20 Easy Baby Breakfast Ideas
Mornings with a baby can be chaotic, especially if you’ve been up for half the night - which, let’s face it, you probably have…
And making a healthy breakfast can feel like one more thing stopping you from drinking your coffee hot.
But, don’t despair, here are 20 easy baby breakfast ideas that require minimal effort - and are pediatric dietitian-approved.
So you can have more cuddles and less chaos (and hopefully a hot coffee…finally).
For all the info you need on starting solids, grab a copy of my Step-by-Step Starting Solids Guide
But first, what makes a nutritious baby breakfast?
Iron first
Babies need plenty of iron to support all their growth and brain development.
That’s why it’s important to include iron-rich foods like eggs, ground nuts and seeds or nut butter, legumes, whole grains, fortified breakfast cereals, lean meat or tofu in their meals, including breakfast.
Add some vitamin C
If you’re serving your baby iron-rich foods that aren’t meat, poultry or fish, adding a source of vitamin C can significantly increase the absorption of the iron.
Iron from non-meat sources is called non-heme iron (as opposed to ‘heme’ iron from meat sources).
As babies have high iron requirements, I recommend serving a vitamin C-rich food alongside non-heme iron sources such as eggs, legumes, tofu, nuts and seeds, whole grains and fortified cereals.
Vitamin C-rich foods include fruit and vegetables such as berries, tomato, spinach and kiwi fruit.
Get some balance
Ideally, breakfast for babies should include a balance of some protein (e.g. eggs, ground nuts and seeds or yogurt), carbohydrates (e.g. oats, baby cereal, bread or sweet potato) and healthy fats (e.g ground nuts and seeds, avocado) and some fruit or veg.
This will ensure your baby is satisfied and gets the nutrients they need.
But don’t worry about getting this perfect, just aim to include at least two of these food groups.
It can be as simple as scrambled egg + fruit.
Sugar? No thanks!
Added sugars can damage babies’ teeth and provide little nutritional value - while meaning they have less room for the good stuff (i.e, the nutritious foods).
It’s also worth remembering that your baby may actually like unsweetened/sour foods that we might normally sweeten, such as plain yogurt and stewed fruit.
What about fruit - isn’t it full of sugar?
Naturally sweet foods such as fruit are an excellent source of fiber, vitamins and minerals - all important nutrients for babies.
It’s the foods with added sugars we want to avoid.
Texture matters
If you’re doing traditional spoon-feeding, foods should be easy to puree or mash.
Then you can gradually introduce more texture as they become more experienced.
There are also plenty of finger food options listed below if you’re doing baby-led weaning or you’re introducing finger foods alongside purees and mashed foods.
Related: BLW vs purees: which way is better?
Mix it up
Variety is the spice of life - even for babies!
Well, maybe go easy on the ‘spice’ just now (although a little is fine!), but offering a variety of different foods helps to extend your baby’s palate and increases the chances they’ll get all the nutrients they need.
Exposure to a larger range of foods might even mean they’re less likely to be a picky eater further down the road.
But, endless variety isn’t necessary! Just try to have a few different breakfast meals in your rotation rather than serving the same one every day.
20 Breakfast Ideas for Babies
Pureed and mashed
1. Scrambled eggs with fruit
Eggs are a great source of iron and protein and are quick and easy to cook.
Serve with some vitamin C rich fruit such as orange slices or scramble with finely chopped spinach to increase iron absorption.
Serve on its own or with some toast fingers.
2. Greek yogurt with smooth nut butter and berries
Full-fat plain Greek yogurt + smooth nut butter + mashed berries = a breakfast that’s as easy as it gets.
Just make sure the nut butter is stirred through and not in a glob as this can be a choking hazard.
3. Fortified baby cereal with strawberries
Many baby cereals (like oatmeal or rice cereal) are iron-fortified.
Mix with formula, breastmilk or cow’s milk and some berries for vitamin C.
A note on cow’s milk for babies:
Cow’s milk is not recommended as a drink for babies under the age of 12 months as it’s not nutritionally adequate.
BUT, it’s fine to include full fat cow’s milk in your baby’s diet after 6 months, on cereal and in cooking.
4. Overnight oats
Mix oats with milk (or formula/breastmilk/cow’s milk), toss in some mashed fruit, stir through some chia or hemp seeds or nut butter for extra iron and refrigerate overnight.
5. Sweet potato and lentil mash
Super nutritious and a good source of iron - this is a great breakfast, lunch or dinner and you can freeze extra for later meals.
Just steam some mashed potatoes and mash together with some canned brown lentils and you’ve got a tasty, iron-rich breakfast (or lunch or dinner!).
Serve as is or mix with yogurt for extra creaminess.
6. Chia pudding
Chia seeds really live up to their reputation as a ‘superfood’.
They’re full of protein, iron and fibre and even have some omega-3 fatty acids, not bad for a seed!
Try my recipe for Raspberry & Banana Chia Pudding
Just a warning - bananas can sometimes contribute to constipation in babies.
Have a read of my article ‘Why is my baby constipated after starting solids’ if you’re concerned.
7. Baby-friendly smoothie bowl
Blend banana, yogurt, and smooth peanut butter into a thick smoothie.
Add a little milk if it’s too thick.
8. Baby porridge with hemp seeds and pear
A quick and easy breakfast option - process oats into a fine texture, add some iron-rich hemp seeds, cook with milk and stir through mashed pear.
Alternatively, use fortified baby porridge for extra iron.
9. Quinoa porridge
For protein and iron-rich alternative to oatmeal, cook quinoa flakes in milk and serve it with some berries or other fruit.
10. Soft scrambled tofu with veggies
A great alternative to eggs, tofu can be scrambled with a pinch of mild seasoning and some vitamin-C rich veggies such as tomato, bell pepper, or spinach.
Related: How to Introduce Soy to Baby
Finger foods and baby-led weaning breakfast ideas
11. Oat & banana pancakes
Mash a banana, mix with some oatmeal and an egg, and cook like a mini pancake.
Done.
Try my Oat & Banana Pancakes.
12. Toast with nut butter
Spread peanut, almond, or cashew butter on toast and cut into baby-friendly strips.
You can make the same breakfast for the rest of the family while you’re at it!
13. Soft-boiled egg with toast soldiers
Soft-boiled egg + toast cut into dippable strips = baby breakfast goals.
14. Cheese & spinach omelette
Eggs contain iron, spinach contains iron and vitamin C and cheese makes everything tastier.
Just chop some spinach, mix it into an omelette with some grated cheese, and cut it into strips.
15. Mini muffins
Homemade mini muffins with chia or hemp seeds sweetened with fruit are a great finger food for babies and handy to keep in the freezer for easy breakfasts.
Try my recipe for Banana, Blueberry & Chia Muffins.
16. Mini frittatas
An easy, super nutritious, make-ahead finger food for babies.
And they also make a great meal or snack for the whole family!
Just whisk some eggs with a little milk, stir through some finely chopped veggies (I like to use tomato, bell pepper, onion or herbs), pour into muffin pans and bake until golden brown.
17. Oatmeal fingers
Cook oatmeal, pour into a pan, let it cool, and cut into strips.
This is a great one to make ahead so you’ve got breakfast sorted for a few days.
Add some fruit such as blueberries or finely chopped raisins for extra flavour and vitamin C.
18. Lentil or pea fritters
Blend cooked lentils or peas into pancake batter for an iron-boosted breakfast.
Try my Pea & Mint Fritters Recipe
19. Mashed avocado with black beans on toast
Black beans are full of iron, and avocado makes everything better.
Spread on toast and cut into strips.
20. Soft-baked salmon and potato patties
Salmon contains iron, plus those all-important omega-3s for brain development.
Mash up some boiled potatoes, mix through some tinned or baked fresh salmon, add an egg, and cook like mini pancakes.
A few other things to consider when it comes to baby breakfasts
Keep it simple
The key to easy baby breakfasts (and maintaining your sanity) is to keep it simple.
You don’t need fancy recipes or elaborate meals — just a mix of nutritious, easy-to-eat foods.
Embrace the mess
Let’s be honest — breakfast with a baby is usually less peaceful bonding moment and more messy chaos (that leaves you wondering how porridge ended up in your hair….).
And mess is annoying; I get it.
But for babies, flinging food about the place and smooshing it into anything they can get their hands on is all part of the exciting, sensory experience of eating.
So try to embrace the mess.
Or at least get yourself a good splash mat so you’re not constantly cleaning the floor after yet another porridge-throwing experiment….
Don’t worry if they don’t eat it
What do you do if your baby refuses breakfast one morning?
Don’t stress.
They’ll make up for it at lunch (or, you know, snack time, dinner, or the middle of the night when they suddenly remember they are, in fact, starving…).
Good luck. May your breakfasts be peaceful and your coffee hot (ha, we can dream right?).
