The Best Breakfast Ideas For Toddlers (Healthy, Dairy-free, Gluten-free)
Use these breakfast ideas for toddlers to keep your busy mornings stress-free. Easy to make, healthy and delicious, these toddler breakfast ideas will soon become staples.
For kids, breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. Not only does it literally “break the fast” but it sets them up for the next few hours.
This means that what’s served for breakfast can impact their energy, focus, and overall mood. This means, a lot of aspects need to be considered:
- Nutrient density
- Protein
- Fat
- Practicality
Don’t want to learn? SKIP to the breakfast ideas!
Protein For Breakfast
Choosing healthy breakfast recipes that make protein a priority is crucial for a good morning.
I am saying that protein helps wake up the body, it takes a while to digest (which keeps them full), and it helps replenish enzymes that we’ve lost (repairs muscle, boosts the immune system, etc).
Moreover, protein takes forever to digest so it’ll help keep your toddlers full but also control any major sugar release from whatever it’s paired with.
Eggs are awesome, but so are plant-based proteins: chia seeds (check out how to get more chia seeds into your diet here), hemp hearts, etc.
Adding Healthy Fats
In young kids, the brain needs healthy fats (along with these other foods) to boost development.
Plus, fats have more calories per gram (9kcal versus four for protein and carbs) so it’s a more satisfying and fueling meal for toddlers when you’re sending them off to school.
Nutrient Quality
Focus on nutrient-dense foods for all meals, not just breakfast.
Your toddler needs all the extra vitamins and minerals that come with fruits, veggies, and grains. This helps absolutely everything in their body.
Toddler Breakfast Recipes
When it comes to kids, the secret to feeding them is to give them options- especially toddlers.
Instead of having one thing on the plate, have three things- cut up or in small portions.
Giving kids a bit of variety or smaller options that they can grab with their hands will always be better than a full “meal”. Think bite-sized.
Make-Ahead Breakfast Recipes
The below breakfast ideas for toddlers are all dairy-free and gluten-free in nature.
Plus, many of them can be made ahead of time to make the busy morning run smoothly (though here is a list of the best make-ahead breakfasts ideas!)
These healthy breakfast recipes are made with fuel in mind to keep your toddlers energized and focused until their next snack.
- Yogurt Parfait
- Avocado toast + eggs + fruit
- Overnight oats
- Healthy, Paleo Pancakes
- Homemade granola + fruit (or veggies!)
- Egg muffins + fruit + nuts (make-ahead quiche work too!)
- Chia pudding
- Morning glory muffins (optional, top with peanut butter!) + fruit
- Omelets
- Toddler-approved smoothies
- Oatmeal
- Toast + Almond Butter + Hemp Hearts + fruit
- Tofu scramble (can be re-heated!)
Protein Options That Are Not Eggs
If your kid loves eggs- awesome! However, there are other ways to boost the protein content of a breakfast staple.
One way to do this is by adding collagen powder to the recipe!
Collagen is a beneficial part of bone broth and wonderful for your hair, skin, nails & gut. Learn more about collagen and why you may want to boost your intake. However, unlike bone broth, it doesn’t taste like well, bone broth.
Similarly, collagen powder is odorless and flavorless. Plus, if ethically sourced one of the purest forms of protein you can give to your kids! I grab my collagen from Perfect Supplements and while I love their big tub of powder, I love the individual packets even more!
Moreover, you can add collagen powder to yogurt, overnight oats, or smoothies and know that your kiddos are getting just a bit more fuel.
Grab some collagen powder and use code mamabear10 to save some money.
Don’t forget to pin these healthy breakfast ideas for kids!
When it comes to breakfast ideas for toddlers, aim for nutrient-dense meals loaded with proteins and healthy fats. There are lots of tricks to using (collagen for protein in any bowl or smoothie, freezing pancakes for the next day, making breakfast the night before) to keep mornings a little less crazy.
Regardless, quality should come first. Toddlers need the energy and they need the nutrients. And this way, maybe you won’t be asked for a snack within thirty minutes after breakfast?
[…] filling and fueling breakfast recipes every day can be a challenge (though here’s my favorite breakfast ideas for toddlers!). and while this vegan tofu scramble takes a few more minutes than your average omelet, it’s […]