Simple Oatmeal Fingers For Baby-led Weaning – 2 Ways

Why I Love This Oatmeal Finger Recipe for Baby-led Weaning 

Baked Oatmeal Fingers are one of my favorite baby-led weaning breakfast foods.

Oatmeal Fingers are also called Oatmeal Bars, Porridge Fingers, and Baked Oatmeal Bars. I’ll be using these terms interchangeably in this blog post.

Oatmeal has always been a family favorite in my home. Before we had kids, I made oatmeal regularly at least once a week.

When I had my first child, I found it difficult to incorporate oatmeal into his diet because it wasn’t finger food. Babies do better with finger food when they’re doing baby-led weaning. 

I didn’t want my baby to be excluded from family meals when we had breakfast, so I set out on a mission to find ways to make oatmeal into finger food. 

I tried different fruits to make them more hearty and less plain. Out of all the fruits I’ve tried so far, blueberries seem to be the one that holds well together the most.

If you just want plain you can remove the blueberries and follow the same recipe.

You may also like: Blueberries and apple oatmeal for baby-led weaning

Why is Oatmeal good for Babies and Toddlers?

Oatmeal has many health benefits for babies and toddlers. It contains many vitamins and minerals which are essential for their growth and development. It also contains carbohydrates, protein, and B vitamins (source). 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. For more info please see the disclaimer

Ingredients for Baby-led Weaning Oatmeal Bar 

Oatmeal 

Rolled oats or instant oats will work with this recipe. If using instant oats, make sure you use one with no added sugar, artificial flavor, or food colorings.

It helps greatly if you soak the oatmeal in the milk for a few minutes before you make the recipe.

I prefer to microwave the oatmeal in the milk for about 3 minutes on high before I mold it into rectangular shapes.

Milk

You can use whole-fat milk or breast milk for this recipe. Avoid using reduced-fat milk because it contains less nutritional content than whole or breast milk.

Blueberries

It’s best to use fresh blueberries for this recipe rather than frozen ones. Frozen ones don’t taste the same, and they won’t bake well with this recipe.

Spices

I use vanilla extract and a dash of cinnamon as my spices of choice. You can add whatever spices you prefer to make it taste good for your baby.

Recipe Variation

If you’re making plain oatmeal fingers for baby-led weaning, then you don’t need to use blueberries. You can also mix in other fruits like grated apples, mashed bananas, etc if you prefer. I love using blueberries because my baby loves the fruit.

Shop my Ingredients on Amazon 

Quaker Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

Cooking Directions For Baked Oatmeal Fingers

• Set your oven to 350 degrees 
• Mash the blueberries in a bowl
• Pour in the milk, vanilla, and cinnamon and mix it all
• Pour in the rolled oats and mix it all
• Let it sit for 5 minutes (so the oats will absorb as much liquid as possible)
• Place in the microwave and cook on high power for 3 minutes or until oatmeal looks sticky. Let it rest for 2 minutes.
• Lightly grease the surface of a baking sheet with cooking spray. 
• Arrange the oatmeal in bars on the baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. 
• Remove from the oven and let it cool completely. Serve when cooled

Mash the blueberries

Mix the ingredients and microwave in a safe bowl

Arrange on a baking sheet and bake

Serve and enjoy after baking

Other Oatmeal Porridge Finger Variations

Make it plain 

You can choose to make this recipe as a plain oatmeal bar without fruits.

Use a different type of milk

You can also choose to use breast milk, oat milk, or any other type of milk variety.

Use a different type of fruit

You don’t have to use blueberries to make this recipe. I’ve used fruits like apples, peaches, and bananas before. You can use whatever fruit you have lying around your house.

Just make sure you mash the fruits to remove any big chunks that a baby could choke on. Especially if you’re using apples.

Make it a complete meal 

Serve it with fruits 

If you made a plain baked oatmeal finger, you can serve fruits on the side to make it a complete meal.

Feeding oatmeal as your baby’s first food? Check out my ultimate guide on oatmeal for babies

FAQs about oatmeal for babies and toddlers

Which oatmeal is best for a baby?

Steel-cut oatmeal and rolled oats are the best types of oatmeal for a baby. This is because Steel-cut and rolled oats have a low glycemic index. 

Food that has a low glycemic index doesn’t cause a sudden spike in our blood sugar. Instead, it gradually increases the blood sugar over time. 

That’s what we want when we feed our babies and toddlers oatmeal.

In comparison, instant oatmeal has a higher glycemic index, and shouldn’t be fed to babies. This is because most instant oatmeal is loaded with sugar and other artificial flavors that aren’t good for children. 

Is it OK to give baby oatmeal every day?

Oatmeal is filled with nutrients that are beneficial to babies. So you can choose to give your baby oatmeal every day if you want. Just make sure you also give them other varieties of food that contain essential nutrients like protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.

Remember that it is important to expose babies to a variety of different food when they’re younger to help train their tastebuds. 

The more they’re exposed to at a young age, the less picky they’ll be when they’re older.

When should I give my baby oatmeal?

You can give your baby oatmeal around 6 months of age. That’s when they’re typically ready to start solids. 

Storage Tips For This Oatmeal Finger

You can successfully store this recipe in the fridge overnight. You’ll have to reheat it in the oven before you serve it.

I usually just wrap it in tin foil and leave it on the counter overnight. This way, you won’t need to reheat it the next day.

Did you make this baby-led weaning recipe? 

Let me know in the comments how it turned out!