Introducing delicious, healthy and unique dishes to your baby is an excellent way to expand their palate early on, while getting essential nutrients packed into their tiny bodies. These creative and nutritional baby breakfast ideas will leave little ones full and satisfied, and their parents feeling like a bona fide Wolfgang Puck.
Baby Breakfast Ideas for Younger Babies
Your little one may not be quite ready to chomp down on eggs Benedict, but they can start to explore foods that don't come in a baby bottle. These simple baby breakfast ideas are excellent transitional meals that help move babies from bottles to the breakfast table.
Banana Bites
Banana bites are soft and simple foods that babies can start dining on once they are ready to transition to soft breakfast items. All parents need to do is slice bananas into manageable sizes, dip the banana bites into pancake batter, and pop them on the griddle.
Porridge
Porridge made with rice flakes is an excellent starter breakfast food for babies learning to consume foods outside of the baby bottle. Mix rice flakes, expressed milk or formula, and water together to create a consistency that will work for your baby. Toss in some mashed banana or fruit puree for taste, and get feeding!
Ezekiel Toast with Jam
Parents often agree that Ezekiel toast reigns supreme because it is sprouted bread that is low in sugar and sodium. Spread some homemade jelly or jam atop this toast and let babies work on gumming it or chewing should they already have a few pearly whites.
Pretty Purees
Chances are your puree game is top-notch right now. When it comes to pureeing food, think outside the box. Breakfast doesn't have to be a boring fruit or veggie-based puree. Play with exciting and interesting flavor combinations like avocado and mint or blueberries and chickpeas.
Lentils & Veggies
There's no reason why babies can't eat legumes for breakfast. Cooked lentils with chopped spinach, carrots, and peas make for a perfectly hearty and healthy meal any time of the day, breakfast included!
Oatmeal With a Twist
Oatmeal is an easy transitional meal for babies as they move into the wide world of solid foods. It can be made with water, so even young babies who are not dairy-ready can tackle the delicious dish. Fruit purees can be added for sweetness, as can mashed up sweet potato.
Homemade Applesauce
Homemade applesauce is healthy and so much tastier than the kind found on grocery store shelves. When parents whip up a batch of homemade applesauce, they can control how much sugar and spice the dish includes. Parents of young children are often concerned about store-bought foods and sugar contents, and with homemade applesauce, ingredients can be better adjusted and monitored.
Baked Apples With Cinnamon
Perfect for a crisp fall morning, baked apples with a sprinkle of cinnamon are great breakfast treats for your babies learning to work those mouth muscles. Wash the apples and remove the cores. Cover with a bit of butter and pop them in the oven. They will come out warm and soft and taste like apple pie after a sprinkle of cinnamon. Remove the apple skins from the dish, as they can pose a choking hazard.
Salmon & Sweet Potato Muffins
Well, aren't you just the fanciest parent in the kitchen! With dishes like this one, you'll have your own Food Network channel in no time. Salmon and sweet potato muffins sounds harder than it actually is. You only need a handful of ingredients and the go-ahead on eggs to bake this nutrient-packed breakfast meal.
Hard-Boiled Eggs With Some Spice
Babies who are starting to self feed themselves soft solids can reach for a plate of cut-up, hard-boiled eggs. There's no reason to leave the eggs bland. Sprinkle a bit of curry powder, dill, rosemary, or garlic atop them and introduce a wide variety of seasonings early on.
Baby Breakfast Ideas for Older Babies
Your tot is ready to leave the baby food jars behind and enter the wonderful world of solid cuisine. They have a few teeth and can handle some soft foods. After one year of age, cow's milk and honey make a grand appearance into a baby's diet, making mealtime new and delicious.
Simple Cereals
Lots of cereals come with added nutrients and low sugar. Pour some simple starter cereal in a bowl that can't be easily tipped over, cover the cereal with milk and pass the spoon to your fast-developing baby. Not every breakfast can be a gourmet piece of art, and sometimes it's just a cereal kind of morning.
Overnight Oats
There are so many unique and exciting recipes available for overnight oats. Try a few different variations out with your growing baby. See which ones make them give you that big, beautiful gummy smile.
Fruit Parfait
Babies older than one graduate to breakfast dishes that contain cow's milk or alternative milks. These days, parents can find all sorts of yogurt variations in their local grocery store. To make a fruit parfait, place a layer of yogurt of your choosing into a cup or bowl. Next, add a layer of soft fruit. Add a second layer of yogurt and another layer of fruit.
Homemade Nutri-Grain Bars
Homemade Nutri-Grain bars are so much better (and healthier) than the store-bought varieties. Spend a Sunday in the kitchen whipping up several batches of these bad boys, and you'll never muse about at 6 a.m. wondering what to serve your baby for breakfast.
Fruit Pinwheels
Pretty pinwheels can be whipped up in a pinch. On a flat tortilla, spread cream cheese. Add a layer of fruit spread. Roll the tortilla up and slice into pinwheels. Young babies will need even the small pinwheel slices cut up very small, and don't be surprised if they simply lick up all the goodness found inside of the tortilla. Make a few extra, because moms and dads need to eat too!
Breakfast Quesadilla
Since you already bought tortillas for the fun fruit pinwheels you made earlier this week, try another easy breakfast meal that also calls on tortillas. Breakfast quesadillas are filled with cheese, eggs, cooked peppers, and onions. Since you will be serving this to a baby, cut everything up into very tiny, bite-sized morsels.
Cottage Cheese With Fruit
This classic dish requires nothing more than cottage cheese and a scoop or two of fruit. It's a perfect start-of-the-day meal for little ones learning to self-feed.
Ricotta Bowl
If cottage cheese is too basic for your adventurous, budding baby foodie, try a ricotta bowl instead. Smooth ricotta cheese is easy for older babies to practice self-feeding with, and any fruit puree complements the sweet, cheesy texture of the dish. If your baby is older than one year, drizzle some honey atop the ricotta.
Warm Muffins
A warm muffin on a cold morning hits the spot. Once babies are old enough to chew and swallow small bits of soft solids, they are ready to tackle homemade muffins. Applesauce-banana whole wheat muffins are healthy and don't include eggs or milk, two items that some parents try to hold off on.
Puffins
Puffins are half pancake, half muffin, and only require parents to use 4-5 ingredients that are all likely hiding somewhere in a kitchen cupboard. Puffins are delicious and soft enough for babies to munch on, especially when broken into smaller chunks for little hands to grab.
Scrambled Eggs with Veggies
Parents today are working with pediatricians to introduce baby to allergy-inducing foods like eggs earlier than they have previously. If you and your doctor have decided that it's time to bring on the eggs, start with a simple egg scramble. Scrambled eggs are soft and easy for babies to gum, chew and swallow. Work soft, cooked veggies into the dish for more flavor and added nutrients.
Toad in a Hole
Toad in a Hole is a silly name for eggs and toast. Using a cookie cutter or a knife, cut a hole in a piece of buttered bread. Lay the buttered bread on a griddle and let it start sizzling. Break an egg in the bread hole and flip the entire thing when it is time to cook the other side.
Slow Cooker Rice Pudding
It's soft, it's sweet, and thanks to the almighty slow cooker, it's nearly impossible to mess up. Slow cooker rice pudding is a delicious way for a little one to start the day. It does require milk, so make sure that your doctor has approved that move before trying this recipe out.
Dairy-Free Breakfast Ideas
The rule on introducing cow's milk, almond milk, and coconut milk varies from source to source. Some professionals agree that if only used as a supplemental ingredient, babies six months and up can handle this common cooking liquid in dishes. Other healthcare providers ask parents to hold off until babies are at least one year of age. Discuss when these milk variations might be right for your baby with your child's doctor. Some babies don't tolerate dairy products well, so cow's milk, cheese, and yogurt-based breakfasts go right out the window. There are still so many fun and healthy, dairy-free breakfast options for babies.
Avocado Toast
Babies love mashed-up avocado and can handle small strips of dry toast, so why not put the two items together and create tiny avocado toasts for your darling? This could not be healthier or easier.
3 Ingredient Chia Pudding
Once you get the go-ahead to introduce milk into baby's diet, try serving chia pudding for breakfast. Add coconut or almond milk to chia seeds in a mason jar, stir to remove clumps, and refrigerate for several hours. Feel free to add honey into the mixture if your baby is one year of age, or try fresh fruit purees like mango or peaches for a pop of sweetness. Play around with the consistency of the pudding until you find one that works for your tot.
Fruit Croissants
A warm, fluffy croissant for the first meal of the day? Yes, please! Making croissants is super simple, thanks to the genius who thought up pre-made croissants in a tube. Grab a tube of croissants in the refrigeration section of your local grocery store, and follow the simple directions on the tube for cooking instructions. Before rolling croissants up and popping them in the oven, fill them with sweet or savory ingredients. For a dairy-free dish, spread fruit filling in the croissant center before rolling them up. If you do dairy in your home, sprinkle cheese on the croissant before you roll them up and bake them.
Super Fruit Smoothie
Once your little guy has graduated from a bottle-only diet and has started using a straw, they can probably handle a well-blended smoothie. Vegan fruit smoothies are packed with vitamins and nutrients that help little kids grow big and strong. Smoothies are great breakfast options for children on-the-go too. No time in the morning? No problem! Make a smoothie for your baby and yourself and hit the road.
Potato and Spinach Scramble
You can certainly try to create a breakfast scramble without eggs or cheese. Purchase frozen potato chunks or hash and cook according to the directions on the bag. Stir in fresh or frozen spinach. When adding spinach to a dish for your children, make sure the spinach is chopped up into very small pieces as long, stringy pieces can pose a choking hazard. If spinach isn't up your alley, cooked carrot can easily be worked into a potato hash. Use olive oil in place of butter to create a delish, dairy-free dish.
Colorful Quiche
Quiche is a quick and easy meal to prepare, and any number of veggies or meats can be tossed into the mixture for nutrient and flavor enhancement. If mornings with your baby tend to be rushed, prepare a quiche (or two) the evening before and pop a slice in the microwave for a yummy breakfast meal. Savvy chefs can even try to create vegan quiche or crustless quiche depending on family food preferences and what their baby's body can tolerate.
Egg & Sweet Potato Pasta
Pasta is an excellent finger food for older babies who are mastering their pincher grip skills. Sweet potato pasta gives babies added nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, and manganese. The addition of scrambled egg makes this a great finger food breakfast for little learners.
Ants on a Log
Ants on a Log are fun little snacks that are easy breakfast foods, small enough for tiny fingers to grasp and pop into mouths. Slice bananas so that pieces are about the size of a half-dollar (width-way, not lengthwise.) Slather with peanut butter or another nut butter and sprinkle with raisins.
Sweet Noodles
Sweet noodles? Whoever heard of such a thing? In some countries, like Italy, sweetened pasta is nothing new. Take any cooked wheat, lentil, or sweet potato pasta and sprinkle it with a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon. Throw in some cooked raisins or cooked whole cranberries for an added twist.
Breakfast: The Most Important Meal of the Day
Without a doubt, breakfast is an important meal to start the day off right. Lay the proper nutritional foundation by creating healthy breakfast dishes and an adventurous culinary spirit with babies, so they grow up to love food and make good food choices when they are older.
