30+ Breakfast Ideas for Kids

Looking for healthy and easy breakfast ideas for kids and toddlers? Here is a list of 30 ideas that can easily be meal prepped or frozen so you’re not stressing about breakfast during your kiddos busy mornings.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t put a lot of thought into how I planned to feed my kid before she was born. I naively just assumed she’d eat all the things I eat and while that has turned out to be *somewhat* true, she’s also a picky eater (toddlers!) who just generally has her own preferences.

We did baby led weaning in our house out of pure necessity. I didn’t have strong feelings in any direction (purees vs. BLW) but my kid wouldn’t let me near her mouth with a spoon. So we started with oatmeal and whole foods and let her feed herself.

She generally is a fan of most breakfast foods but tends to lean towards pancakes, waffles, French toast + muffins. I also tend to gravitate to those because they’re less messy than oatmeal or other wet breakfasts. I can also meal prep them in advance to make prepping her breakfast easy and seamless.

So with that, I wanted to share some tips and some easy breakfast recipes for kids.

Tips for Making Breakfasts for Kids

Here are my best tips for kid friendly breakfast recipes:

• Pair it with fruit – whether it’s making muffins with blueberries or servings pancakes with a side of orange, I try to pair her breakfasts with a serving of fruit or occasionally a smoothie in a straw cup.
• Make it mini – kids love mini things but making things or serving foods small also helps little ones who are just learning to eat.
• Sneaky veggies + boosts – I oftentimes try to sneak veggies into her muffins or pancakes by blending them right in. When in doubt you can add things like spinach to pancake batter or smoothies or sprinkle a batch of muffins with hemp seeds or nut butter (if no allergies).
• Fun mix-ins – Sometimes the best way to get kids to eat healthy breakfasts is to make them fun! Sprinkle oatmeal with fun colored sprinkles or mix mini chocolate chips or m&ms into greek yogurt or waffles.
• Prep in advance – meal prep your breakfasts in advance. Kids generally don’t have a whole lot of patience and also don’t care if their food is fresh. Making kid-friendly breakfast recipes in advance to store in the fridge or freezer will benefit everyone. More on this below.

Freeze Freeze FREEZE!

Every parent’s best friend? The freezer! Not only do I like to store healthy individual ingredients in the freezer, but I also utilize it for my healthy breakfast ideas.

Pancakes/waffles – Place pancakes or waffles in a single layer on a baking sheet and place directly into freezer for 1 hour. Remove and place into a ziplock bag or reusable freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Remove from freezer and place in microwave for 30 seconds to defrost. Continue heating in microwave in 5-10 second increments until thawed.

Muffins/ Breads/Breakfast Cookies – Place muffins, pre-sliced breads or breakfast cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and put directly into freezer for 1 hour. Remove and place into a ziplock bag or reusable freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Remove from freezer and place in microwave for 30 seconds to defrost. Continue heating in microwave in 5-10 second increments until thawed.

Oatmeal – Freeze oatmeal in silicone cups in a muffin tray. Remove from silicone cups and place into a ziplock bag or reusable freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Place individual oatmeal cup in a bowl with a splash of milk (or other liquid) and thaw in microwave for 1-2 minutes or over the stove. For baked oatmeal, cut into squares and freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet for 1 hour. Remove and place into a ziplock bag or reusable freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Remove from freezer and place in microwave for 30 seconds to defrost. Continue heating in microwave in 5-10 second increments until thawed.

Pancakes + Waffles

Pro tip: blend spinach right into the batter or top with peanut butter or other nut butter for a protein boost! Feel free to skip on the maple syrup since most kids won’t notice!

• Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
• Whole Wheat Flour pancakes
• Baby Banana Pancakes
• Sweet Potato Pancakes
• Protein Waffles
• Carrot Cake Waffles
• Coconut Waffles [gluten-free + vegan]
• Healthy French Toast

Muffins + Breads

Pro tip: for a new eater (6-9 months) or an experienced kid, hand them a full muffin or if 9-15 months, break muffins, breakfast cookies or breads into smaller bits for easy eating.

• Banana Peanut Butter Muffins
• Baby Banana Oat Muffins
• Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
• Morning Glory Muffins
• Carrot Cake Muffins
• Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies
• Almond Flour Banana Bread
• Healthy Banana Zucchini Bread

Oatmeal

Pro tip: make overnight oats for easy prep in the morning. Serve in a small bowl and let kids self serve with a spoon (or feed them with a baby spoon). For oatmeal bakes, serve in small pieces like muffins or whole for brand new eaters or older kids.

• Banana Nut Overnight oats [remove full nuts to prevent choking)
• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Overnight Oats
• Triple Berry Baked Oatmeal
• Apple Pie Steel Cut Oats
• Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal Cups
• Spiced Peach and Zucchini Baked Oatmeal Bars

Smoothies

Pro tip: Blend in all kinds of fruits and veggies to up the nutrients! Use a straw cup to let kid self-serve. I like these ones that prevent spillage.

• Blueberry Smoothie
• Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie
• Tahini Date and Cinnamon Smoothie
• Mango and Almond Butter Smoothie

Savory etc…

Pro tip: For things like avocado toast cut into long strips. For eggs break into small bites for easy consumption. Feel free to reduce salt for younger kids.

• Baked Egg Muffins
• Caramelized Onion + Broccoli frittata
• Sweet Potato Egg Boats
• The Best Breakfast Potatoes
• Avocado toast

That’s it! These have all been tried and true by my daughter. Let me know how your kiddos like these kid-friendly breakfast recipes!