are some general ingredients found in puffs and their relation to your kid’s health.

Baby puff ingredients

The list of ingredients varies by flavor and brand. However, the general formula is the same for all puff flavors:

• Mixed Tocopherol
• Natural Flavors
• Vegetable And Dried Fruit Puree
• Starch
• Cane Sugar
• Whole Grain

Before selecting a product, you should check out the ingredient list to select an edible that is free from artificial flavors and added preservatives.

Are Baby Puffs healthy?

When it comes to nutrients, puffs are surely not an ideal snack.

Most puffs flavors out there contain around six grams of carbohydrates. As these snacks are puffed, they are mostly loaded with air. However, some producers do add additional minerals and vitamins to aid your kid’s development and growth procedure.

Keep in mind that puffs are not a whole meal. Instead, you should treat them as a snack for your kid and offer them to them in moderation. For proper growth, it’s important you stick with your kid’s actual diet and consult with your pediatrician before making any changes in it.

Homemade Baby Puffs recipe

You can easily find baby puffs at your local grocery store, Target, Walmart, and even online stores. However, if you like to make your baby’s food from scratch, you can make these puffs at your home. 

With this approach, you can control your baby’s intake and know what exactly your baby is eating. Here are some of the best recipes to make delicious and organic baby puffs at home.

Organic baby puffs recipe

This recipe is quite straightforward and is free from gluten and dairy. You can make delicious baby puffs with just 6 ingredients, and they are quite easy to find.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp of baking powder
• Half cup of instant rice cereal
• Half cup of apple sauce
• 1 cup of kale
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp of coconut oil

Recipe:

• Put all the above-mentioned ingredients in a food processor
• Mix for around 4 minutes
• Use a simple plastic bad or chef pastry bag to produce small dots
• Bake the dots for around 10 minutes at 350 degrees
• Reduce the temperature to 250 and back for about 30 minutes
• Store the puffs in a sealed container for up to one week

Vegan baby puffs recipe

If you want your kid to follow a vegan diet, you can offer them homemade vegan puffs that are made from different vegetables and fruits. For these puffs, all you need is breastmilk, juice, water, baking powder, 4 ounces of fruit puree and organic oatmeal cereal.

Simply mix all these ingredients and bake for at least 45 minutes at 275 degrees. Once you get crispy puff texture, you can offer them to your kids.

Baby banana puff recipe

If you don’t want your kid to eat eggs, you can add bananas to your puff’s recipe instead of eggs. For this Banana Puff recipe, all you need is 7 ingredients that are rich in nutrients and will help your kid grow and develop.

Baby apple puff recipe

Eating healthy does not mean you have to compromise on the flavor. You can offer your kid paleo baby puffs that are both mouth-watering and healthy. This recipe only requires 4 ingredients, including sweet potatoes and apples. Due to its delicious taste, you might end up stealing some puffs from your little one!