Oatmeal was the first form of solids we introduced to our baby boy. I wanted to give him something healthy and full of nutrients. What’s so wonderful about oatmeal is that it has whole grains, fiber, protein, and iron-just to name a few. These nutrients, including whole grain, are very important for the baby (and us) to consume on a daily basis. Also, I like to purchase the Organic Old Fashioned Oats so I can cook it myself over the stove top. Please refer to your oatmeal package’s cooking instructions for appropriate cook time. For additional information about oatmeal, please refer to this provided WebMD link www.webmd.com/diet/oatmeal-benefits#1
How to Make Oatmeal: For Babies Just Starting on Solids
Pureed Oatmeal: 1 Tablespoon Serving
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon uncooked Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
3-4 tablespoons of filtered water (depends on how soft you’d like the oats)
Instructions:
Please also refer to the oat’s cooking instructions for cook times and preparation steps.
Add 3 tablespoons of filtered water to a saucepan. Bring the water to a boil.
Once it starts to boil, add one tablespoon of oatsl. Cover the saucepan with a lid and lower the heat to low.
Bring the water with the oats to a simmer and allow it to simmer until the oats have absorbed most of the water (this can take about 3 minutes). Don’t walk away from the saucepan since the content can start to foam up. If it does start to create some foam, raise the lid and allow the foam to go down.Once it’s gone away, place the lid back on. Remember to stir occasionally.
After 3 minutes, you will notice most of the water has been absorbed. If you were to stir the oats, you will notice it still has some water it needs to absorb. Remove the lid and allow it to cook for an additional 2 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed and the oats are at a soft consistency. Since the quantity of the oatmeal isn’t much, you might not be able to blend it in a blender.
Place a mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the oatmeal into a mesh strainer. Using the back of the spoon, apply pressure against the oatmeal and move the spoon left and right until most of the oatmeal has been strained through. You might notice that the oatmeal might stick to the bottom of the strainer. Just scoop it off with the spoon. Make sure the oatmeal is finely meshed through and at a puree like consistency.
Before serving, make sure the oatmeal is not hot.
Take a tablespoon of the pureed oatmeal and place it in his/her serving bowl. Add an ounce or two of breastmilk or formula-just enough to get it to the dripping off the spoon consistency. Then, serve the remaining breastmilk or formula after he/she has finished the solids.
In other words, if he/she were to drink 5 ounces of breastmilk or formula, add 1-2 ounces of the breastmilk or formula to the serving bowl with the oatmeal. The remaining 3-4 ounces, he/she will drink after he/she eats the oatmeal.
