Strawberry Oatmeal

Oats are considered one of the best grains you can use in the kitchen for your little one. They can mix with almost anything and are very, very easy to prepare.

Oats are considered one of the best grains you can use in the kitchen for your little one. They can mix with almost anything and are very, very easy to prepare. Either soak them in water or milk and leave overnight, blend with other ingredients for a smooth texture or simply cook in water prior to adding pretty much anything you have at home (for a plain easy baby oatmeal recipe click here).

We mostly like to prepare oats for breakfast and mix them up with any fruit that is available at the moment. In this recipe, intended for your 8-month-old, we chose strawberries. And there you have the perfect easy to make Strawberry Oatmeal.

You can serve this Strawberry Oatmeal as a puree, mashed or prepared for baby led weaning (BLW). Just remember that at 8 months, your little healthy term baby should be leaning towards more textured purees ideally.

Strawberry Oatmeal Ingredients

To make this Strawberry Oatmeal, you will need the following ingredients:

Oats. I always prefer to use rolled oats in oatmeal because the cook the fastest and are really easy to prepare.

Strawberries. When possible, always use fresh seasonal strawberries. So this really is kind of a spring meal. But frozen ones are a great choice also in case you decide to prepare this delicious dish outside of the strawberry season. Their sweet taste and "full" texture pairs perfectly with cooked oats to make a healthy and delicious meal for our little ones.

Strawberry Oatmeal Nutritional Benefits

Oats. Oats are a complex carbohydrate with a slightly higher fat content than other grains making them all the more special when using in the kitchen. They also have a high amount of fiber, leading to a better digestive system workload as well as cardiovascular support.

Strawberries. Like many other berries, strawberries also have a high content of antioxidants that protect our bodies from harmful substances.

How To Prepare Strawberry Oatmeal

Cook the oats. Place the oats and water in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat Continue cooking on low-to-medium heat until the oats fully absorb the water

Prepare the strawberries. Wash and slice the strawberrries into small pieces (the size of your pinky fingernail). A few minutes before the oats are cooked, put the strawberries into the pot to cook with the oats. Once cooked, allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving/storing

How to puree. If pureeing add the mixture in a blender and add tablespoon by tablespoon water until you reach the desired consistency

How to mash. Simply mash the cooked Strawberry Oatmeal with a fork.

How to BLW. If you are following the baby-led weaning method then simply cut the strawberries to small pieces/strips for the baby to pick for himself and serve a slightly thicker texture of cooked oats alongside.

Possible Strawberry Oatmeal Variations

Mix the fruit. If you wish to stick with seasonal fruit and it's not spring, or simply don't have strawberries, you can really use any fruit you like. Just make sure that is soft enough for your baby to chew between gums.

Mix the grains. This recipe doesn't really have to be all about rolled oats and oatmeal. You can change the grains and use those such as buckwheat, millet or amaranth.

Add some spices. Cinnamon is a great spice to add to your baby's oatmeals. It's always my first choice for any grain-fruit breakfast.

Need More Baby Oatmeal Recipes?

Check these out:

• Apple Banana Oatmeal
• Almond and Blueberry Oatmeal
• Walnut Raspberry Oatmeal
• Blueberry Kefir Oatmeal
• Chocolate Nutmeg Oatmeal