If you’re looking for some fun and easy breakfast ideas for your toddler, you’ve come to the right place! A nutritious breakfast is an important part of a toddler’s day. It provides them with the energy they need to learn and play. There are many different breakfast options that are both healthy and delicious. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the best breakfast ideas for toddlers, and why they work!
A good breakfast for toddlers should be nutritious, easy to eat, simple to prepare and toddler-friendly. It’s also important to choose a breakfast that will fill your toddler up, provide a variety of nutrients and give them the energy they need to start their day. Some great options could include oatmeal, eggs, toast, fruit, yogurt, and pancakes. When serving breakfast for toddlers I recommend parents be mindful of portion sizes and offer a few different foods, read on for why I coach my clients to do this.
Toddlers need a variety of nutrients for growth and development. Some of the most important nutrients include protein, fat (including omega 3), carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins (like vitamin D) and minerals (like iron, zinc and calcium). These nutrients can be found in a variety of foods, what’s important is to be sure the meals you serve provide a combination of those nutrients. This helps ensure over the course of the day they’ll get the nutrients they need for steady energy, regularity and growth.
When I work with families, I teach them to balance their meals and snacks by considering providing fat, fiber and protein alongside carbohydrates. Snacks will usually have a smaller combination, but we’ll talk about that later. When making breakfast for your toddler, consider the full combination from a few different food groups because it will offer a broader variety of vitamins and minerals your toddler needs. Read on to see what this looks like as sample meals.
Cereal + Whole Milk + Banana
Whole Wheat Pancakes + Butter + Blueberries + Whole Milk
Fruit Bread (pumpkin, banana, apple, etc) + Yogurt + Pears
Whole Wheat Toast + Almond Butter + Sliced Strawberries
Yogurt Parfait (Whole Fat Plain Greek Yogurt + Low Sugar Granola + Raspberries)
Scrambled Eggs (cooked in butter) + Toast + Butter + Melon
Bagel + Cream Cheese + Whole Milk + Apple Slices
Muffin + Whole Milk + Butter + Hard Boiled Egg + Strawberries
Mixed Nuts (in pieces safe for your child’s progress) + Blackberries + Clementine
Savory Leftovers – literally any dinner or lunch leftovers work here, especially for kids who don’t love breakfast options just make sure to offer some of all the components
A few notes regarding the options listed above:
*When it comes to serving sizes, I suggest starting with the size of your toddler’s palm for each of the foods offered. You can give them refills, but start here.
*If you, or your child, would struggle to accept any of the foods above (not for allergy reasons), check out the picky eating tips linked below for how to approach offering non-preferred foods.
*If your child cannot have dairy, I’d recommend using unsweetened soy milk or unsweetened kids pea milk (like ripple). It will provide a closer match for calories/protein/fat/calcium.
If you’re looking for more ideas be sure to check out Busy Mom Meal Prep ebook where we provide a full month of breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner ideas that are both nutritious and delicious! Plus, each meal is balanced with fat, fiber and protein to help ensure your whole family is getting the nutrients they need.
I hope this blog has given you some ideas of what to serve your toddler for breakfast. A nutritious and well-balanced breakfast is an important part of a toddler’s day, and I hope these ideas make it easy for you to prepare!
For more tips on feeding toddlers, be sure to check out my round up of picky eating tips.
