11 Baby Led Weaning Breakfast Ideas {Easy + Healthy}

These 11 baby-led weaning breakfast ideas are healthy and easy – perfect for both baby and mom! With ideas you can prep ahead, baby breakfasts the whole family will love, and tips on planning a healthy breakfast this guide has it all.

Making a Healthy Breakfast for Your Baby

Breakfast doesn’t have to look like cereal, sweetened yogurt, and Eggo waffles. It also doesn’t have to be a homemade fresh-cooked breakfast every day to be healthy for your baby. Often if your family is already used to eating a real food diet, your usual breakfast (properly cut and free of choking hazards) will work for your baby as well! It’s the beauty of baby-led weaning – you can offer what the rest of the family is eating.

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I hope these ideas help you come up with some delicious breakfasts for your baby, toddler, and yourself (because Mommas need healthy breakfasts, too!)

Avoid Added Sugar

Added sugar is not recommended for babies below the age of 2. Therefore, try to keep breakfast for your baby as free from added sugar as possible. Most babies will love pancakes and french toast without any syrup or added sweeteners! My recipes (below) for these items are naturally sweetened using applesauce and bananas.

When should I give my baby breakfast?

It is now recommended to wait until a baby is 6 months old to start solid food and exclusive breastfeeding is best until this 6-month milestone is reached. Additionally, there are certain developmental milestones your baby should reach before she starts baby-led weaning or solid foods.

Once your baby is ready to start baby-led weaning, we typically recommend starting with just one nutrient-dense meal per day and working up to a regular 3 meals (and eventually 2 snacks) as your baby advances with their eating skills. Many of the ideas I’ve included in this article would be great for older babies who have already advanced past the initial stages of baby-led weaning.

If you are just getting started with baby-led weaning, I highly recommend the book Born to Eat to help walk you through the process. It is written by two Registered Dietitians (and moms) and will help guide you as you learn to feed your little one! Simple and Safe Baby Led Weaning (also by a dietitian and mom) is also a helpful read and I find they complement each other nicely.

11 Baby Led Weaning Breakfast Ideas

The beauty of baby led weaning is you can typically offer baby what the rest of your family is having. Whether this is breakfast or another meal. However, many families may be looking for new healthy ideas especially for breakfast if they were previously used to eating mostly cereals or processed foods.

Like any other meal, breakfast is a great time to offer a variety of foods (yes, even veggies!) to your family. While I don’t avoid grains altogether with my babies, I do minimize the amount that I offer so as not to displace other nutrients when they are learning to eat and as a means to try to introduce them to a variety of other tastes and food groups. I typically try to prioritize introducing new veggies, fruits, and meats. However, many items on the list are for starches which are great for older babies and toddler’s breakfasts as well.

1. Eggs

Eggs are among the first foods I start serving my young babies. I personally started with egg yolk on both my kiddos simply due to its richness in iron and because it is high in other nutrients. I wanted to maximize the nutrients consumed. However, the whole egg is definitely fine and something I moved on to after my babies were eating more.

You can serve egg to babies in a variety of ways:

• Fried egg on the stove
• Omelet with appropriately cut soft-cooked veggies
• Scrambled eggs

2. Oatmeal for Babies

Oatmeal is one of the easiest breakfasts and one of my favorite warm breakfasts in the winter. We typically just make a pot of oats for our family and dip our baby a portion. (Side note: many experts recommend omitting the salt before 10 months.) Here are 10 of our favorite oatmeal ideas for babies and toddlers.

While I do sometimes give my 3-year-old a drizzle of honey or maple syrup in his oats, I never do this for my babies below age 3. You can easily flavor your baby’s oatmeal in other ways.

How to Flavor Oatmeal for Babies

• Mashed bananas
• Unsweetened applesauce
• Hemp Hearts
• Nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter, seed butter)
• Ground flaxseed
• Smashed blueberries or other berries or fruit finely chopped

How to Serve Oatmeal to Baby

These silicone suction bowls and these Olababy silicone spoons are my favorite for serving oatmeal to babies.

3. Overnight Oats for Babies

Overnight oats are a favorite of mine since they can be prepped ahead. They make a great quick breakfast. These overnight oats are perfect for babies and toddlers since they are sweetened only with bananas and do not include added sugars.

4. Avocado Toast Baby Led Weaning

Avocado toast is easy to make and gives a healthy fat along with a whole grain. I typically prefer a whole sprouted grain bread or real sourdough bread.

You can make avocado toast by simply mashing avocado on bread, but you can also top it with small pieces of hard boiled or scrambled egg for added protein.

5. Pancakes for Babies and Toddlers

We will often prepare a batch of pancakes and freeze the leftovers for more quick breakfasts. I love this baby-led weaning pancakes recipe that is perfect for both babies and toddlers. Not only does it feature oats and bananas, but it’s high egg content offers more protein than traditional pancakes.

Note: If you have a sourdough start, we love these sourdough pancakes, and sourdough crepes can make a great baby breakfast as well.

6. Easy Baby French Toast

My kids love to eat french toast and it can be made ahead of time and frozen. Reheat the french toast by simply toasting in the toaster. I love this baby french toast recipe as it is naturally sweet (with applesauce). Even my 3.5 year old does not desire maple syrup with it!

7. Yogurt

Yogurt can be an easy breakfast for your little one. I recommend buying whole-fat plain yogurt for your baby. I give my best tips for choosing the best yogurt for babies here. Feel free to top your baby’s yogurt with properly cut fruit or chia seeds.

8. Soft Roasted or Steamed Veggies

Why not serve veggies along with breakfast? Seriously, for babies, exposure is the most important thing and serving veggies with breakfast is a great way to expose them to a new food. Many babies or toddlers may be too tired to eat dinner well and therefore, veggies can make a great baby-led weaning breakfast idea.

Plan Ahead: Roast a pan of veggies when you have extra time to use throughout the week. Anything from sweet potatoes to asparagus and broccoli can work! Just cut it appropriately and serve to your baby along with any other food.

9. Fruits

Serving fruit along with breakfast is one of my favorite baby-led weaning breakfast ideas. Here are a few ways to incorporate fruit into your baby’s (or toddler’s) breakfast.

1. Berries – Many babies enjoy berries. Simply half blueberries or raspberries; quarter blackberries; and cube strawberries into small pieces.
2. Avocado – Avocado can be served in strips or small cubes. If your baby is young and has a hard time holding on to slippery avocado strips, you can coat it in something like ground flax or hemp hearts.
3. Banana – Can serve half of a banana or cut into finger-width pieces. Like avocado, you can coat the banana in hemp hearts or ground flax to make it easier to hold. Or you can serve in slices and allow your baby to develop fork skills.
4. Sliced kiwi, cut watermelon, and quartered grapes and other fruits can also make great breakfast sides.

10. Baby Led Weaning Muffins

Making some baby-led weaning muffins can be a fun breakfast for your little one. While most muffins have added sugar and should be avoided before age 2, muffins with no added sugar such as these baby pumpkin muffins can be perfect.

11. Healthy “Toddler Cookies”

I call these toddler cookies since they are free of any sweeteners (except fruit.) But they make a perfect breakfast for babies. Loaded with goodness like flaxseed, hemp hearts, carrots, and oats – they are perfect for your little one’s breakfast!

Useful Baby Led Weaning Tools

While these items, in particular, aren’t strictly necessary they are our tried and true favorites that can make serving meals and starting baby-led weaning much easier.

• Olababy Silicone Spoons (useful for young 6 mo+ babies)
• Silicone suction bowls
• Silicone suction plates
• My bapron baby favorite bibs<—Seriously, I LOVE these bibs!
• Open cup – Plus read about why I love open cups for babies
• Straw cup

If you need help picking out your baby led weaning gear be sure to check out all my favorites. Plus, my husband (an Occupational Therapist) and I reviewed the best baby led weaning high chairs on the market.

Top Tips on Making a Healthy Baby Breakfast

1. Meal Prep! – Especially if you are not a morning person, having some breakfast prepped can help you on hard (or any) days. It really does help the weeks go smoother. Make and freeze muffins, pancakes, french toast, etc. Precut fruit and roast veggies to store in the fridge.
2. Serve a variety. – Don’t serve the same breakfast every day. Try to keep it interesting and different every day.
3. Make it balanced. – While this is less important for babies who have just started the weaning process, as your baby gets older and approaches toddlerhood, you’ll want to ensure you serve protein, fiber, and fat with breakfast.
4. Have last-minute ideas ready. – Have a list of quick ideas ready like oatmeal, yogurt, and avocado toast that you can serve in a hurry!

How Do I Make a Balanced Breakfast for my Baby or Toddler?

Try serving protein + fat + fiber with most of your little one’s meals to help hold them until their next snack or meal. Here are a few ideas for breakfast:

Protein: Eggs, Yogurt, Nut Butter, Meat, and Legumes

Fat: Avocado, Nut butter, Chia Seeds, Ground Flax Seeds

Fiber: Fruit, Veggies, Whole Grains (oatmeal, sprouted/whole grain toast)

An omelet is a great example of a standalone breakfast that can be very balanced made with a combination of foods such as eggs, veggies, legumes, and even cheese. If you have a toddler be sure to check out my favorite toddler breakfast ideas as well!

Make-Ahead Baby Breakfast Ideas

• Freeze pancakes, homemade no sugar muffins, and baby french toast.
• Roast or steam veggies for the week.
• Precut fruit and store in the fridge.
• Baby Friendly Overnight Oats

How to Pack a Baby Breakfast for Daycare

If you need to send breakfast with your little one to daycare, investing in some proper storage containers will help you to send their favorites along with them.

• Kids Thermos – Pack along oatmeal or other warm foods in this thermos.
• Silicone Bento Box – I love these silicone bento boxes to pack multiple foods like pancakes, yogurt, and fruit.
• Ziptop Kids Silicone Containers -We have and love these!

Other Baby Feeding Resources

I hope these healthy BLW breakfast ideas we love help your family come up with some new breakfast inspiration for your little one. If you are looking for more tips on feeding your little ones, here are some popular posts that you may find helpful!

How to Teach Your Baby to Drink from an Open Cup

When Can Babies Have SUGAR?

Best Milk for Babies & Toddlers + Breastfeeding Recommendations

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