Oats and oatmeal for babies

Low choking risk
grain

Yes — from 6 months

Yes, babies can eat oats from around 6 months. Oatmeal is one of the most useful early foods because the texture is adjustable — thick enough to stay on a spoon for a new eater, looser once your baby has the hang of it. Use plain oats with no added sugar or salt.

Cook it thick enough to stay on the spoon.

How to serve oatmeal

My baby is

6 months Your baby

Cook oats thick, so a spoonful holds together and stays put when turned over. Pre-load a spoon and hand it to your baby, or spread it on the tray to scoop.

Diagram: a spoon pre-loaded with thick oatmeal that holds its shape, shown beside an adult finger for scale.

9 months Your baby

Same texture, but let your baby hold the spoon. Stir in mashed fruit or a thin layer of smooth nut butter.

Diagram: a spoon loaded with thick oatmeal for a baby to hold, shown beside an adult finger for scale.

12 months and up Your baby

Porridge as the family eats it, with whole cow milk now fine. Still unsweetened.

Diagram: a family bowl of porridge, shown beside an adult finger for scale.

The images above are scale diagrams, not photographs — the adult finger and the 2 cm bar show the size to cut to. Photographs of real food are on the way.

Choking risk

Cooked oatmeal is not a choking hazard. Take care with add-ins: whole nuts, dried fruit and whole berries stirred through porridge are the risk.

Not sure what you are seeing? Gagging vs. choking, and what to do.

Why it is worth offering

Provides iron, which matters from 6 months as a baby's own stores fall
Fibre for digestion, and a filling texture
Carries other flavours well, from cinnamon to mashed fruit

Oatmeal earns its place through iron. From around 6 months a baby’s own iron stores begin to run down, and breast milk alone does not top them up, so iron-containing foods matter from the start.

Recipes with oatmeal

Two-ingredient banana oat pancakes
Soft, sweet pancakes made from banana and oats, with nothing added. Easy for a 6 month old to grip and quick enough for a weekday.

Oats and oatmeal questions parents ask

Can a 6 month old eat oatmeal?

Yes, from the start of solids. Cook it thicker than you would for yourself so it stays on the spoon.

Is baby oat cereal necessary?

No. Plain rolled oats blended fine or cooked soft do the same job. Iron-fortified infant cereals are one convenient option, not a requirement.

Can babies have oats with cow milk?

Yes, cow milk used in cooking is fine from 6 months. As a main drink it waits until 12 months.

Try these next

Bananas
From 6 months
Yogurt
From 6 months

Medically reviewed by Melissa A Barry, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RD, RDN) — last reviewed October 8, 2026. See our editorial and review policy. Verify this credential