21 Healthy Toddler Breakfast Ideas

Make it easier to feed the kids a nutritious and easy morning meal with these healthy toddler breakfast ideas. You’ll find yummy kids breakfast recipes that can be made in minutes—or made completely ahead of time!

Healthy Toddler Breakfast Ideas

Yes, breakfast is important for toddlers and kids. But with all that needs to happen to get a family out of the house each day and the changing preferences of kids appetites, it can be so difficult in real life. To help, these easy kids breakfast ideas can be assembled in minutes or made completely ahead of time. And each one is super delicious.

Included in this post are breakfast ideas for kids that include yogurt, eggs (as well as breakfast recipes without eggs), healthy cereal for kids, muffins, healthy oatmeal recipes, toddler smoothies, and more so you have a range to choose from. You can double each idea to have more than one serving on hand for future days if you want easy meal prep. And you can mix and match as you like to customize meals for your kids preferences—even picky ones!

(You may also like Baby Breakfast Ideas, my best Mini Muffin Recipes, and my Healthy Muffins for Kids.)

Breakfast Ideas for Kids

One quick tip to start: My biggest recommendation to help make feeding selective toddlers easier is to try a breakfast rotation. This means having a few regular breakfasts that they see often, which reassures them they’ll see their favorites often but maintains some variety.

Toddlers love routine and familiarity, so serving foods once or twice a week can help the odds that they’ll enjoy it. We have oatmeal two mornings a week in my house as family breakfast and it’s been a great way to take some decision work off the table and enjoy a food they might not pick if given free reign.

1. Snack Plate

Snack plates are a great for easy meals at any time of the day and it’s easy and fun for breakfast. 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.)

2. Smoothies for Kids

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

3. Low Sugar Cereal with Milk and Fruit

Whether paired with milk or served dry alongside milk, a smoothie, yogurt, and/or some fruit, having nutritious cereals on hand can make morning so much easier.

And the good news? Kids tend to love them! I look for options that are low in added sugar and contain a few grams of fiber and protein to help it be a balanced source of energy until snack time. Milk with fat and protein helps here, too.

(Older kids can of course have their cereal with milk mixed in!)

TRY: The Best Healthy Cereals for Kids

4. Overnight Oats

With yogurt, fruit, and carbohydrates, overnight oats is a nutritious toddler breakfast idea that is 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

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: Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

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.

Of course, you can also buy frozen waffles. Just look for ones with a few grams of fiber and protein to ensure they are filling.

TRY: Whole Wheat Waffles

7. Eggs, Fruit, and a Whole Grain

Eggs, whether hard-cooked or scrambled, are a quick and healthy breakfast idea for kids. 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 Egg Muffins.

8. Egg Muffins

Rich in protein and fats that toddlers need for development, 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! (My Sheet Pan Eggs are great for this, too.)

TRY: Egg and Cheese Mini Muffins

9. Breakfast Burritos

Breakfast Burritos, which is a mix of eggs, beans, and cheese in a tortilla, is one of our favorite make-ahead breakfast options. (They can also be a great toddler lunch idea for daycare if send in a thermos.)

TRY: Easy Breakfast Burritos

10. Oatmeal with Fruit

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, smooth Baby Oatmeal or even Baked Oatmeal Cups. And add flavor! 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. (And this is a great idea if toddler constipation is an issue.)

TRY: 15 Oatmeal Recipes for Toddlers

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 Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal

12. Yogurt and 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. Need to make it dairy-free or vegan? Simply opt for a non-dairy yogurt.

TRY: Homemade Granola

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.

14. Banana 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. Or try with a Yogurt Drink or my Protein Shakes for Kids.

TRY: Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

15. Baked Donuts

Transform batter into baked donuts in less than 20 minutes, start to finish, 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. (Don’t have a donut pan? No problem! Try my Donut Muffins instead.)

TRY: Pumpkin Chocolate Baked Donuts or Baked Apple Donuts

16. Healthy Toddler Muffins

Make a batch of muffins for kids when you have a sliver of time and serve them up for easy breakfasts all week long. Pair with milk, a Yogurt Drink, and/or some fruit.

TRY: Banana Blueberry Muffins or Spinach Banana Muffins

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! (This is also a great Cold Lunch Idea for kids of all ages.)

TRY: Banana Oatmeal Muffins

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

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 or Banana Oatmeal Bars

20. Drinkable Yogurt

Combine protein and probiotic-packed yogurt with fresh fruit for a healthy (and low sugar) take on drinkable yogurt for an easy toddler meal. 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

21. Leftovers

One of the best breakfast for kids in in my house is dinner leftovers. So if you have toddler dinners leftover in the fridge, they can be a great morning meal. Our favorites are Pasta with Peas, Pizza Lunchables, and Cheesy Rice.

Tips for Quick and Healthy Toddler Breakfasts

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 (here’s how to freeze muffins) or a pot of oatmeal for everyone to enjoy (even if you do it in the slow cooker while you sleep with my Overnight Steel Cut Oats recipe) 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.

But mostly? Remember that it’s okay to keep things simple.

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.

1. Carbohydrates: foods like whole grains, fruit, and veggies like sweet potatoes provide long lasting energy.
2. 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! You can find it in all of the ideas on this page, or in my Yogurt Muffins and Protein Muffins.
3. 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! Try my favorite Vegetable Recipes for Kids, easy Vegetables for Lunches, or my
4. Fat: Look to include a source of fat such as whole milk dairy, avocado, nut or seed butter, hemp seeds or flax seeds, eggs, and more to help the meal be filling.

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 lunchbox for kids.

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. Or pack yogurt in a reusable pouch.

P.S. Access a printable Master Breakfast Ideas List.

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You may also like:

• Make-Ahead Toddler Dinners
• Homemade Baby Food
• Master List of Toddler Snacks

Related Recipes

Muffins

25 Healthy Muffins for Kids

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25 Favorite Make-Ahead Breakfasts

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Favorite Yogurt Muffins (So Yum!)

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Sweet Spinach Muffins with Banana

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If you try any of these ideas or your kiddo has a favorite breakfast that’s not on my list, I’d love to know about it. Please comment below to share or give feedback!

This post was first published 2018.