One of the most common requests for help that I get from clients, family and friends is about breakfast ideas. When it comes to children, I think parents really struggle with finding the inspiration to create something new. Or they are too afraid to dare to propose something new in the morning when things are hectic and the whole family is in a rush. So, it is all too easy to stick to the same toast and butter every day. This can become very boring for children and often lead them to develop food jags on carbohydrates.
This blog article will give you some inspiration to help you introduce more variety and create morning meals that your baby/toddler will love. And maybe, why not, you too!
While the phrase breakfast is the most important meal of the day might be debated for adults, it has been shown to be a truthful statement for children.
Today we know that:
So not only is breakfast important for children, but the type of breakfast you choose for them also matters a great deal! Breakfast is a perfect opportunity to include fiber and micro nutrients that children often lack.
Besides giving you some examples of nutritious breakfasts for your children at the end of this blog, I also want to give you the tools to plan your own new morning meals.
Two main points to keep in mind when preparing breakfast for your baby/toddler are:
Here are my top 10 breakfast ideas that children will love to try when you have a bit of extra time or feel like trying something new. Remember that waking up early enough to give children the time to enjoy their first meal of the day is going to make the introduction of new foods easier.
1) Yogurt with fruit and oats. This is a great start to the day and doesn’t require time to prepare. You can offer this meal to babies during weaning as early as you like in limited quanitites. For younger babies, you can blend the fruit together with natural yogurt and a teaspoon of oats, while for toddlers, you can simply cut some pieces of fruit to add to the yogurt and sprinkle some oats on top.
2) Porridge with fruit and nut butter. This is a 10 out of 10 for kids (and adults)! It doesn’t matter if they have never eaten porridge in their lives, it will be a hit! ! Moreover, oatmeal provides a slower and more sustained source of energy and it may result in cognitive enhancement compared to low-fiber, high-glycemic, ready-to-eat cereals. It only requires 10 minutes to prepare and children usually love it. Wait until your baby is comfortable with solid foods to offer porridge with whole oats (otherwise you can use oat flour).
Ingredients:
Cook oats and milk in a small pot over low heat. Stirring well, add in a handful of washed berries. Once it’s started to thicken, add the nut butter. Once it’s nice and thick, transfer the porridge to a bowl and sprinkle on chia, sunflower or flaxseeds. Feel free to add extra spices like cinnamon or nutmeg
3) Overnight oats. This is a quick version of porridge for when you don’t have the time or energy to prepare it in the morning. Put all the previously mentioned ingredients in a bowl and place in the fridge. In the morning, you just give it a little stir and serve. Voilá!
4) Toast with topping. Try to think outside the box when it comes to toast. Abandon the classic bread and butter (or avoid it all together if your baby is still young) and go for more nutritious options like scrambled eggs and tomatoes, avocado mash, cream cheese or peanut butter with no added sugar. If it doesn’t work to use nut butter as a topping right away, start by offering fruit alongside toasted bread.
5) Smoothie bowl. This might sound fancy but it’s just a smoothie in a bowl. The only difference is that it has a thicker consistency so that kids can eat it with a spoon instead of drinking it. This breakfast is also a way of getting the kids involved in preparing their food and make them excited by choosing their toppings and decorating the bowl. You can pretty much use any fruit but I recommend including frozen (or partly frozen) bananas to make the smoothie thick. Then you can add some berries or mango and some milk until you reach the right texture. Let the kids decorate their smoothie bowl with chopped fruit, nuts and seeds, cacao nibs, coconut and even one of their favorite cookies. Plain smoothie without whole nuts or seeds can even be given to babies already at 6 months.
6) Dairy- free pancakes. Pancakes are great fun for a weekend breakfast!! Just by blending a banana, 1 egg, flour and plant-based milk you can make pancakes in fun shapes which you can serve alongside fresh fruit and nut butter spreads. Or why not try putting some berries in the dough before cooking? This is a good meal both for babies during weaning and for toddlers.
7) Veggie omelette. This is a good option to provide some veggies at the start of the day, together with a good portion of fat and protein. If you want to add some carbs, try including potatoes in the omelette or serve it on a slice of bread.
8) Love toast. New shapes often help to break the routine and make children more interested in a given food. Toast a piece of bread lightly, and use a cookie cutter to make a heart-shaped hole in the middle. Place the toasted bread on a warm pan and crack an egg into the hole. Cook it and serve with the heart cut-out and some extra stripes of bread so that your child can dip the them in the egg.
9) Sugar-free muffins. You don't need to add sugar to your recipes to make them delicious. Babies and children have three times the number of our taste buds and they will love the natural sweet taste of fruit. There are so many options out there to bake delicious muffins without sugar for your children. My favorite recipes are these nut and banana muffins or banana and blueberry muffins.
10) Banana bread. This is a great idea to mix things up a bit and offer a healthy breakfast. Your children will enjoy dipping this naturally sweet treat in milk or topping it with some nut butter. Once again, you can find thousands of inspirational recipes for banana bread online. Here are my two favorite recipes, both sugar free, one with also dairy free and one with Greek Yoghurt.
If you sometimes feel like you are getting stuck in a breakfast routine, I hope this blog post can help you to get creative and vary breakfast as much as possible. These are also great ideas for your own breakfast!
If you cannot find the time to explore these new suggestions during the week, at least try to offer different options during the weekend when you can relax more with your family at the table.
Bibliography
In this e-book you will find a weekly meal plan suitable for your weaning baby and for you, plus 12 recipes and many advices about how to ensure the best nutrition for your family.
