Apple cinnamon porridge

Name: Apple cinnamon porridge
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 1 adult and 1 baby
Ingredients: 40 g (about ½ cup) quick or rolled oats; 300 ml (1¼ cups) water; 1 small apple; 1 small pinch ground cinnamon; 1–2 tbsp breast milk or formula

Soft oatmeal cooked with finely grated apple and a pinch of cinnamon, so the apple turns soft and sweet with no added sugar. Smooth for first tastes, lumpier as your baby grows.

From: 6 months
Time: 15 min
Makes: 1 adult and 1 baby

No top allergensOptional extra contains milk

Ingredients

40 g (about ½ cup)quick or rolled oatsplain, with no added sugar or salt
300 ml (1¼ cups)waterfrom 12 months, you can use whole cow's milk for some or all of it. Offer it only once dairy has been introduced on its own
1 smallapple
1 small pinchground cinnamonplain, not cinnamon sugar. Some ground cinnamon brands have been recalled for lead: check your jar against the FDA list and throw away any listed product
1–2 tbspbreast milk or formulaoptional, to loosen

Steps

1Wash your hands. Rinse the apple under running water, gently rubbing the skin, then peel it and cut out the core and all the seeds.
2Finely grate the apple. Put it in a small pan with the oats and water.
3Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, for about 5 to 8 minutes, a little longer than the oat package says, until the oats are very soft and the apple has cooked down and squashes easily. Don't add sugar, honey, syrup or salt.
4Take your baby's portion out. For first tastes, blend or mash it until smooth, and loosen it with breast milk or formula if it's too thick.
5Stir a tiny pinch of the cinnamon into your baby's portion until there are no dry clumps of powder, or leave it out if you follow the US advice in the note below. Stir the rest of the pinch into the family pot.
6Let it cool, stir well to get rid of hot spots, and check the temperature before serving. Rub a little between your thumb and finger: it should feel soft, with no chewy flakes or firm bits of apple.

How to serve it by age

6 months+

Serve smooth and thick on a pre-loaded spoon your baby can hold, or let them scoop it with their fingers.

9 months+

Serve it thicker and lumpier, with soft lumps no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch). Each lump should squash easily between your thumb and finger.

12 months+

Share the family pot, cooked with water or whole milk. Top it with soft fruit in pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), and quarter or flatten blueberries and other small round fruit. Skip granola: the CDC lists granola bars as a choking hazard for young children.

Where US and UK guidance differ on this recipe

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

The AAP says fresh baby food should be cooked with no added salt or seasoning, and it gives no age for cinnamon. If you'd rather follow that line closely, leave the cinnamon out until 12 months, or ask your pediatrician. The AAP also says that apart from mashed banana, most fruit should be cooked until soft before 12 months, as the apple is here.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS says not to add salt or sugar to your baby's food. Its recipe for babies 7 to 9 months uses a pinch of ground cinnamon. If you use it, keep it to a small pinch of plain cinnamon, mixed in.

We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.

If your baby reacts

The optional extras contain milk. Introduce one new allergen at a time, mixed into a food your baby already eats, before serving it in a dish with other new foods. Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if you notice mild signs after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.

Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.

Leftovers and the rest of the family

Storing it

Cool any leftovers from the pot quickly, then keep them in a covered container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or freeze small portions and use them within 3 months. Reheat only once, until steaming hot, 165°F (74°C), stir well and add a splash of water if it has thickened, then let it cool before serving. Throw away anything left in your baby's bowl. Don't leave porridge at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F (32°C).

For the grown-ups

Double the oats, apple and water for a family pot and take the baby's portion out first. Adults and children aged 4 and over can stir chopped nuts or a little honey into their own bowls.