Are you looking for an easy way to serve oats to your baby for self-feeding? Then, I’ve got you! One of the first foods for babies doing traditional feeding, aka purees, is usually oats served in a cereal/puree form. But serving pureed oats to babies who are doing baby-led weaning can get messy, like really messy. But through my fifteen years of making baby food, I have a few #hacks for you!
Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).
Yes, technically, you can make a batch of oatmeal and serve it to your baby in a bowl for them to dig in with their hands to self-feed it for baby-led weaning. Also, yes, technically, using this method almost made me lose my mind from cleaning up said mess.
The thing with plain oatmeal and babies is its consistency—it’s part sticky, part chewy, a little runny, and a little thick. Babies at this age don’t know how to navigate this complex textured food.
So, over the years, I came up with a few versions of serving oats to babies that made it more into their mouths than onto the floor.
🍑 Oat Clumps with Peaches (could I have thought of a fancier name, probably)
🥣 Oat Peach Puree on Self-Feeding Spoon
🥞 Simple Oat Peach Pancakes
Let’s talk about Oat Clumps – which is probably my favorite way to serve oats for baby-led weaning. In this recipe, we make a simple yet flavorful oatmeal that is seasoned with cinnamon and some chopped peaches. I have found that the peaches add flavor, something oats lack, and also bring in some bigger pieces that baby can hold onto with their palmar grasp. You can also use apples, mangoes, pears, or any other semi-hard fruit. But the magic comes when we take the cooked oatmeal, place clumps onto a plate, and pop it in the fridge for a few minutes until it cools and slightly hardens. We aren’t looking for hardened rocks, just for the oats to set a little, making it easier for baby to pick (or scoop) the oatmeal up with their hands/fingers/fists.
Another way to serve this oatmeal to your baby is on a self-feeding spoon, either whole or as a puree. You can also combine the oats and peaches to make simple yet flavorful pancakes.
#momhack – for even more exposure, you can make all three of these recipes at the same time and serve them to your baby over the course of a week to see which way your baby prefers oats.
Oats for Baby-Led Weaning Video
Oats with Peaches
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned or rolled oats
- 1/2 cup peaches, apples, plums, pears, etc, chopped – fresh or frozen
- 1/4 tsp hemp seeds optional
- pinch cinnamon
Oat & Peach Pancakes
- 2 medium ripe bananas with a few brown spots
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup old-fashioned (rolled) oats
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/3 cup peaches, finely chopped
Prevent your screen from going dark
Oats with Peaches
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In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add in the oats, cinnamon, and chopped peaches. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until most of the water has been absorbed and the oats are tender. Let cool slightly.
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Spoon clumps of oatmeal on a plate, and refrigerate until cooled and somewhat stuck together. Place in a baby bowl or on your baby’s highchair.
Oat & Peach Pancakes
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In a blender, add the oats and blend for 30 seconds on high speed until you have an oat flour. It’s okay if there is still some bigger oat pieces.
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Add in the bananas, eggs, baking powder, and cinnamon. Blend for 45-60 seconds or until all of the ingredients are combined and smooth. Let sit while you heat your skillet.
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Heat a medium skillet over medium heat, spray with cooking spray or add a little butter if needed. Drop one to two tablespoons of batter on the skillet, drop peaches onto batter, and let cook for 3-4 minutes or until the sides are starting to become firm and the bottoms are golden brown. You will not see that many bubbles like traditional pancakes. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
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Let cool and serve whole or cut into strips or chunks.
Baby-Led Weaning: oats can be hard for your baby to pick up and feed themselves (oh, the mess!). A great way to serve oats as a finger food is by simply spooning a couple of strips or round shapes of cooked oats on a plate and then letting them cool off on the counter or in the fridge. Once cold, the oats will harden enough for your baby to be able to pick them up by themselves. I’m not saying there won’t be a mess.. but it will be less of a mess and definitely easier for your baby to self-feed.
Storage: can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 4 days in the fridge or 4 months in the freezer.
Puree for Self-Feeding: Yes, it can be done! You can offer purees and still allow your baby to lead the way with self-feeding. Follow the directions above, and then puree the oats, adding in a few tablespoons of liquid to thin it out a bit, for 1-2 minutes.
- Place a few spoonfuls of purees directly on the tray or in a bowl for your baby to dip fingers into. Model how to dip your fingers into the puree and bring them to your mouth, to taste some.
- Offer your baby a pre-loaded self-feeding utensil and hold it out for them to grasp or set on their tray.
- Use a solid food as a dipper. You can also offer a soft stick-shaped piece of food, such as a soft roasted carrot or bread lightly toasted and cut into strips to dip into the puree.