dumb questions - giving oatmeal to LO

umdbride

DS is 10 months and we haven't been giving him purees at all anymore except maybe some applesauce or yogurt.  For breakfast we usually give him an egg and a 1/2 slice of whole wheat bread with a little cream cheese, or whole wheat bread with peanut butter (pedi said ok to PB and egg before 1 year).  I never thought of oatmeal with fruit until I saw you guys mention it and I'd like to try it out. 

Do you use baby oatmeal (like the rice cereal) or regular oatmeal?  if regular, do you use the instant kind or traditional kind?  if traditional, how do you prepare and store it? any other tips or suggestions??

Sorry for so many questions - I just can't imagine having time to cook oatmeal on weekday mornings!

 TIA!

amh_navyblue

We are all about the instant oatmeal in our house, when we make it in the mornings... I think your LO should be fine with that consistency.  The main issue (as it would be with anything warmed) is making sure it's not too hot. I have found that if I put the water in the microwave for about 45 sec (instead of the min recommended on the instant pouch instructions), the water is hot enough to cook the oatmeal and cools to a reasonable temperature fairly quickly.  As you note, time is of the essence in the morning:)

Hey Jellisy

DS is 11 months and we too stopped purees early.  We give him all kinds of oatmeal.  If I use the baby one, I add a lot of apple sauce to give it texture, I mostly serve this to use up the box.  I generally make Irish oatmeal on the weekends and he eats that with fruit on the side and on weekday mornings if I make instant he eats that too.  I make it the same consistency I make for myself (which is on the thicker side).  This and yogurt are one of the few foods he will still accept from a spoon, otherwise he prefers to feed himself.  BTW, leftover oatmeal, I just serve cold on his tray and he eats it with his fingers. It sets up enough to not need a spoon. 

2vthokies

I make a big batch of steel cut oats in my crockpot on Sunday night and that's what the girls and I eat every morning for the week.  I scoop some out in the morning, add a bit of milk and banana (or blues, straws, rasberries, pear, apple, etc) and heat it for about 30 seconds.  I don't think the consistency will be an issue - it's pretty much like a scrambled egg.  They love it.

ETA:  I make it in my crockpot in a waterbath and, once it's cooled, store the container with the oatmeal in the fridge, covered.

LindseyJW

we started LO1 with a puree of oatmeal and BM when he first started solids. i put regular, dry oatmeal in the food processor and chopped it, then cooked per directions with water. i mixed it with hand-expressed BM just before serving to warm it up. 

i usually made one pot on the weekend, and froze half. the other half i kept in the fridge for first half of the week feedings. the second half i froze in sealed ice cube trays and popped out a couple cubes for each feeding. 

when we traveled, i bought quick cook (not instant packets) oatmeal, added hot water and BM and served.  

when we introduced new foods, we usually blended them into the oatmeal. he became accustomed to most new foods this way.

with LO2, we skipped oatmeal. she wanted no part of anything we weren't also eating! she pretty much went straight to table foods, but she also started solids a full month after LO1 (8.5 months, compared to 7 months) 

Hey Jellisy

BTW  when I say instant, I don't mean flavored packets, I think those have too much sugar, even for my tastes.  I use the canister. 

umdbride

Thanks ladies!  right now we send breakfast to DCP so we make it in the evenings along with his lunch and keep it in the fridge overnight.  I planned on using plain oatmeal and using some fruits or applesauce mixed in for flavor.  Glad to know some of you use instant and others make it in the crock pot. 

Does everyone use water or does anyone use WCM?  I don't have enough BM to use that at this point, but I did in his baby cereal a few months ago.

2vthokies

I make the oatmeal with water in my crockpot, but add milk when it's cold and I'm reheating.  I think water or WCM instead of BM is fine.  It's just to get it to the consistency you want and if he's eating/nursing well othewise then no need to use BM.  Plus, if you use BM and he doesn't eat a whole serving you'll be irritated at wasting the BM.

Jitterbug2668

DS still gets baby rice cereal or oatmeal w/ WCM and a fruit puree every morning, except maybe on the weekends.

bh2720

amh_navyblue:

We are all about the instant oatmeal in our house, when we make it in the mornings... I think your LO should be fine with that consistency.  The main issue (as it would be with anything warmed) is making sure it's not too hot. I have found that if I put the water in the microwave for about 45 sec (instead of the min recommended on the instant pouch instructions), the water is hot enough to cook the oatmeal and cools to a reasonable temperature fairly quickly.  As you note, time is of the essence in the morning:)

This was an issue for us, too, but I started mixing the oatmeal with cold applesauce after I cook it and cools it right down and tastes really good. I also mix in some cinnamon, this was Warner's breakfast of choice for almost a year. 

umdbride

bh2720:

This was an issue for us, too, but I started mixing the oatmeal with cold applesauce after I cook it and cools it right down and tastes really good. I also mix in some cinnamon, this was Warner's breakfast of choice for almost a year. 

smart idea - thanks!!

tracy042206

If it is too lumpy for them to eat you can put your own oatmeal in the food processor and process it as much or as little as you want for your LO preference and then cook it.  My kids loved the baby stuff as infants and then I started doing the food processor thing when the regular oatmeal seemed to have too much texture for them and slowly moved to not processing it at all.  It is definitely a fave breakfast around here since we all eat it and it can be doctored up so many ways.

Also I tried this baked oatmeal recipe while the family was over for theholidays and it was awesome.  Molly loved it but Maggie was expecting her regular mushy oatmeal and was a not a fan.

umdbride

tracy042206:

Also I tried this baked oatmeal recipe while the family was over for theholidays and it was awesome.  Molly loved it but Maggie was expecting her regular mushy oatmeal and was a not a fan.

that sounds delish!  I might try it without the syrup for DS at first and see what happens

mamabear2010

I use the quick oats with WCM... it's been the top breakfast item for DS since I stopped using the baby cereal... I honestly can't remember when, but probably around 8 months. He's done fine with it. I always try to put some kind of fruit with it so he loves that. I don't use the flavored packets, I might add a sprinkle of sugar or some honey once in a while, but not on a regular basis. I also mix in some ground flaxseed meal with it. For me oatmeal is easier than other breakfasts, and it's so nutritious.