Baby’s favorite foods baked into little Baby Food Oatmeal Bites that they can easily feed themselves.
I can’t believe Brookie is already eating “real” food! She’s been eating for 2 months now and she loves it…
She could care less about her bottle anymore. She’s all about the food. She caught on to feeding herself so quickly (much quicker than her brothers did). We’ve done baby-led weaning with all our babies now and have had such great experiences. All of them have been awesome eaters. They gain so much confidence and pride once they get the hang of feeding themselves and it makes mealtime so much easier and enjoyable for all.
Brookie will eat anything we put in front of her, but her favorite foods so far are baked sweet potato wedges, bananas, steamed broccoli, baked apple slices, peanut butter sandwiches, pancakes and these baby food oatmeal bites…
Girlfriend can take ’em down! She loves them! They’re so easy to make and full of healthy foods that she should be eating but that are hard for her to feed herself (since we don’t spoon-feed her) unless they’re baked into these little bites.
Oatmeal, pumpkin, applesauce, banana and avocado all come together in these yummy bite-sized muffins. Brookie will eat a few for breakfast and sometimes a few for lunch or as a snack throughout the day giving her good energy to play but also keeping her belly full for a good long nap.
She’s gotten so great at eating them and makes less of a mess every time. I’ve come to embrace the meal-time mess for a few months when they’re first learning to feed themselves knowing that once they get the hang of it, it’s so awesome!
So if you’re looking for something to bake for your baby that’s nutritious and delicious, these bites are so great. They’re easy to bake, made of simple healthy ingredients that your baby is probably already eating, and are the perfect size for them to feed themselves.
I’ll usually bake a batch at the beginning of the week to keep in the refrigerator so she has plenty to eat throughout the week. You can easily substitute your baby’s favorite pureed or mashed foods for the pumpkin, applesauce, banana and/or avocado. I’d recommend leaving the banana and applesauce for natural sweetness though.
I hope your little love(s) enjoys them as much as Brookie does…
xoxo,
Baby Food Oatmeal Bites
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 24
- Category: Breakfast
Description
Baby’s favorite foods baked into little oatmeal bites that they can easily feed themselves.
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup pure pumpkin
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 large banana, mashed (about ½ cup)
- 1 medium avocado, mashed (about ½ cup)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the oats, baking powder and cinnamon.
- Make a well in the center and add the pumpkin, applesauce, mashed banana and mashed avocado. Stir until well combined.
- Scoop batter evenly among the 24 mini muffin cups, filling each one completely full. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set. Avoid over-baking them. You don’t want the tops to be too crisp or browned. They should be set and soft enough for your baby to easily eat.
- Let the bites cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Notes
To freeze, place cooled bites on a cookie sheet and freeze for about an hour. Then transfer them to an airtight bag or container and store in the freezer. When you’re ready to give them to your baby, remove however many you want and let them thaw at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
Both of my kids loved these as babies, and still love them as toddlers! Both have (or had) allergies, so it is so nice to find a healthy recipe that is egg, nut, and dairy free. It feels good giving them a snack that is filled with such healthy ingredients. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi, Lindsay! Thank you so much for sharing. I’m so happy to hear that your little ones enjoy them and that you feel good about feeding them these bites! ❤️
Hi, i made things for my baby and they fell apart when she was trying to eat it.
Hi Ellie! They are supposed to be soft and easy for babies to eat and they should hold their shape well unless your baby is squeezing them or mushing them between their hands which is certainly possible for babies that are new to bringing food to their mouths. Did you follow the exact ingredients and instructions? Did you let them cool completely?
I will try this recipe for my toddler.
I have applesauce, banana and avocado.
Could you suggest what can be some substitutes for pumpkin purée that go well in this recipe and keep the muffin moist and soft?
Thanks !
Vibha
Hi Vibha! I would suggest just adding more applesauce, banana and/or avocado to replace the pumpkin puree in the recipe. I’ve done this several times with what I had on hand and it works great. Hope this helps and that your little one enjoys!
Thank you for this recipe! How long can they be stored in the freezer?
Hi Maryam! I would suggest storing them in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Enjoy!
My daughter struggles with constipation, do you think there i could purée some stewed prunes and use that instead of bananas?
Hi Justine! I would recommend checking with your pediatrician to make sure prunes are okay. If so, yes, I think they would work great. They’re just thicker than bananas so the texture of the bites might be a bit denser. Hope this helps and that your daughter loves them!
I’m trying to use up baby purees we’ve outgrown but don’t want to waste. I used pureed pumpkin, baby multi grain oatmeal. I omited avocado, but everything else the same. I used a silicone mini muffins pan. I baked more than 20 minutes. The tops set but under it’s raw. Did the purees add too much liquid and I need to add more oats to compensate? What are your thoughts?
Hi Lindsey! I’m thinking you needed to add more of the baby multi grain oatmeal since it’s a different consistency than quick cooking oats. Hope this helps and that your little one enjoys!