Bananas are healthy but 2 bananas a day for an 8 mo sound too much. I think the recommended amount for this age is half a banana a day...

I know its messy but my baby just love it when I fill a bin with sand and let her play with that in the balcony! She just love the feel of it and can play with it non stop! But you need to supervise that she's not putting it in her mouth.