Are you looking for some new options to spice up your kids’ breakfast routine? It’s so easy to fall into a cereal rut, which certainly isn’t bad…but it can get boring pretty quickly. Instead, try these 10 Toddler and Little Kid Breakfast Ideas to help you steer clear of the Pop Tarts and Krispy Kremes!
Here we go…My Top 10 Toddler and Little Kid Breakfast Ideas!
1. SMOOTHIES. These are a great way to ensure that your children get plenty of fruit, protein, and calcium at the start of their day. The combinations are really endless, but some of our favorites include my Chunky Monkey Protein Smoothie (it’s dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free); my Vanilla Berry Smoothie; and my Key Lime Pie Protein Smoothie. Let your children drink them through fun straws, or pour them into special cups. They’ll be thrilled with the opportunity to have a “milkshake” for breakfast!
2. HEALTHY 3-INGREDIENT CINNAMON BANANA PANCAKES. My friend Caryn shared this recipe with me years ago when we both had toddlers. Her son loves them, my boys love them, and I still make them for myself! They’re a great way to take advantage of overripe bananas, and they are grain-free, gluten-free, and high in protein! Pro tip: while the pancakes are great with maple syrup, they’re sweet enough on their own that they don’t even need it. Instead, try adding a smear of peanut butter to the top! Grab the recipe HERE.
3. BARS. A packaged granola bar can be incredibly convenient and also healthy when paired with some fruit or milk and yogurt. My kids’ favorites? The Peanut Butter Cookie Larabars, which are made with just 3 ingredients: peanuts, dates, and salt. The Larabars are soft enough for the little ones to chew, and they come in a zillion tasty flavors. Better yet? Make your own bars and keep them in your refrigerator! We love my No-Bake Mocha Almond Fudge Energy Bars (omit the coffee if you’re serving them to kids!!), and my Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Cereal Bars for slightly older children who can chew little pieces of chopped nuts and dried fruit.
4. MINI MUFFINS. Mini muffins are much easier for little fingers to pick up and eat, and they can be made to appeal to just about any palate. Blueberry is always a safe bet with the kiddos, but other favorites include my Morning Glory Muffins (bake them in a mini muffin tin for smaller portions); my Graham Cracker Blender Mini Muffins; and my Whole Grain Honey Peach Toddler Mini Muffins. An added bonus when it comes to muffins? They freeze beautifully, so you can bake a batch and then just thaw them in the microwave as you need them. Perfect for busy mornings!
5. YOGURT PARFAITS. Make a breakfast parfait that is pretty, and your child is bound to be interested! You can layer any yogurt and fruit in a cup, or add cereal or granola for some crunch. Try my Overnight Apple Crisp Breakfast Parfait. If your child is too small for chunks of apple, just use plain whole milk yogurt and layer it with applesauce! The fruit gives plain yogurt a great touch of sweetness without the need for added sugar.
6. MINIATURE WAFFLE SANDWICHES. One of my favorite breakfasts is a peanut butter sandwich made with two whole-grain toaster waffles. In the frozen section of your grocery store, grab some miniature waffles for your kids and serve them this tasty treat as well (we love the whole grain organic version by Earth’s Best). The mini waffles are not as thick as their full-size counterparts, and are the perfect size for your toddlers to pick up on their own. Drizzle with honey or pure maple syrup for a touch of sweetness.
7. TOAST SHAPES. Most kids don’t care for the crust on toasted bread, so I found that it’s quick, easy, and fun to use a cookie cutter to trim shapes out of toast. You can spread the whole grain toast with butter, with cinnamon, with nut butter, or with a fruit spread. Add fresh fruit, eggs, yogurt, cheese, or milk for a balanced meal.
8. FREEZER-FRIENDLY EGG AND CHEESE MINI MUFFINS. These mini muffins are the perfect answer to busy, weekday mornings. Bake a batch in advance (it only takes a total of 15 minutes from start to finish), and pop them in the freezer. When you need one in the morning, just pull it from the freezer and put it directly in the microwave for a few seconds. It’s the best way I know to make eggs without dirtying a pan. Plus, they’re a much neater way for your toddler to eat scrambled eggs with her hands! The 3-INGREDIENT recipe is HERE!
9. FRUIT ROLL-UPS. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese (or yogurt, cottage cheese, or nut butter) onto a whole grain tortilla. Top with fruit, roll it up, and allow your child to take bites on her own. You can also slice it into smaller rounds if that’s an easier way for your little one to feed himself. If your child is small and cannot chew whole slices of fruit, just mash berries or banana in a bowl, slice grapes very thin, or use a fruit puree like applesauce. Pick your child’s favorite combination!
10. OATMEAL BREAKFAST BAR. Plain oatmeal is BORING. But, if you allow your kids to dress up their own bowl, it will instantly be fun! Microwave a bowl of plain oatmeal with milk and a pinch of salt. Set out some fixin’s on the counter and allow your kids to put together their own concoction. Toppings might include (just a few) rainbow sprinkles, a dollop of nut butter, a dollop of Greek yogurt, honey (if your child is older than 1), chopped or pureed fruit, raisins, or anything else that you can pull out of your pantry. Oatmeal is suddenly delicious!
Are you looking to simplify mealtime for your family? Check out my eCookbook Fast, Fresh & Fit!, which is full of 30 recipes and tips for quick-prep breakfasts, lunches, and dinners that your whole family will love! You can learn more HERE! And PS — it includes even more Toddler and Little Kid Breakfast Ideas!
Ooooh, I love these, especially the egg and cheese mini muffins. I can’t get my toddler to eat eggs, but maybe this will work. Thank you for the great ideas.
Jennifer McCullough recently posted…Help Wanted: Please Teach My Child How to Speak English
Hey er, if you have such great food ideas that are so better than these than why the heck are you even looking at this blog. I appreciate having ideas that are outside the box from this great mom who took the time to tell us what works for her family. My kids get tired of eggs and won’t eat avacado. Some people are grateful to see website’s like this for great ideas and new perspective.
Thanks, Lucy! 🙂
its good to get new ideas, that’s why i was here…… BUT i was searching for healthy ideas for my toddler. Sugar for breakfast is generally not an option.
A lot of sugar in anyone’s diet makes it hard for their immune system to work. Also feeds infection, i want my baby to stay as healthy as i can keep her.
Alright, do your high horse a favor and hop off. If the article displeases you that much, post some other article somewhere that justifies and go be the best mom you can be….over *there*.
If rainbow sprinkles will get my son to eat oatmeal then I’m all over that. The recipe calls for rainbow ‘sprinkles’, not rainbow sprinkles topped with oatmeal. I think some of the other ideas are very interesting and can be quite healthy. I especially like the idea of bananas with pancake batter. The fruit& yogourt recipe and the fruit roll up idea are also great options that I can’t wait to try.
I saw a simple recipe in a magazine that I would like to share. Similar to the fruit roll up idea, it’s Nutella spread on a whole wheat tortilla with banana and strawberry slices. I think any kind of nut butter will work depending on your own personal preference.
Thanks for stopping by! I love the Nutella idea, too. My boys love Nutella and think it’s such a treat when I let them have it. 🙂
Let’s talk about yogurt. Not all yogurt is healthy. No real nutritional ingredients in many of them some high in sugar. Too much yogurt can constipate if given 2 or more days in a row. I take care of my 2 yr old food fussy grandson so this blog is better than some of blogs out there. Using warmed fruit in place of syrup helps too. Keep up the good work mommies searching for nutritional foods for your little ones.
I’m sorry that all you “wonderful” mothers out there think that sugar and microwaves are so awful for your kids. I’m sure you ate cereal for breakfast and had a meal or even a bottle microwaved by your parents and you’re still alive and obviously healthy an cocky enough to reproduce. Give this woman a break. If you think sugar is going to kill your kid you better homeschool and never let them leave your house, ever. They’re bound to find chocolate chips and microwaves out there!
Thanks, Taylor! If folks are regular blog readers, they will understand that I do my best to keep our diet well-balanced and nutritious. I don’t worry about the occasional treat for my boys — they are active, healthy, and happy…and to me, that’s what living life is all about. That said, I understand the importance of incorporating plenty of healthy whole grains, fats, fruits, and veggies into their diets as well, and that is always a priority. Again, it’s all about balance in my mind. While my 4 year old loves chocolate, he will tell you that his favorite, most-requested dinner is grilled salmon! And my three year old loves fruits and veggies so much that I actually have to limit how many servings he eats per day or he gets an upset stomach! Each mom does the best that we can and the best that we know how. If I’m happy and healthy and my family is happy and healthy, I consider it a success. Thanks again for your support and for visiting my blog. 🙂
Hmm..I’d have to say that my opinion is..I like some of these ideas I use some of these ideas already..my other opinions are if u don’t like the blog click the back button and look at something else I think bashing someone for giving you their ideas to get very picky eaters to eat something healthy even if it’s mixed with something fun is completely immature and unnecessary. .I and since everyone felt so free and open to give their parenting advice here’s mine..If u completely deprive your kids you’re going to end up with a child that hides stuff from you and rebels..I’ve seen it happen..some parents are a bit ridiculous about how far they are taking this..it’s an idea if you don’t like it get your own
I think this website is wonderful and I will be using probably all of the recipes posted here. I was out of ideas on what to do for breakfast and lunch, so this website gave me great ideas. I agree that people who do not like the website, keep your rude comments to yourselves and go elsewhere. If you haven’t noticed, she always makes a note to add whole grains, fruit, etc with these recipes. People are so rude this day and age! Please keep up the great work, Blair! 🙂
Thanks so much for your kind words, Steph, and for reading the blog. You are incredibly thoughtful!
Thanks, Chichi! 🙂
Love your work Blair. I think making food fun for kids is half the battle – so much so that I have started my own blog dedicated to that very topic! I’ve done a few similar things with my 3yo to the suggestions you have here, including the fruit parfait which was a HUGE hit! If you can’t have a little treat every now and then, life’s pretty dull. By the way, the little boy in the main pic is such a little cutie! x
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Thank you so much for your kind words, Tami!!!
for my one year old daughter, she loves omelets! i scramble one egg in a bowl with just a small dash of salt & pepper. i then chop up some veggies that become very well hidden. when i put it out on the pan, i add some cheese and bacon along with the veggies. cook it for just about 5 mins & its done! my daughter loves this!
Yum!! That sounds perfect and so healthy!
While some of these ideas are maybe not the healthiest I was looking for ideas for easy toddler breakfast and this was exactly what I was expecting and it was helpful. Instead of being judge-y, use your brain for good and bend the ideas in a healthy way that better suite your family. and guess what, your perfect child isn’t always going to eat exactly what you put in front of him or her so if sprinkles get healthy food in their belly, I think its a good idea. I have soy, dairy and wheat allergic children, if sprinkles (free of allergies) get them to eat a dry somewhat tasteless muffin that is great.
Thanks, Abby! 🙂 I hope that you find some ideas that make you and your little ones happy!
These ideas are so cute I can’t wait to try them thanks a lot for the ideas
Thanks, Madison!! 🙂
I agree that most odd these are not healthy. I wouldn’t give them to my kids for my own sake. They’re so much happier and more well behaved when fed a healthy breakfast.
However, all of these can be made healthy. Perhaps instead of ridiculing we can offer some suggestions. For example, The oatmeal bar is an excellent idea. You really don’t need candy to make it tasty. Try setting out raisins, peanut butter, chopped banana, nuts and seeds, and fresh or frozen berries, etc. Offer a little honey or maple syrup. Kids love berries. They’re nature’s candy. I always have some frozen berries on hand for cooling off hot oatmeal for little mouths. It works perfectly! We especially love blueberries.
“Most *of” sorry
Great suggestions, Krista! My boys love frozen berries on their cereal, too (hot or cold)! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
My 2 yr old grandson loves frozen fruit. It beats processed foods. Good job moms.
Thanks for these ideas.My toddler is a picky eater and it is difficult to introduce new food for him.He doesn’t eat cheese,I want to try this egg and cheese muffins,as he likes cupcakes,he may like cheesy egg muffins…
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I hope that he likes them, Amila! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Love these ideas! Thank you! 🙂
You’re very welcome! Thanks for stopping by, Michelle Diane!
That is a very good tip especially to those fresh to the blogosphere.
Short but very precise information? Thanks for sharing this one.
A must read post!
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Thank you for this list of recipes, Blair. My children like FRUIT ROLL-UPS . Again thanks..
Keep sharing!!!
Thanks, Jennifer! Glad that you enjoyed it! 🙂
So tired of giving my toddler the same ole boring mini pancakes, fruit and yogurt in the morning. Thanks so much for the great ideas. I love the variety and the simple recipes!
Awesome! Enjoy, Sandy! I hope that your little one finds some new favorites! My youngest loves mini pancakes for breakfast almost every day too… 🙂
These are seriously brilliant! Love everything about them! Pinned
thank you
Wonderful! I’m so glad that you found them helpful!
LOVE THE FRUIT ROLL UPS! GREAT IDEAS!
Thanks for stopping by, Lexi! 🙂
Love all the breakfast ideas, but sadly I can’t get my picky eaters to try anything new. They get tired of scrambled eggs but YET won’t try anything new 🙁
Keep trying, Eva! They’ll surprise you one of these days! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!