A sentence that gets repeated in most homes somewhere around 8:00 AM is this – “Eat your breakfast, sweetie! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!” Of course, a two year old could care less if you served pot roast for breakfast – he’s busy displaying his trademark pickiness!
Toddlers are notorious for being fussy and refusing to eat pretty much everything their Moms serve. If they loved carrots in the morning, they hate it by dinner and so on. While these are phases that pass, it’s important to ensure that they don’t lose out on nutrition and get used to the habit of eating a good breakfast every day. So to make life easier for you we have here 40 breakfast ideas for toddlers, that include both Indian and non-Indian options. So now you’re all set for a month of healthy breakfasts for toddlers!
40 Healthy Breakfast Recipes for Toddlers
Porridge Recipes
1. Banana Coconut Oats Porridge
Porridge is one of the easiest things you can feed your toddler – and it’s also easy to make! This porridge recipe uses the sweetness of banana and the nuttiness of coconut to create a yummy mixture that older toddlers will absolutely love!
2. Raspberry Coconut Porridge Fingers
Porridge doesn’t need to be served in a bowl and eaten with a spoon. It can also be served on a plate and eaten with your fingers! These raspberry coconut porridge fingers from Healthy Little Foodies are super easy to make – no baking required, just microwaving!
3. Honey Oats Multigrain Porridge
This is one of the easiest porridge recipes you can make, and one that can be sweetened with honey. The multigrain health powder makes sure that your fussy eater gets all the nutrients she needs – in a single bowl!
4. Ragi Flakes Porridge
Just because your toddler is not a baby anymore, you don’t have to eradicate ragi from his diet! He can still get the benefits of this super nutritious millet in this simple porridge recipe. Make sure to use 100% organic ragi flakes for maximum nutrition.
5. Multigrain Millet Porridge
Porridge doesn’t need to contain just oats, it can have multiple grains and millets! This Multigrain Millet porridge is a great way to get your little one to eat whole grain and traditional millets – without making a yucky face!
Egg Recipes
6. Scrambled Eggs
This is an easy, basic recipe for scrambled eggs from Tesco Baby, made yummier with sprinkled cheese on top! You can add some onion too, if your little one likes it.
7. Mini Frittatta
Everything miniature looks cute, doesn’t it? It’s the same with these mini frittattas from I Heart Naptime that are packed with veggies and spinach! Skip the sausage to make it healthier and also to reduce chances of choking.
8. Egg Omelette Bites
The Simple Parent makes these genius omelette bites using a cake pop maker, but you can use a muffin tin too. Load them up with any veggies of your choice, and your toddler will not even realize what he’s eating!
9. Cheese Omelette
Your toddler might be a picky eater, but he’s sure to love this cheese omelette from GK Food Diary! Good for gaining weight and getting in a good dose of protein!
10. Broccoli Cheese Fingers
Some toddlers take a while to get teeth, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be able to eat in the meantime! These broccoli cheese fingers from My Fussy Eater are easy to make and easy to eat too! A single serving is enough to keep your active toddler full till lunch!
Upma/Poha Recipes
11. Vegetable Rava Upma
Rava upma is one of the most common kinds of upma, but this vegetable one from Cooking Curries packs quite a punch in a small recipe! Skip the chillies if you like and add veggies that go down well with your toddler.
12. Brown Rice Poha
Make your regular poha whole grain by using organic brown rice flakes! This colorful poha recipe is sure to get toddlers interested right when they see it!
13. Bajra Upma
Introduce your toddler to grains other than rice and wheat, like traditional bajra! Just a small serving of this upma will keep him full and energetic till lunchtime, while adding a good deal of fiber to his diet!
14. Sweet Potato Poha
You’ve heard of aloo poha, but probably not of sweet potato poha! This recipe from GK Food Diary is more colorful than the former dish and more nutritious too! This is a great breakfast recipe for toddlers who prefer something savory in the mornings.
15. Maize Flakes Upma
Your toddler is probably used to having maize flakes with cold milk, but this maize flakes upma is a better choice for winter! Add some fast cooking veggies and you have a soft upma that even little toddlers can eat.
Pancake Recipes
16. Savoury Oats Veggie Pancake
Pancakes are usually sweet, but this savoury oats veggie pancake offers a welcome change from them! Fussy toddlers won’t even realize that there are vegetables inside the pancake as they gobble them down!
17. Banana Pancakes
Even if your toddler doesn’t have all his teeth, it won’t stop him from enjoying these fluffy banana pancakes! These pancakes from Kitchen Treaty are so soft, you can tear them apart easily enough and gobble them up!
18. Lentil Spinach Pancakes
Protein is an important part of breakfast, helping little toddlers grow strong and giving them the energy to jump and play all day. Make these lentil spinach pancakes from Feeding Finn for your toddler’s protein quota.
19. Apple Whole Wheat Pancake
Grated apple makes these whole wheat pancakes naturally sweet. If your little one is allergic to eggs, then this recipe is ideal for you. This is also a good recipe for toddlers who can’t yet bite a whole apple on their own.
20. Mashed Potato Cakes
Mashed potatoes may not go down well with your toddler, but these mashed potato cakes certainly will! With cheese mixed in, these cakes are soft and yummy – and hard to resist!
Idli/Dosa Recipes
21. Instant Ragi Carrot Dosa
Toddlers get bored easily, and plain white dosas all the time can make them turn their faces away stubbornly. Change things up with these instant ragi carrot dosas that are easy to make and much more interesting than plain dosas!
22. Jowar Paniyaram
Kids love food when it appears different, so these little jowar balls should catch their interest! Made of iron and protein-rich sorghum, these balls go great with some mild chutney or even tomato ketchup. Make smaller balls for the toddlers to grasp easily.
23. Banana Idli
Banana idlis? Now that’s new! GK Food Diary has a recipe that’s ideal for toddlers who like their food sweet! This way, they get their sweet dish and breakfast in one single dish!
24. Sprouted Sathumaavu Dosa
Did your little one enjoy Sathumaavu porridge when he was a baby? Then you’re in luck – he’s sure to like the taste of this sprouted Sathumaavu dosa recipe! You can skip the green chilli for your toddler and cut down the onion so the taste of the Sathumaavu is more dominant.
25. Cheese Uttappam
This cheese uttappam from Chitra’s Food Book looks so good, you can tell your toddler it’s pizza! It’s got cheese, veggies and chopped onions – if this isn’t a pizza, I don’t know what is!
Muffin Recipes
26. Sathumaavu Banana Muffins
Sathumaavu is not just baby food, as these Sathumaavu banana muffins prove! And one thing’s for sure – no toddler will refuse a ‘cupcake’ for breakfast! You can skip the nuts if you think they’ll pose a choking hazard for your little one.
27. Spinach Banana Muffins
Spinach and banana isn’t a common combination, but in this recipe from The Tribe Magazine, it works! You get two healthy ingredients in one, and with a nice green color, thanks to the spinach!
28. Apple Muffins
These apple muffins are beautifully sweet, with grated apple combining with the lovely spice of cinnamon. Walnuts are healthy for kids, but you can skip them if you think your toddler might choke on them.
29. Avocado Blueberry Muffins
These mini muffins from Baby Foode are just the right size for a toddler to hold and munch on. So even if your little one is bouncing around in the morning, he can still have his breakfast on the go!
30. Carrot Walnut Muffins
With dates and applesauce offering lots of natural sweetness and ginger and cinnamon contributing to the spice, these are some yummy muffins! Make a big batch – the whole family will want to feast on them!
Bread/Toast Recipes
31. Suji Toast
Most people wouldn’t think of suji and toast in the same sentence, but this recipe proves that they are a good match! Most toddlers will happily eat bread in any form, and adding suji and vegetables to it makes it a healthy breakfast!
32. Baked Cinnamon French Toast Sticks
The best way to get toddlers to eat is by making it crunchy and in bite sized portions and this recipe from Food Marriage does it perfectly! For these toast sticks, get an unsliced loaf so you can cut thick slices that are easy for your toddler’s little hands to grasp.
33. French Toast Roll ups
Spread something on a flat roti or slice of bread and your toddler will run. Roll it up and put it on a plate and it suddenly becomes much cooler! These French Toast roll ups from The Girl Who Ate Everything are a great way to present French Toast to fussy toddlers!
34. Pumpkin Banana Toddler Bread
Banana bread is a great way to get your toddler to think he’s eating cake for breakfast! This recipe from Baby Foode uses pumpkin puree, mashed bananas and a variety of spices for a truly flavorful mouthful that’s sure to please any picky eater.
35. French Toast Stars
Fun shapes are most Moms’ last resort to get their kids to eat something and more often than not, it works! These French toast stars from Daisies and Pie are the perfect breakfast for a weekend morning when you have time to play with cookie cutters!
Breakfast Drink Recipes
36. Masala Milk
Breakfast needn’t be only about eating, it can also be about drinking! And let’s face it, sometimes toddlers can be so fussy that all you can manage is a glass of something! Make it a glass of spiced masala milk, enriched with dry fruits powder.
37. Green Toddler Smoothie
Green smoothies aren’t just for grown ups on weird diets, it’s for little kids too! This smoothie from Baby Foode uses a lot of healthy ingredients like banana, apple, cucumber, spinach and more!
38. Horlicks like Multigrain Drink
Store bought ‘health drinks’ are laden with added sugar and flavors. Skip them and go for this multigrain drink, made with a multigrain health mix that has the goodness of several grains and spices. A much better health drink for your toddler!
39. Minion Banana Smoothie
Who doesn’t love minions? And this smoothie from Living Locurto is such a pick me up, you’ll feel like singing the ‘Happy’ song! Be sure to serve it in a minion-style mug or mason jar!
40. Sprouted Ragi Malt
Ragi is a superfood as well as a super-drink! Give your toddler this nutritious sprouted ragi malt to start his day on a healthy and tasty note! Even if your little one is a little averse to dairy, he can get lots of calcium from the ragi in the drink.
With so many breakfast recipes for toddlers, your fussy eater doesn’t have any more options to turn her nose away! And why would she, when there’s so much yummy stuff to try!