My kid only eats bananas. Now what?

If bananas is one of your child's few safe foods, that's a great place to start. Kids who love bananas usually like a soft, sweet, mild taste and a texture that's the same every time. This food chain keeps those qualities and changes just one thing at each step, so every new food feels like a close cousin of something they already trust.

The bananas food chain

✓
Start: Their usual banana
The safe food, served exactly how they like it.
1
Step 1: Banana in a new shape
Coins cut in half, long spears or a mashed spoonful: same banana, new look.
2
Step 2: Banana slices with a yogurt dip
A mild, creamy dip on the side of a fruit they trust.
3
Step 3: Banana with a few soft mango pieces
Another soft, sweet fruit with a similar texture.
4
Step 4: Banana pancakes or oatmeal
The same fruit inside a warm, familiar breakfast.

💡 Tip: Use ripe bananas with a few brown spots. They're softer and sweeter, which makes each new step easier to accept.

How to use this chain

Serve the next step alongside their usual bananas, never instead of it.
Start with a single bite-sized piece. Seeing it on the plate is progress too.
Stay on a step for as long as it takes. It's common to need 8 to 15 tries.
Skip the pressure and the bribes. Let them touch, smell or lick the new food without having to eat it.
Once a step is easy, it becomes a new safe food you can chain from.

Plan a whole week around bananas

PickyPlanIt builds a free 7-day family meal plan around your kids' safe foods, with personalized food chains, stealth-nutrition tips and plating notes.

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More food chains and free picky-eater meal plans: pickyplanit.com/food-chains

More food chains

chicken nuggets · plain pasta · mac and cheese · cheese pizza · grilled cheese · french fries · pancakes · yogurt · apple slices · crackers · hot dogs · fish sticks · white rice · toast · cereal · scrambled eggs · strawberries · cheese sticks · quesadillas · mashed potatoes

PickyPlanIt offers general information for everyday picky eating, not medical advice. If your child has a very limited diet, gags or vomits when eating, or isn't growing as expected, talk to your pediatrician about a feeding evaluation.