Oatmeal

Choking risk

Cooked oatmeal is a low choking risk - its soft, smooth texture is one of the easiest first foods to manage.

Serve oatmeal cooked soft and smooth, and skip the dry forms - dry oats, granola, and oat or granola bars are hard or sticky and not safe for babies. See how to serve for age-by-age prep.

Allergens

Oats are often grown and milled alongside wheat, so they can pick up traces of it. That is why oatmeal is marked as a wheat allergen, even though oats themselves are not a common allergen.^[2]

Most babies do well with oats. If your baby has a wheat allergy or celiac disease, they will usually need certified gluten-free oats - ask your pediatrician.^[3]

Offer it on its own, start with a small amount, and watch for a reaction. Once your baby is comfortable with it, keep it in their regular diet.

If baby refuses

Oatmeal is one of the most reliably accepted first foods. If yours turns it down, try it thinner or thicker, warm or cold, or stir in a fruit puree or a pinch of cinnamon.

How to serve

6+ months old

Thick porridge or soft balls

Spoon-fed, or balls about 1 inch

Cook oatmeal with water, breast milk, formula, or whole milk (whole milk is fine in cooking from 6 months, just not as a main drink until 12 months). Pre-load a spoon and hand it to baby, or offer it in a bowl to scoop. Cooking it thicker lets it cling to a spoon or roll into soft balls, which young babies often manage more easily.

Do not add honey, or oat products made with honey, until after 12 months, because of the risk of infant botulism.^[5]

How to cook

Cook rolled oats in water or milk (about 1:2) for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring, until thick and smooth. Overnight oats also work: soak rolled oats in milk or water in the fridge until soft.

9+ months old

Soft porridge or oat finger foods

Bite-sized, about 1/2 inch

Keep offering oatmeal both ways: as soft balls baby can hold and as porridge to scoop. This is a good stage to bake oats or oat flour into soft pancakes, grain balls, or muffins.^[1]

How to cook

Cook to a soft, cohesive texture. It can be a little more textured now as baby gets used to lumps.

12+ months old

Porridge or soft oat bakes

Serve oatmeal with a spoon so your toddler can practice scooping; it's fine if they still use their hands. You can also offer soft breads, muffins, and bakes made with oats or oat flour.

How to cook

Cook to your family's preference - runny, thick, or overnight soaked. Honey can be used for flavour now that the botulism risk passes after the first birthday - though experts still suggest keeping added sugars to a minimum at this age.