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.
I have Old Fashioned Oats. Is this this same as quick-cooking oats? They look bigger than the ones in your muffins but says they can cook in 5 minutes. I just worry about the size with baby led weening. Too big or should be fine? Thanks 🙂
Hi Brandi! Old-fashioned Oats are larger than quick cooking oats. It all depends on how well your little one is with chewing and swallowing. I would recommend the quick cooking oats if they are just starting to eat solids. You can always blend the old-fashioned oats a bit to break them up. Hope this helps!
I just made these today for my 11-month-old. We walk her older brother and sister to school most mornings and I was looking for a healthy breakfast she can eat on the go. These came out perfectly in a silicone pan with no oil. I just gave her one and she very much enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
That’s so great to hear, Susan! Thanks for sharing. What a sweet morning tradition you have with your kids walking to school. I hope your little one continues to love the muffins. 🙂
these smell amazing, but just a heads up…..I prepared steel cut oats and subbed it for the instant oats (per the directions in the comments) and I have had them in the oven for over 25 minutes and I could literally spoon feed this to my baby. Don’t think that these will set. Any suggestions to save them?
Hi Lauren! Sounds like the cooked steel cut oats were holding more moisture than the bites could handle therefore they couldn’t set. The instant oats absorb some of the moisture when baking which results in a soft, set bite. Hope this helps and that your little one enjoys them!
hi, you didn’t mention greasing the pan with anything. Will they come out easily without anything? Thanks!
Hi Sonia! Yes, the first instruction includes greasing the pan with non-stick cooking spray. This is a must or you could use paper liners. Enjoy!
I’m blind! Sorry and thanks!
I used sweet potatoes instead of pumpkin. I boiled and cooked it, mashed it but the consistency is very mushy and I baked for 14 mins. What did I do wrong? I ate one and it taste good. I just want to make sure they are cooked before I give them to my one year old. Lol
Oh I also used old fashioned oats and put them in the blender before I added them.
Hi Glenda! They should definitely be moist enough for your baby to easily eat, but baked all the way through. They should be set when pressed on the top with your finger and hold together well when lifted from the muffin pan. The sweet potato could contribute more moisture than the canned pumpkin, but it shouldn’t be that much more. If it taste raw to you, then I would recommend baking longer. Hope this helps!
Hello. Do you need to steam cook the pumpkin first? Or did you just blend it raw?
Hi Melanie! I use pure pumpkin from a can. If you use a fresh pumpkin, yes, you would need to steam cook and blend it first. Enjoy!
So glad I found this recipe, my 11 month old loves these!
My baby is most likely allergic to bananas. I would love to save this recipe, but do you have a substitution suggestion instead of the banana? Can I use a 1/2c of another fruit?
Hi Jenny! Yes, I would suggest replacing the banana with another 1/2 cup of pumpkin, applesauce or avocado. I hope your little one loves them!
What should the consistency be like? I cooked them for 14 min. How do i know they are done?
Hi Bethany! The muffins should be set to the touch but not crisp on top and the inside should be moist. They’re very soft muffins so your little one can easily eat them. Hope this helps and that your little one(s) enjoy!
I sub the pumpkin with sweet potato. ( I boiled the sweet potato). Ive baked for 30minutes and the inside is still raw and the outside is browned 🙁
Hi Lillie! Oh goodness, it sounds like your muffin batter had too much moisture in it. I wonder if the baked sweet potatoes needed to be drained of some moisture first? Or you could have tried adding more oats if the batter was too runny to scoop. Did you bake them in a mini muffin pan?