Need Advices on Breakfast Items

NO NUT BUTTERS!!!! Choking hazard in children under 3 years. A hard boiled egg, fresh fruits, yougert cups, dry cereals, toaster waffles or pancakes, lots to choose from.

C.,
Here are some ideas for you:

Cut up cheese cubes - colby jack is great because it looks cool, is two colors and tastes really good.

Extra firm tofu cut into cubes

Mini bagels with cream cheese

Waffles cut up into bite size pieces - don't need syrup.

Mangos, peaches, pears, all cut into bite size pieces

These are a few things that my son loves.

Nutrigrain blueberry waffles. Toast it, cut it up and put it in a baggy. My son loves them even without syrup.

Is he completely feeding himself, or does he need help? What about a little ziplock baggie of oatmeal that just needs the hot water added? I usually put some oatmeal, with raisins and cinnamon and brown sugar or honey in a bowl and add hot water, Or perhaps some moist oatmeal bars with apples, raisins or something like that. We make pumpkin waffles and freeze them, and then pop them in the toaster and give waffle sticks to our granddaughter. You can also make french toast so they actually get a little egg in. She also enjoys strawberries and banana cut up. You might try yogurt cups.

dry or wet cereal, oatmeal, cut fruit, yogurt?

how about cherrios,fruit, french toast sticks, I am sure the provider would warm them up, oatmeal, cream of wheat, kixs, hard boild egg. I feel that the care provider should include food. If not I might look for one who does, do you also have to pack lunch? a cookie, croissant and 1/3 muffin is not too nutrucious, apple juice, orange juice, smoothies are good. There are so many options out there...

More fruits. grapes cut in half, small cubes of pears, can of corn? I take the top and bottom off of a LARGE size tuna or canned chicken and then use the ring as a scrambled egg mold. I lay the clean ring in the pan,(spray sides w/pam) and then put in a scrambled egg. keep it on low. After you think that one side is set, remove the ring and turn over the egg patty. (sometimes I add tiny bits of ham or cheddar, but not too much or it wont stick together). I like to put these on crossoints for trips, but you can just give them to him to eat plain.

cheerios, veggie fries, yougurt, raisins, anything healthy he won't choke on.

Hi C.,
I would suggest sending him with a little fruit cup, maybe one of those gerber fruit twists, some littler gerber yogurt bites and a half of croissant or some kind of carb - Nilla wafer cookies are a hit in my household.
Hope these ideas help.

C., you really need to think about breakfast differently. Milk and 1/2 of a carb/sugar loaded item is not a healthy way to begin a toddler's day. I would cut back on the milk and provide another source of protein and a little fruit. You can even get veggies into a breakfast. You could make egg salad the night before and put that on some whole wheat toast with a small container of blueberries. You could make pancakes the night before with bananas in them and serve them just warmed back to room temp. Bake some muffins with shredded carrot and zucchini in them. Pack a yogurt too. (Not the ones marketed to babies - they are loaded with sugar). Get a plain, organic yogurt and mix in a teaspoon of jam or a bit if honey or maple syrup. Add berries and granola. There are tons of nutritious foods you could be giving your son. A cookie and milk for breakfast is not a healthy choice.

A pb&j smoothie has always been a hit in our house, even now that the kids are much older. I use lowfat yogurt (not non-fat as little kids need some fat in their diets, Trader Joe's has a great lowfat plain organic at a great price), creamy peanut butter, frozen strawberries (check the label to make sure they are not sweetened), and a small banana. Blend it up and you have a great morning meal in a straw cup! If it is too thick, just add a little milk or V-fusion strawberry banana juice, or if it is too runny a little powdered milk will thicken it up nicely.
Have a happy morning!

Hi C.,
You've already gotten lots of great suggestions. Kids don't have the same hang-ups about "breakfast foods" as we do so your options are endless.

At that age, my son loved to start the day with

Sandwich meat cut up and put in a little tupperware container (or plastic bag)
Cubed cheese
melon slices or cubes
peanut butter on toast (made into sandwich then sliced into "fingers")
frozen waffles
berries

Hope this helps.
T.

Hi,
My 2 1/2 year old and 15 month old both love these items for breakfast, I usually fix them two things to eat.

nutrigrain bars
frozen waffles
yogurt
applesauce
1/2 banana
mandarin oranges (canned)
sliced peaches
instant oatmeal
cereal with or without milk (cheerioes, honey grahams, chex)
graham crackers with peanut butter
cinnamon toast
sliced apples
cottage cheese with salt

Hope this helps, offering variety is more likely to result in raising a child that will eat a variety of foods. Good luck!

Hi, Our daycare provide breakfest for our just 2 yr. old, but on weekends when were off to gymnastics or gymboree, I bring a bananna and a nutrigrain bar, she loves them and she can eat it in the car with not too much of a mess.
Best of luck.
M.
P.S. String cheese is another winner, just tear it apart a few times for them

The big items in our house are homemade breakfast sandwiches - we make the eggs in the microwave in a cup (put the egg in a cup, pinch of salt, dash of water, beat them; microwave for 25 seconds, stir them up and add cheese; microwave for another 25 seconds and let cool a bit). Then we put the egg on an English muffin. Another big item in our house is Morning Star Farms Veggie sausage patties (also microwavable). Hard boiled eggs are good to have around. Waffles are good - you can make your own (or pancakes) in big batches and freeeze them in smaller packets. We also make cinnamon toast for variety on whold grain bread.

Famalia Baby Musli (daycare will have to add water to make cereal) and a banana or apple.

My guy loves scrambled eggs. We put them in a ziplock baggie (he likes to feed himself out of the baggie) Add a banana and some toast. (Trader Joe's has a great cinnamon bread that's not too sweet.)

Smoothies are great as well. We do yogurt, frozen fruit, a bit of juice or milk and tofu. He loves it!

Another favorite in our house is PB&J with a cup of milk.

Burritos with refried or whole beans, scrambled eggs & cheese are another hit - and I love these b/c I can make up a few at a time, wrap them & keep them in the fridge to heat when needed.

All of these are "portable."

Good luck!

You already got some really great advice, but I'd also recommend checking out www.weelicious.com.... there are a bunch of great, healthy, kid-friendly recipes on there. I LOVE the recipes on there and my 14 month old daughter does too! :) Good luck!

I love the responses you've gotten, but would add one item as a possibility.. cheese.

Also, I've seen yogurt recommended, and would like to mention a brand I find the children love. We buy Mountain High yogurt in a quart size container. It comes in plain or vanilla flavor. We get the vanilla flavor and it's so good it tastes like ice cream but not as sweet. The children clean out their dish and ask for more (sometimes we have to simply tell them 'no more' because they will keep on eating too much of it). It isn't available in all stores, but I've found it in Raley's, Bel Air, and Foodsource ... all part of the same company... and I think I've found it in a couple of other stores, but don't remember which ones. I guess I should hasten to add that I don't have any stock in the Mountain High company or in the Raley's stores. It sounds a bit like I'm doing a commercial for them, but I truly do think the Mountain High yogurt is better tasting than most I've tried as well as a more natural, and nutritious product.

Maybe fruit would be a better option... cookie, croissant or muffin is filling him with carbs. I would try to find a healthier breakfast for him.

My son is one of the picky eaters that I swore I would never have! That said, he will eat more things for breakfast than he will for other meals. Have you tried:

cottage cheese sprinkled with cinnamon

mixed cut up fruit

scrambled egg with whole grain toast

oatmeal in a thermos with banana and maybe raisins mixed in

berries and yogurt

hard boiled egg with sausage link

Breakfast is usually for us Cheerios and yogurt or milk just because he loves it. He will eat the other things but only on request unless its sausage links with ketchup to dip. Those he will eat anytime!

C.-

I have to send breakfast to daycare as well- I send her with toast- (i make before we leave and cut up with a little butter) Yogurt, diced melon, cheerios, string cheese. In a pinch Gerber makes breakfast bars that aren't too bad. If daycare has the ability to heat items- you can also make egg cups on the weekend- freeze them and pull one out in the morning and send him on his way. (you can make egg cups in a muffin pan to make larger batches.)

M.

I've always given my daughter a smoothie for breakfast. 8 oz yogurt, 1/2 cup fruit, flax seed oil all blended in a smoothie. I know she's starting off with all the fruit she needs to the day and a great source of protein. We have started making them the day before so the blender doesn't wake up the house and it works.

You might check to see if the daycare can warm somthing up or buy a thermos. My friend would make scrambled eggs and put them in a thermos so they were still warm.

Yogurt is another great healthy option for little ones if she can use a spoon.

Also mini bagels with cream cheese to dip.

Hope this helps,

N.

I would agree with Adrian's ideas and add:

- hardboiled egg
- yogurt w/ fresh fruit or packaged yogurt like Yo Baby (if the daycare center is okay with something potentially a bit more messy)
- whole grain bread or toast
- smoothie (in a straw cup)

I think that you might want to consider anything with a bit more nutrition to start his day. Hope the daycare transition goes smoothly. Take care.

How about:

Cereal Bars
Mixed fruit
dry cereal
eggo waffle
oatmeal
granola bar
scrambled egg

Your child is growing at such a rapid rate that nutrition is essential for his development. Cookies for breakfast? Wow, I don't want to sound judgemental, but cookies really shouldn't even be on the menu. How about some cut up fruit, yogurt,cereal,hard-boiled egg, smoothie, peanut butter and honey on whole wheat bread, edamame (takes one minute to cook in microwave and can be put in thermos. Muffins are fine if they have whole grains and are not loaded with sugar. You may have to put up with some nagging about the cookies since you've gotten him into this habit, but hold your ground. You are the parent and know what's best for him.

Nutrition for children is so important that I am surprised that your center doesn't supply breakfast for him. A grain, fruit or veggie and milk is what is good for breakfast for a child. When a young one wakes up they are hungry! So I would give him something at home when he wakes up besides having breakfast at school.
F.