I know I can’t be the only one struggling to figure out what to feed my family for breakfast every morning, so I thought I’d share share my favorite healthy toddler breakfast ideas — all of which I can make before I drop the kids off at school and head to work. I am a big believer in starting the day with a healthy breakfast, and I love eating together as a family in the mornings and knowing that I’ve nourished my babies before we start our crazy days. Since becoming a mom, I’ve really focused on finding healthy toddler breakfast ideas that I can quickly make during the morning rush.
Now, just to get it out there: I’m hopeless in the kitchen, like can’t even boil pasta kind of hopeless. I have never had the patience to learn how to cook. The one exception: breakfast. I actually like making (and eating!) breakfast foods, and I’ve learned that you can make healthy toddler breakfasts relatively easily, and without being a great cook.
For me, the most important part is planning ahead, especially for morning meals. Like picking out your outfit the night before, having a list of easy toddler breakfast ideas makes it easy for me to whip up something nutritious for the whole family minus the stress. I literally have this list of toddler breakfast ideas taped to my fridge, and I just pick one every morning to make. So I wanted to share this list of healthy toddler breakfast ideas in case you’re struggling with what to make your kids too. They’re all super easy to make and proof that you can be hopeless in the kitchen like me, and still make delicious, nourishing meals your little ones will love.
This list of toddler breakfast ideas includes everything from pancakes and parfaits to my favorite healthy french toast recipe, smoothies and oatmeals, so there’s plenty of variety in terms of foods and prep time. On mornings when I’m super busy, I’ll choose something that takes less than five minutes to make and on days when I have a bit more time, I’ll do choose of the breakfast ideas that takes a bit longer. But the goods news is that none of these take longer than 10 minutes. Here are my favorite healthy toddler breakfast ideas. Now, share yours with me!
Oatmeal
I prefer steel cut oatmeal, but you can also make plain instant oats, especially if you’re short on time. I usually make it with water, but then I add some milk to it and a pinch of salt. The kids have been obsessed with bananas and blueberries, so I’ve been adding those. I also like honey, raisins or dried cranberries, walnuts, peanut butter, or pureed fruit. Warning: This can get messy.
Yogurt Parfait
Parfaits are typically the kind of thing I buy, but I had some leftover Greek yogurt after making some healthy muffins (more on that later), and I realized what a fool I am for spending $15 on yogurt, fruit and granola. James and Charlotte really like yogurt, so parfaits are a great way to add in a little fruit. Right now, they’re pretty content with berries and granola, but as they get older, like the oatmeal, I can add in other fixings (or let them choose their own), and add a sprinkle of cinnamon, some honey, or some granola to give it a little sweetness and crunch.
Smoothies
The kids have been obsessed with smoothies lately. Their nanny has been making him them, and they can’t get enough. We have a lot of frozen fruit in the freezer that we use to make ice pops during teething spells, so she’s been using them or leftover fresh fruit in them. I bought some frozen kale, broccoli, and spinach and asked her to mix in some greens, and the kids totally haven’t noticed, so now it’s a great way for them to get some of the green veggies that they haven’t warmed up to yet. For protein, sometimes we’ll add Greek yogurt or peanut butter, and you can add things like chia seeds.
The cool thing about smoothies is there are a thousand variations you can make — peach, banana, mango, berries, and really any combo of any of them. I’ll whip together a huge batch in the blender (or using our juicer we got for our wedding, but we legit never have used it even though it was the thing I was most excited to register for other than our Nespresso, which broke a few months later and still sits there broken because we sent it back and they sent us a new one and it broke six months later) so we have a few batches that we can freeze for an easy breakfast or lunch on the go or when they won’t eat any of the ten other breakfasts I’ve made them. Smoothies always work.
Banana Oatmeal Muffins
I love muffins and scones and really any breakfast bread, but as much as I try to fool myself by ordering the Chia muffin or one made with flax or quinoa or vegetables, I know they’re basically sugar-filled cakes. I was actually heartbroken when I found out that my favorite quinoa scones from Le Pain Quotidien (aka LPQ) were nearly 700 calories a pop, double a regular sugar-filled one. I’ve been looking for healthy versions of muffins I can make at home where I actually know what’s in them and can calorie and sugar and butter control, and my best friend turned me on to this delicious recipe from Tasty. They’re made with oats, bananas, eggs, and greek yogurt, plus, some cinnamon, honey, and fruit, so they’re pretty healthy and they actually taste amazing. The kids and husband enjoy them as much as I do, and it’s sort of like oatmeal on the go. Plus, they are quick to make — it takes us no more than 15 minutes — and the kids love helping.
Multigrain Pancakes
I used to always spend the night at my best friend’s house growing up because Saturday and Sunday mornings, they would make blueberry pancakes from scratch, and there was honestly nothing better. I loved that tradition so much and have tried to recreate it. While we do this most often when upstate, occasionally, I’ll whip up some yummy breakfast at home. Sometimes I’ll use a multigrain, flaxseed or oat bran mix, but I also really love this recipe from The Seasoned Mom that uses mashed bananas instead of flour. They’re delicious and the kids don’t know the difference.
“Healthy” French Toast
I actually find French toast easier to make than pancakes, or this version at least. Instead of Challah bread, which admittedly makes the best, more indulgent French toast, I’ll use Ezekial bread or another multigrain bread, dipped in a mix of eggs, splash of milk, cinnamon, and touch of vanilla extract and salt. Then you just toss it on the griddle or in a pan and cook. It’s an easy way to use up bread before it goes bad, and it takes 10 minutes. I’ll toss some fresh fruit on top and make a little bowl of maple syrup for dipping, which James is really into right now. Not only do both kids like it, but Andrew does as well, which is saying a lot for a man who is allergic to anything that “tastes healthy”. Check out my favorite healthy french toast recipe here.
Waffle Sandwich
My sister in law will make pancakes and then freeze them to quickly reheat in the mornings. We don’t have a waffle griddle (although we could easily buy the attachment for our Cuisinart Griddle that we love for making sandwiches), but honestly, I just use the multigrain waffles from Trader Joe’s, which I love and are easy to pop in the toaster. I also love Flax seed ones from Nature’s Path. I’ll toast them and then coat them in peanut butter to make a sandwich that I can cut up for the kids to grab. Sometimes I’ll even slip in some thin slices of banana in there.
Scrambled Eggs with Cheese and Veggies
Scrambled eggs are hands down the easiest thing to make. All I have to do is whip three eggs, a touch of milk, some cheese, and any veggies I have available together and then toss into a frying pan and a few minutes later, I have a delicious breakfast the kids will eat and I can share with them. When I have time to prep ahead, I’ll make eggs in a muffin tin, bake them, and then freeze the leftovers to heat up in the mornings. This egg muffins recipe is super easy and they’re great to take on the go too. I like to toss in some veggies like broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, or spinach to sneak in some extra veggies into the kids’ diet, although they often pick them out, I figure I tried and maybe a few bites of veggies snuck in.
Peanut Butter and Fruit Rollups
This one is super easy. I’ll take a multigrain wrap, coat it in almond butter or peanut butter, and then put some fruit on top like raspberries or banana slices, and roll it up. It’s easy for Charlotte to eat from her high chair or from the stroller on the way out the door, and I’ll grab one on the way to work too.
Avocado Toast
This is such an easy way to get in some veggies for breakfast, and makes the toast soft without being as sticky and hard to swallow as peanut butter, so James will actually eat it. I usually just smash some avocado and spread it out on Ezekial bread and then cut off the crust for the kids. You could also add spices like paprika, pepper and salt, other veggies like tomatoes and onions etc., but James and I both actually prefer the blandness of plain avocado tbh (I’m not big on spices or flavors, weird, I know). But sometimes, I’ll just buy non-spicy guacamole and do that. It’s the same, has some additional veggies, and the kids enjoy it just as much.
Cereal
I know there are a lot of moms who feel like it’s a failure to serve your kids cereal for breakfast, but I am totally fine with it on busy mornings when I don’t have time to cook. My kids love it, it’s easy and quick, and if you choose the right cereals, you don’t have to feel guilty. I opt for organic options that are low in sugar and offer some fiber and protein. Some of our favorites are from Cascadian Farms and Barbara’s. We also love Nature’s Path Heritage Flakes, Three Wishes Cinnamon and honey cereal.
Egg Sandwiches
I like to make a healthy version of egg sandwiches for the kids. I’ll toast an Ezekiel english muffin, melt a square of organic American cheese on it, and add a slice of nitrate free organic bacon and some organic eggs (the kids will only eat them scrambled). It only takes five minutes and everyone loves it. The kids usually pick it apart, but they like seeing it all together on their plate. If the kids are feeling picky, I’ll give them the deconstructed version with each of the ingredients separated on the plate.
Jelly Toast
Admittedly, this is not the most inventive of meals, but again, it works in a pinch and is always a crowd pleaser. I’ll put organic fruit preserves on multigrain toast. Sometimes I’ll try to add a little organic butter first for some extra fat. I’ll serve with fruit and organic yogurt to get some protein in there. I don’t know what it is with kids and jelly, but they love it (just mine?).
So those are my go-to meals so far and what I can actually make at these early stages of my adventures in cooking. I know it’s only a matter of time before James and Charlotte are over all these, and I’m always looking to expand my skills (within reason), so let me know any of your favorite healthy (EASY!) breakfast recipes. Plus, any dinner or lunch ideas that are toddler friendly — that’ll be next in this series.
Supriya Kutty says
I faced a lot of problems as my baby used to eat nothing and this really made me feel bad but when I searched for the things that we can actually give him to eat I came across this post by you and now all my problems are almost solved now my baby eats a sufficient amount of the meal and for a mother that’s very satisfying. thank you so much, god, bless you keep growing.