Healthy Toddler Breakfast Ideas
Breakfast is important for toddlers and kids, but with all that needs to happen to get a family out of the house each day, kid breakfasts are often rushed. To help, these healthy toddler breakfast ideas are easy meals that you can assemble in minutes or make ahead of time–and that the kids will love!
Healthy Toddler Breakfast Ideas
There is a lot to choose from when it comes to deciding on quick breakfast ideas, but here’s what you’ll find in this post:
TIP: Read on for more specifics on how to serve up each of these easy breakfast ideas.
Breakfast Ideas for Kids—Even Picky Ones!
My biggest recommendation for picky toddlers is to have a handful of regular breakfasts that they see often to keep a variety of foods in rotation. Toddlers love routine and familiarity, so if you serve something once or twice a week, they are more inclined (usually) to eat it. As an example, we have oatmeal two mornings a week in my house and everyone eats it.
TIP: Just making that one choice eliminates some of the decision making and can help toddlers know what to expect at breakfast.
Toddler Breakfast #1: Snack Plate
Snack plates are a great for snack time, dinner, AND a good breakfast idea. Include a low-sugar dry cereal or crackers, some protein in the form of cheese, cottage cheese, some nut butter, or an egg or salami, and fruit. So easy and variable! (Sprinkles optional, but usually very appreciated.)
TRY: Healthy Snack Plates for Kids
Healthy Breakfast for Kids #2: Smoothies
Toddler smoothies are an excellent way to offer fruit, veggies, protein, and fat for breakfast. You can keep them simple with this formula: 1 cup milk, ½ cup frozen banana, ½ cup fruit (like berries or mango), and ¼ cup veggies (baby spinach, raw cauliflower, roasted and mashed sweet potato), and 1 tablespoon nut butter or hemp seeds. Or, simply blend ½ cup plain or vanilla yogurt with ½ cup strawberries and ta-da! Yogurt Smoothie!
TRY: Healthy Toddler Smoothies with Hidden Veggies.
Best Breakfast with Kids #3: Low Sugar Cereal
Whether paired with milk or served dry alongside milk, a smoothie, yogurt, and/or some fruit, having healthy cereals on hand can make morning so much easier. And the good news? Kids tend to love them! You’ll want to look for options with little added sugar, a few grams of fiber and protein to make sure it’s a balanced source of energy until snack time. (Older kids can of course have their cereal with milk mixed in!)
TRY: The Best Healthy Cereals for Kids
Toddler Breakfast Idea #4: Overnight Oats
With yogurt, fruit, and carbohydrates, overnight oats are a nutritious toddler breakfast that are so easy to make ahead. Plus, they are usually nice and thick, which makes them easier for toddlers to eat with a spoon. (We also regularly pack overnight oats in our toddler lunches.)
TRY: Applesauce Overnight Oats
Toddler Breakfast Idea #5: Whole Grain Pancakes
Every Sunday morning when we have pancakes, I stash a few leftover ones in a zip top freezer bag and tuck them in the freezer. They reheat in 30-60 seconds (flip it over halfway through for even heating) and are great topped or sandwiched with nut butter, cream cheese, or Greek yogurt.
TRY: Fluffy Applesauce Pancakes or Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
Healthy Breakfast for Kids #6: Whole Grain Waffles
Whole grains, protein, and healthy fats combine to make waffles a healthy breakfast that the kids love. The trick to serving these on a weekday? Make a few extra on the weekend and stash them in the freezer! They warm up quickly in the toaster oven or microwave. (P.S. You can always buy frozen waffles. Just look for ones with less than 5 grams of sugar per serving, plus a few grams of fiber and protein.)
TRY: Whole Wheat Vanilla Mini Waffles
Toddler Breakfast #7: Eggs, Fruit, and a Whole Grain
Bake a dozen eggs to hard-cooked perfection and keep in the fridge for easy toddler breakfasts. Serve with toast sticks, cut up fruit, or even a leftover veggie. And remember that it’s okay if your toddler is still learning to like both the white and the yolk—they both have very unique textures!
TRY: Scrambled or hard cooked eggs to see if they have a preference, or try Make-Ahead Egg Muffins!
Little Kid Breakfast Idea #8: Egg Muffins
Rich in protein and fats that toddlers need, eggs are a wonderful toddler food. You can make a batch a batch of the egg muffins on Sunday and keep them in the fridge until you need them—and they have veggies tucked inside too!
TRY: Egg and Cheese Mini Muffins
Toddler Breakfast #9: Breakfast Quesadillas
Warm cheese, snipped spinach, and beans in a tortilla and bam, breakfast! You can add diced ham or scrambled eggs, or change up the veggies. But serving a savory breakfast is an excellent (and easy) way to start the day. Warm the quesadilla in a skillet just until the cheese melts or you could even cheat and do it in the microwave for a few seconds…I won’t tell!
TRY: Broccoli and Egg Quesadillas
Best Breakfast for Kids #10 Oatmeal
Many kids seem to either love or hate oatmeal, but with so many different ways to serve it, it’s entirely possible that you can find oatmeal your toddlers like. Play with texture—they might prefer the smoother consistency of quick oats over rolled oats—and add-ins. Try grated apple or raisins one week and diced dried mango or strawberries the next. And let them add toppings! Nut butter, seeds, and even sprinkles are yummy options.
TRY: 15 Oatmeal Recipes for Toddlers
Toddler Breakfast Idea #11: Baked Oatmeal
With this idea, you simply stir the ingredients together ahead of time and stash it in the fridge overnight. Then bake it up come morning for a super easy and healthy whole grain breakfast for the entire family. The results are soft, just sweet enough, and great to reheat on future mornings.
TRY: Blueberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal or Baked Oatmeal Cups
Breakfast for Toddlers Idea #12: Granola
Did you know you can easily make granola at home without a load of added sugars or too-crunchy-for-toddlers nuts? You totally can! (You can of course also buy it at the store.) Pair it with yogurt or milk and fruit for a super simple whole grain breakfast for kids.
TRY: Homemade Granola (Sweetened with Applesauce)
Quick Breakfast Idea #13: Sweet Potato Toast
Mix up toast with a dose of veggies by spreading mashed roasted sweet potato onto toast and sprinkle with a little cinnamon. Drizzle on nut butter or pair with a smear of cream cheese to take it even further. Cut into cubes or sticks as needed for a breakfast idea for a 1 year old or 2 year old. You can of course also top toast with mashed avocado, nut or seed butter and jam, apple butter, or any other topping your kiddo enjoys.
TRY: Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
Toddler Breakfast Idea #14: Breakfast Cookies
Want to win some extra hugs in the morning? Serve up breakfast cookies! This is a fun idea and one that can make a day when a kiddo wakes up on the wrong side of the bed turn right around. Pair with some protein from a glass of milk, a little cheese, or a egg.
TRY: Healthy Oatmeal Cookies with Carrots and Apples or Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Breakfast Idea for Kids #15: Baked Donuts
Transform batter into baked donuts in less than 20 minutes AND make the kids totally delighted to eat their breakfast. This is one of my favorite ways to mix things up at breakfast if we’ve gotten into a rut.
TRY: Pumpkin Chocolate Baked Donuts or Baked Apple Donuts
Toddler Breakfast Ideas #16: Whole Grain Muffins
Bake a batch of muffins whenever you have the time and store them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer until ready to serve. Warm slightly (or warm all the way through if reheating from frozen) to make them taste like they’re straight out of the oven.
TRY: Banana Blueberry Muffins or Spinach Banana Muffins
Quick Breakfast Idea #17: Oatmeal Muffins
Making muffins with a base of oatmeal is an easy way to bake a breakfast treat that the kids will enjoy, and a nice alternative to regular oatmeal. I love how much fiber and complex carbohydrates the oats add, and how you can’t even tell that’s whats in the muffins!
TRY: Banana Oatmeal Muffins
Toddler Breakfast #18: Baked French Toast
Bake up a batch of French Toast on a sheet pan, store them in the freezer, and have a super quick breakfast ready to go in seconds. I love this recipe because there’s banana in the batter for sweetness and potassium and they’re egg-free so more kids can enjoy them. Serve with yogurt or applesauce or dipping and some fruit to round things out.
TRY: Banana Baked French Toast Sticks
Best Breakfast with Kids Idea #19: Breakfast Bars
With just a few simple ingredients, you can bake a tray of breakfast bars that are filled with super yummy flavor and a lot of nutrition. These store well in the fridge or freezer and are parent-approved too!
TRY: Healthy Breakfast Bars with Jam
Good Breakfast Idea #20: Drinkable Yogurt
Combine protein and probiotic-packed yogurt with fresh fruit for a healthy (and low sugar) take on drinkable yogurt. This is a great option to serve if you need breakfast on the go…or to pair with toast or another simple carbohydrate.
TRY: Strawberry Drinkable Yogurt
What’s the best way to keep toddler breakfasts quick and easy?
Have some options at the ready! It’s entirely okay to have cereal or toast mornings, but if you want your kids to regularly eat other foods, then you need to make them available. Making a batch of muffins or a pot of oatmeal for everyone to enjoy (even if you do it in the slow cooker while you sleep!) can be a big help towards making that first meal happier for everyone. And prep some fruit and/or veggies ahead so they’re ready to go come morning.
How to Serve Balanced Toddler Breakfasts, Step-by-Step
Toddlers need balanced meals so try to serve a food from most of these food groups during most meals.
- Carbohydrates: foods like whole grains, fruit, and veggies like sweet potatoes provide long lasting energy.
- Protein: Found in meat, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds, and legumes, mostly, protein helps little bodies to grow and also helps to keep toddlers feeling satisfied longer. This means that those requests for snacks may be less frequent!
- Healthy fats: Babies and toddlers need fats for proper brain development, especially up until age 2. (It is not recommended that kids under age two are on fat restricted diets.) You can find healthy fats for toddlers in avocado, flax and chia seeds, nuts, fish (particularly salmon and sardines), egg yolks, and whole milk dairy (particularly grass-fed since the grass has higher levels of omega fatty acids).
- Produce: Fruits and vegetables of all kinds and colors provides the vitamins and minerals toddlers need for immunity and proper development. And they just taste good!
How to Pack a Toddler Breakfast for Daycare
I know that some families take their kids to daycare in the morning and need to send a breakfast. If you need to pack a toddler breakfast for daycare, I recommend investing in this thermos (or a similar one) or a kid-friendly lunchbox. Then, you can pack almost anything that your toddler eats at home, with consideration to what they can more easily eat on their own. So it might be better to send them a cut up pancake instead of a cup of yogurt if they are still working on their spoon skills.
P.S. Download a printable Master Breakfast Ideas List here.