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.
“Simply gorgeous recipe, definitely will prepare these OATMEAL BITES for your baby 🙂
judging by the photos kids like these oat balls, and I like when the baby is full and not crying :)”
Can i replace the pumpkin with sweet potato?
Hi Georgiana! Absolutely, just make sure it’s pureed well. Enjoy!
I’m so excited I found this recipe. All the other baby muffin recipes I’ve found contain ingredients I prefer not to use such as eggs, wheat flour, or instant baby cereal. My 8 month old daughter is a complete foodie like her dad so I cannot wait to make these. But I don’t have a mini muffin pan. Can I just bake on a cookie sheet or should I just make regular sized muffis and cut them?
Hi Erika! So great to hear! I would recommend either using a regular muffin pan or baking them in a baking dish and then cutting them into small portions appropriate for your little one. I hope she loves them!
Can I use almond flour instead of rolled oats?
Hi Bindi! I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure how they will bake up, but I think it’s certainly worth a try. The texture should still be really soft which is what matters most when it comes to the littles being able to eat them easily. I hope they turn out great! Enjoy!
Hello, my 10 month old is very constipated so I’m avoiding bananas and apple purée. Will these work without them? I’ll just add more pumpkin and avocado?
Thanks heaps xx
Hi Paige! I’m so sorry your little one is constipated. It’s heartbreaking, I know. Yes, just substitute the banana and apple with equal amounts pumpkin and avocado. I hope he loves them!
We’ve loved these with cheese as a picnic lunch! Perfect for using up baby oatmeal and purées. Thank you!
Hi!
I cooked these for even longer than the recipe calls for but they still came out pretty pastie in the middle. Stick to my daughters hands etc.
Is this normal? The top was set and they came out relatively set but still easy to squish.
Hi Christina! That is exactly how you want them to turn out so that your little one can eat them on her own. You want them to be soft enough to easily chew and swallow, but set enough so they can pick them up and feed themselves. It can get messy, but the more experience your daughter has feeding them to herself, the less messy it will become. Hope she loves them!
Hiya!
What can I substitute for the apple sauce? Could I use more banana?
Hi Lauren! Yes, more banana or avocado or pumpkin puree would all work great in place of the applesauce. Hope your little one enjoys!
Simply gorgeous recipe, definitely will prepare these OATMEAL BITES for your baby 🙂
judging by the photos kids like these oat balls, and I like when the baby is full and not crying 🙂
These are delicious and my little one loves them! For some reason the print function doesn’t work, no matter which browser I use or even if I refresh. Any suggestions? Thanks!!
Hi Kendra! So happy to hear your little one loves these! I just checked the print function on all of my browsers and on two different computers and it’s working on my end. Maybe try refreshing your browser? Fingers crossed you get it to work. Continue to enjoy!