Easy 3-Ingredient Banana Oatmeal For Baby

When I need something quick and easy to make for breakfast, I choose banana oatmeal for baby and toddlers.

The bananas in the oatmeal make it naturally sweet. So it requires less sugar than most recipes. 

It takes less than 30 minutes to make and can be garnished with your favorite spices.

Why I Love Banana Oatmeal For Babies and Toddlers

Being a busy baby and toddler mom, it’s sometimes hard to find a meal that both of them will like.

Oatmeal is one breakfast food that I know they’ll both eat without issues. That’s why I make it so often.

I try to rotate the ingredients I use for oatmeal so it doesn’t get boring.

In this recipe, I used bananas and brown sugar as the sweetener.

I’ve also made avocado oatmeal, blueberry oatmeal, mango, and dragon fruit oatmeal in the past.

This banana oatmeal is perfect for children doing baby-led weaning because it uses very little sugar.

You can use maple syrup in place of the brown sugar if you prefer. 

Important Recipe Notes on BLW Banana Oatmeal

You can use a milk alternative 

I understand that some kids may have milk allergies or milk intolerance.

That’s why I’ve tested this recipe with milk alternatives such as almond and oat milk.

You can use others if you prefer. As someone who’s lactose intolerant, I use lactaid milk to make all my recipes. 

You can skip the sweetener 

My baby and toddler are a little older now, so they’ve started to prefer sweeter oatmeal.

So I sometimes add brown sugar or maple syrup to my oatmeal recipe. 

If you don’t want to add these sweeteners, you can skip them altogether. 

Just increase the amount of banana you use to make the oatmeal sweeter.

You can use instant oatmeal 

Sometimes, all we have at home is instant oatmeal. 

If that’s the case for you, then use it with the same instructions. When using instant oatmeal, your cooking time may vary. 

You could also heat the oatmeal in a microwave instead of the stovetop. But I haven’t tried this method yet.

I suggest you use instant oatmeal that has no added sugar or artificial food coloring if you do go with this option. 

Jump to Recipe

Ingredients For Baby-led Weaning Banana Oatmeal 

Oats – I use rolled oats but you can also use quick-cooking oats and other types. 

Milk – you’re free to use a milk alternative if you don’t want to use cow milk. 

Banana – the riper the banana, the sweeter your oatmeal will taste. 

Spices  – I like adding cinnamon and vanilla to my oatmeal for extra flavor, but this is optional 

Extra Sweetener – You can choose to add some brown sugar or maple syrup to the banana oatmeal if you want. 

Cooking Directions For BLW Banana Oatmeal 

• In a medium saucepan, combine the oatmeal, milk, chopped bananas, spices, and your choice of sweetener.
• Heat the oatmeal mixture on medium heat until it comes to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
• Allow the oatmeal to cook on low until the milk becomes sticky and the oatmeal takes on a slimy texture. 
• Remove from the heat and serve.

Step-by-Step Instructions 

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and cook

What To Serve With Banana Oatmeal For Baby

Serve with ground nuts 

If your baby isn’t allergic to nuts, then you can serve this banana oatmeal with some nuts sprinkled on top. 

Ground almonds, walnuts, and ground pistachios are great options. Ensure you grind them into pieces that a baby can’t choke on before serving.

Chopped fresh fruits

You can add some more fresh fruits to the banana oatmeal if you want. 

Some great add-on fruits are blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and shredded apples. 

How To Serve Banana Oatmeal For Baby-led Weaning

6-9 Months old

Babies in this age group can scoop banana oatmeal with their hands if you serve it in a bowl. 

9-12 months old

Babies between this age group can begin eating from a preloaded spoon. 

If they get frustrated, then let them continue to eat with their hands. 

12- 24 months and older

Babies and toddlers in this age group can enjoy banana oatmeal with a spoon. They should be practicing eating independently at this age.

Storage Tips For Baby Banana Oatmeal 

Can I make overnight banana overnight oats?

You can make banana overnight oats using the same recipe and instructions. 

The only difference is that you’ll not be cooking the oatmeal. They will soften as they absorb the milk all night long. 

Can I refrigerate banana oatmeal for a baby?

You can refrigerate banana oatmeal for a day. Just cover them in an airtight container.

Reheating BLW banana oatmeal 

You can reheat the oatmeal for 2-3 minutes in the microwave. You may need to add in more milk before reheating because it will get dry in the microwave.

Tips for Picky Eaters

Don’t pressure

Give your baby or toddler a chance to say no. It’s okay if they don’t like what we serve them. Keep trying. 

It takes at least 30 exposures for a baby to begin liking a food, so don’t give up.

Make it into a game

Sometimes I create games around the food I serve to get my kids interested in eating. 

A game we’ve played in the past is called “Here comes the airplane… open the garage”. This encourages them to open their mouth as I bring the food in like an airplane.

Sometimes my kids will try new foods this way.

Related recipes 

• Delicious Dragon Fruit Oatmeal For Baby (3 Ingredients)
• The Best Mango Oatmeal For Baby
• Simple Avocado Oatmeal For Baby-led Weaning (3-ingredients)
• Easy BLW Oatmeal With Blueberries & Apples

Did you make this baby-led weaning lunch recipe? 

Let me know in the comments how it turned out!