Baby & Toddler Breakfast Ideas
Components of a Healthy Breakfast For Toddlers
We all know breakfast is important, which is why our Registered Dietitian joined me to create this blog post full of great ideas for you! Serving a healthy breakfast is crucial because it breaks the fast from overnight and has the potential to set the day up with stable energy and blood sugar when it contains ample protein and fiber. When serving your little ones breakfast (or any meal), you’ll want to be conscious of providing a good protein and fiber source. Carbs and healthy fats are pretty easy to get into little bellies (hello fruit and dairy!), but getting protein and fiber usually requires a bit more effort. The combination of all 3 macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fat) with fiber will help your little ones to stay satiated longer and have stable energy until their next meal.
We also want mornings to be as calm and stress-free as possible, which means you won’t find any crazy ideas or complex recipes here- just simple meals for your toddler. The recipes that take a bit more time can be prepped on one day and used for the whole week (yay, leftovers!)
Quick Breakfast Ideas for Toddlers
A few ideas for those mornings when you need to get breakfast ready fast but you don’t want to compromise on nutrition. These meals come together quickly and contain ample protein, carbs, fat and fiber to fuel your little one’s morning. Here are four of our favorites that require little to no prep!
1. The Parfait
Full fat plain greek yogurt or cottage cheese + fresh berries + drizzle of honey + optional sprinkle of seeds (chia/hemp/ground flax)
*Letting your little one sprinkle the seeds on top will make them more likely to accept them
2. The Cold Combo
Hard Boiled egg + cheese stick / cheese cubes + apple slices with peanut butter
3. Banana Sandies
Slice up bananas in large strips or bite sized pieces and serve with nut butter to dip.
4. Warm Cinnamon Apples
Dice apples (remove skin for young toddlers before dicing), drizzle with butter and a small amount of cinnamon. Microwave for 30-60 seconds. Drizzle with nut butter of choice.
Breakfast Ideas for Toddlers that Last All Week
Picture this: your toddler has woken up at the crack of dawn, bright eyed and bushy tailed, and their hungry monster is growling before you can even wipe the crust from your eyes. You need to get something in their tummy fast that will buy you a few moments to start your day and make a hot drink, until you’re ready to prepare a more substantial breakfast.
Enter the hero of the morning, the “Sunrise Nibble”. This is a snack for your little one to “nibble” on that makes their hungry monster quiet down while you prepare breakfast. It has been known to turn mornings from stressful to peaceful. Here are a few tried and true “Sunrise Nibble” ideas that can be prepped for the week ahead of time (hello Sunday meal prep!) and be kept ready to go in the fridge.
Homemade Gummies
Ingredients:
2 cups of 100% juice (tart cherry juice is our fave)
2 Tbsp gelatin powder (Great Lakes and Perfect Supplements are good brands)
⅛ cup - ¼ cup pure maple syrup or honey (amount based on your preference for sweetness)
Pinch of sea salt
Directions:
Pour juice into a saucepan and sprinkle gelatin powder over the juice. Let it sit for around 10 minutes to let the gelatin bloom (this helps the gelatin powder dissolve).
Turn on low heat and warm the juice mixture, using a whisk to dissolve all the gelatin powder.
Add the pinch of salt and maple syrup or honey. Once everything is smooth and dissolved, pour the mixture into a square glass dish or into silicone ice cube trays/molds and place in the fridge to set. Cut the gummies into squares and store in the fridge for 2 weeks.
*The recipe can be scaled up or down using the ratio of 1 cup juice to 1 Tbsp gelatin. You can increase or decrease the gelatin amount to make a softer/mushier gummy or a more chewy gummy.
Nourishing Chocolate Milk
Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of sea salt
1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
1 scoop collagen (optional)
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a blender until well mixed and frothy.
*Scale the recipe up or down based on how much chocolate milk you want to have on hand for the week. Cocoa powder and maple syrup amount can be adjusted based on your preference.
Cottage Cheese Egg Muffins
Pair with fresh fruit + avocado slices
Ingredients:
10 eggs
1 cup full fat cottage cheese
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup shredded cheese
Directions:
Combine the eggs, cottage cheese, and salt in a blender. Wipe a 12 cup muffin tin with butter or spray with oil.
Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly between 12 muffin tin cups, then pour the egg mixture into each cup, until about ¾ full.
Bake at 325F for ~25 minutes. The center of the muffin should be set. Wait a few minutes for the egg muffins to cool before removing them.
*Recipe adapted from Natasha’s Kitchen.
These can reheat well for about 3-5 days.
High Fiber Breakfasts for Toddlers
While many people think fiber makes littles have a bowel movement, it’s fiber and liquid! So make sure to pair fibrous foods with lots of liquid to keep things moving.
The Oat Bran Combo
Oat bran cooked with egg + sausage + berries
Cook the oat bran according to package directions, but instead of all water, use ½ water and ½ whole milk. When the oat bran is almost done cooking, stir in a whisked egg. Use 1 egg per serving.
Layered Avocado Toast
Whole wheat toast topped with smashed avocado + fried egg/scrambled egg + pear slices
This is a great combination of fat, protein and carbs that’s also high in fiber!
*Oat bran and oatmeal are also a good source of iron
High Protein and High Iron Breakfasts for Toddlers
Protein is an important macronutrient for toddlers. We break down how much protein babies and toddlers need in this blog. Trying to focus on high protein and high iron foods throughout the day is recommended, and here are two of our favorites to keep in rotation during breakfast.
The Breakfast Taco
Ingredients:
Corn or flour tortilla
Scrambled eggs
Shredded cheese
Bacon or sausage bits
Avocado and tomato chunks
Directions:
Assemble all ingredients inside a tortilla of your choosing.
The Healthy Diner Combo
Offer beef or chicken sausage (uncured is preferred) + kiwi chunks or other fruit + whole grain toast with peanut butter. This is a great combination of all three macronutrients and is very filling for littles!
Breakfast Ideas for Picky Eaters
Feeding picky toddlers is so hard. It can make you worry about whether your little one is getting all the nutrients they need. It may be tempting to serve the same thing on repeat that you know they will eat, and that is understandable! Mixing the routine up with something like a smoothie is a great way to get your little one involved in preparation which makes them more willing to try it. You can talk about making different colored smoothies with different fruits. Another option is to make a smoothie and freeze it into popsicle molds. Voila, popsicles for breakfast! We have 15 recipes in our Smoothie Recipe Guide that you can download for free here!
Purple People Eater Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 banana
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup spinach
½ cup whole milk plain yogurt
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 cup whole milk
1 cup water
Optional Smoothie Add-Ins to Boost Nutrition
Unflavored collagen powder
Chia seeds, hemp seeds, or flax seeds
¼-½ an avocado
Hopefully these ideas will help your mornings become a bit smoother and more nutritious! Remember that it is perfectly ok and normal to have repeat breakfasts. Aim to have a rotation of a few different breakfasts for several weeks, then maybe mix it up again based on the season. Some toddlers do really well with a “breakfast menu” for the week, so they know what to expect in the morning. They can even help you make the menu and give their input.
if you’re looking for more, be sure to read our 10 Real Food Snacks for Babies and Toddlers - our Registered Dietitian has even more great ideas for parents there!
