How to Make Oatmeal For Babies
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As an oatmeal lover myself I had a feeling that my little one, Olivia, was going to like it as well and turns out I was right… she’s a big fan! That said, when I first thought about giving her oatmeal I wasn’t sure what type was best and how to prepare it. I had so many questions… What type of oats are best? Are rolled oats too thick for babies? Do you cook the oats in breast milk or add it after? If you’re a new mama/papa, you might be wondering the same things. Luckily, I’ve done all the research and I’m here to help. For starters, oatmeal is a great food for babies and many pediatricians suggest some sort of baby cereal (like oatmeal) as a first food because it’s mild, easy to digest and has a low risk for causing an allergic reaction. Store-bought baby oatmeal is available, but it’s basically just oat flour (or ground up rolled oats) and it’s super easy to make yourself at home! One thing to note is that packaged baby cereals are typically fortified with iron and if you make oatmeal cereal at home the iron content won’t be as high. When starting solids with Olivia, we skipped the baby cereal all together and went with veggies and fruits. The first food I gave her was steamed and pureed sweet potatoes, thinned with breast milk. After introducing several pureed fruits and veggies, we started giving her oatmeal. It was probably around 7 1/2 months so we went straight to quick oats and rolled oats, cooked the way I’m sharing in the recipe below. In the beginning I thinned the oatmeal with breast milk, but now I make her oats the same way I like mine, without adding any additional liquid. How to Make Oatmeal for BabiesHere I’m covering the basic method for cooking different types of oatmeal for your baby. Of course, feel free to add mix-ins and toppings to give the oats more flavor and variety when your baby is ready. Oatmeal Cereal // 5+ months
Note: you can grind up a larger batch of oats to make the process super quick in the morning. Store the ground oats in an airtight container in a cool dark place or in your refrigerator. Quick Oats for Babies // 6+ monthsQuick (or instant oats) are the most processed of all the oat varieties. They are pre-cooked, dried, and rolled and pressed slightly thinner than rolled oats. They cook faster than steel cut or rolled oats, but they also lose a bit of texture in the cooking process so they tend to be mushy.
Old Fashioned Rolled Oats for Babies // 6+ monthsOld fashioned rolled oats are oat groats that have been steamed and then rolled which speeds up the cooking process for all of us at home.
Steel Cut Oats for Babies // 6+ monthsSteel cut oats are the least processed oats. The oat groat (the full oat “grain”) is cut into two or three parts to get to steel cut oats. That said, they’re also the most dense and chewiest oatmeal option so they’re good for older babies. I still don’t make steel cut oats for Olivia and she’s 12 months old!
Health Benefits of Eating Oatmeal for BabiesOatmeal is a wonderful food for babies for a variety of reasons. It’s gentle on their tummies and packed with fiber, magnesium, iron and zinc. Little ones often experience constipation as they introduce solid foods into their diet, so oatmeal is a great intro food as it acts as a natural laxative. How to Flavor and Season Oatmeal For BabiesWhen making oatmeal for babies it’s fun to switch up the flavors and toppings instead of feeding them plain, boring oats all the time. I have given Olivia a variety of oatmeal flavors, but typically I make her oatmeal the same way I make my favorite peanut butter banana chia oatmeal. I cook it with additional water (so it’s voluminous and extra creamy), cinnamon and I also add banana slices in with oats. As it cooks, I mash the banana slices so they soften and mix throughout, adding a subtle sweetness (without adding any actual sugar). After cooking, I stir in ground flaxseed or chia seeds and peanut butter. I like mixing the peanut butter in with the oatmeal so that I know she’s getting a good amount of exposure, which is now said to be key for avoiding food allergies. Of course, be sure to talk to your pediatrician about introducing peanuts to your little one and make sure they’re okay with it before adding it to their oatmeal. I also recommend using a peanut butter that has only one ingredient (peanuts) so there’s no added oil, salt or sugar. Use Leftover Oatmeal as a ThickenerYou can also use leftover cooked oatmeal for babies to make combination purees or to thicken purees that are too thin! Just toss the cooked (and cooled) oatmeal into a blender with the fruit or veggies you want to combine it with. Puree until it’s reached the desired consistency and serve. How to Turn Oatmeal into a Finger Food for BabiesOne cool thing I realized after refrigerating some of Olivia’s oatmeal is that cold oats sort of congeal and stick together. When this happens, I just break apart the oats and serve them to Olivia cold as a finger food. It can get a bit messy but she LOVES it so I give it to her all the time! Of course there are some additional ways to prepare oatmeal as a finger food for babies/toddlers including baked oatmeal cups, regular baked oatmeal (readers have told me their babies love this blueberry baked oatmeal recipe), oatmeal pancakes and even porridge fingers! If you try any of these recipes for baby oatmeal please be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Your feedback is super helpful for the EBF team and other readers who are thinking about making the recipe. PrintBaby Oatmeal
DescriptionHere’s the recipe for oatmeal that I make for Olivia almost daily. I cook the bananas in with the oats so they soften and add a nice hint of sweetness without added sugar and then stir in ground flaxseed (or chia seeds) and peanut butter for extra nutrition and flavor! Ingredients
Instructions
Keywords: baby oatmeal The post How to Make Oatmeal For Babies appeared first on Eating Bird Food. Recipes via Eating Bird Food https://ift.tt/1L45wsH November 4, 2020 at 07:04AM #recipies
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The Flat Belly FixThis is the only 21-day rapid weight loss system that allows you to easily lose an average of 1 lb a day for 21 days without feeling hungry or deprived. The unique and brand new techniques used in this System are proven SAFE. And they do not cause the rebound weight gain common to all the other rapid weight loss systems that are not backed by the latest science. The Flat Belly Fix System takes advantage of a recent scientific discovery that proves the effective weight loss power of an ancient spice. Combined with other cutting-edge ingredients in the patent-pending Flat Belly Fix Tea™ — that you can make right in your own kitchen in minutes — this System is the quickest, easiest and most enjoyable way to quickly get the body you desire and deserve. Click HereCategories
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