Apple Banana Grits Baby Food Recipe

Thank you to Gerber for sponsoring today’s recipe post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

We recently traveled from Pennsylvania (by car!) to North Carolina to visit my sister-in-law and her husband. This road trip should have taken a little under 8 hours each way with non-stop driving. But with an infant and toddler in the car it took about 12 hours each way. I do have to say that it went much better than I was expecting!

One morning we went over to my brother-in-law’s grandmother’s house for breakfast and we had our first experience with real Southern cheddar grits. There was loads of butter and cheddar and they were oh-so-delicious! My toddler LOVED them so I knew I had to start making grits at home because I literally have the pickiest toddler on the planet who eats next to nothing.

We are exploring more and more with solid foods and textures now that my youngest is 11 months old. He is very interested in food and I love trying out a new baby food recipe. I’ve given him a mix of purees and table food from the beginning but it has taken him several months to not tongue thrust chunks of food out of his mouth. He really loves trying and playing with new foods so this is exciting for me since my toddler has never liked eating.

Gerber Lil Bits are the perfect texture for your little one who is learning to chew. There are soft chunks mixed in with the puree so that your baby can get used to feeling solids in their mouth and learning to use their new teeth.

So back to the grits.

I know that grits are traditionally a savory dish but I decided to sweeten them up a bit with some fruit. My skinny kids can afford to have butter and cheese all the time but my mom-bod can not. I’m a Yankee so I claim ignorance when it comes to grits if adding fruit is completely unacceptable to you Southern Belles. But don’t knock it till you try it because it is pretty tasty!

Apple Banana Grits Baby Food Recipe

1. Prepare 5 minute grits as per the box instructions (The texture of the 5 minute grits is superior to the instant grits, as per Grandma!)
   -1/4 cup dry grits will be enough for baby and other children or yourself
2. Add 1 Tbsp butter to warm grits and stir them in
3. Add sea salt to your liking
4. Measure 1/4 cup of the grits and place in bowl.
5. Stir in 1 Tbsp of Gerber Apple Banana with Lil Bits and top with 1 more Tbsp of the Lil Bits.
6. (Optional) For older children or yourself a little maple syrup drizzled on top is really yummy!

Note about consistency: Grits can be very thick so you may need to thin them for your baby. Using pumped breastmilk or formula is a nutritious way to do this to meet your baby’s preference.

This handsome guy loves his Apple Banana Grits featuring Gerber Apple Banana Lil Bits!

Grits are super easy and quick to make and can be a nice change up from oatmeal or other warm breaskfast cereals. Gerber Lil Bits are a great way to introduce new textures and tastes to your crawling baby who is ready to learn to chew chunks of food (around 8-12 months). Lil Bits feature perfectly sized bites of fruit or veggies and come in many delicious sweet and savory combinations. The containers are perfect for on-the-go with the reusable lid and the recipes are free of added starch, and artificial colors and flavors.

Gerber Lil Bits come in 20 yummy varieties. A few more of our favorites are:
Butternut Squash & Potato
Sweet Potato, Apple, Carrot, and Cinnamon
Garden Vegetable & Beef Dinner
Herbed Vegetable, Pasta, & Chicken Dinner

For more information on meeting your crawling baby’s nutritional needs visit the Gerber website where they have mapped out the recommended food and serving sizes.