Good breakfasts for two year olds?

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Hey all!

My nearly two year old loves to have a big bowl of fruit for breakfast (always with a cup of milk) but I want to move him into something more filling. He's starting nursery soon and won't be able to graze all morning like he does when he's home with me.

My husband is very anti-cereal because he sees it as junk so that's not an option (unless there are some good Child-friendly healthy options?). My son doesn't like eggs so that's not an option. He does like toast but he usually has bread with his lunch in some form (soup and bread, beans on toast etc) so I don't want him eating too much bread.

So I'm looking for some inspiration - what works well with your toddlers?

Thanks in advance!

At that age I mainly did cereal and fruit for breakfast, but I kept it to the healthier types. Something like Weetabix or bran flakes. My eldest liked porridge which was really good especially in winter. I'd sometimes make those 2 ingredient pancakes with egg and banana if I had a bit more time.

@Dollmeup the two ingredient pancakes are a good idea. I imagine they would taste quite cakey, and he does love a cake!

I tried him on porridge and it wasn't an immediate hit but I might keep going with that.

My 4yo and 2yo love oats with agave syrup over it

Croissant, yoghurt and fruit?

Can you introduce greek yogurt and granola with the fruit (granola varies from sugary AF to totally worthy, watch for nuts for a choking risk for little ones) to introduce more protein fats and carbs?

Will he get breakfast at nursery? My 3 year old often has 1 breakfast at home and another there. Then they get a snack. Then lunch is like 11.30 so they do tend to eat frequently.

How is he with eggs? Lots of little muffin type recipes you can batch cook and freeze. Same with pancakes.

Porridge and warm weetabix very popular here too, usually chuck some berries in so can keep that fruit element he loves.

Another vote for porridge, especially if he is into fruit - he can choose what fruit goes on it. I personally loath weetabix but DC likes them! Corn flakes go down well too.

Weetabix with fruit isn't bad.

Also ours still like porridge fingers - 4tbsp of oats and the same of milk and a little chopped fruit. Microwave for a couple of minutes and it's a finger food. I think they're awfully tasteless but 6yo still eats it. 🤷

What is junky about porridge or wheatabix?

Weetabix, shredded wheat, cheerios, cornflakes.

Cereals really aren’t an unhealthy option if you pick the right ones. Less sugar than a big bowl of fruit with yoghurt if you pick the right ones! Plus they are quick (essential before nursery) relatively mess-free and encourage self-feeding.

Otherwise toast, but not if they are having sandwiches at lunchtime perhaps.

Your husband perhaps needs re-educating about what constitutes junk. Perhaps cereals in his house were things like Frosties and lucky charms, but things have thankfully moved forward and there are plenty of choices, some more junk-y than others.

Have you tried porridge with fruit? Either added to it as a topping, or cooked with it (frozen blueberriesxare good for thus, grate apple and cinnamon)

The shredded wheat bites with raisin in are quite good as usually just wheat and raisins (depending on the brand).

eggy bread/french toast is a hit here, you can give with sweet or savoury. It doesnt really taste like egg so could be ok. You can also use crumpets to make and its useful for using up stale bread! Sorry, its bread based but you could do baked potatoes for lunch?

Mine used to love scrambled eggs with Marmite soldiers...

There’s way more sugar in a big bowl of fruit than a bowl of cereal, you just need to choose the right ones.

Weetabix/cheerios/rice crispies/cornflakes.

Porridge with different toppings, or if he’s not keen on the consistency then you can bake it into baked oats. (Like a cake consistency)

Crumpets, bagels, croissants.

321 pancakes (3 spoonfuls of oats, 2 eggs, 1 banana)

We do small American style pancakes fairly often.
its one way of getting eggs into them. I make ours just milk, spelt flour, eggs, baking power, vanilla.
We eat them all together the day I make, but I always make spare so Ds has re warmed the next day for breakfast again or takes cold for morning snack at nursery.
with Greek yogurt and fruit if they feel like it, plain on fussy days

Eggs, scrambled or soft boiled, Greek yoghurt, flourless muffins all went down well with mine. They didn't like cereal as werent milk fans but nothing wrong with porridge. I personally hate weetabix because of the cement it leaves in the bottoms of the bowl.

It's usually porridge or weetabix here, occasionally yoghurt with peanut butter and banana if we're in a hurry before nursery. I think I must have the only toddler who won't touch pancakes!

Weetabix, yoghurt, toast and peanutbutter, boiled / scrambled eggs and toast. A bowl of fruit on the side as well to keep his fibre up.

At nursery he'll likely be offered something simple like weetabix / cornflakes / toast. He'll then get a snack, usually fruit, lunch and another snack. My daughter often comes home not wanting dinner as she eats so much throughout the day at nursery.

Mine doesn't either!

Baked oats are good if he’ll eat them. You can make them with oats, milk, banana, peanut butter. Add some choc chips if necessary to get them to eat it. Can be frozen too.

Lots of egg suggestions but OP said her DS doesn’t like eggs

Does Something bad happen to a child if they have more than one serving of bread a day? Lots of nice peanut butters you could put on toast or a bagel. The whole anti cereal thing also sounds very precious and I’m very happy for you both that your kid just loves a big bowl of fruit and a glass of milk for breakfast, how perfect for you. You know all the food options that exist, just feed the kid, or was this a boast? Your child will come across all sorts of foods one day at parties or other people’s houses, just relax about it and feed them all the things that you and your partner already know exist and were probably fed yourselves!

Thanks all! Loads of good suggestions here. I can't believe Greek yoghurt didn't occur to me before, he loves that! He usually has that after dinner so I think my brain just compartmentalised it as pudding.

Will try baked oats, pancakes, Weetabix etc.

@cookiebee are you okay? You sound really angry.

I'm asking for breakfast ideas for a toddler. I can't imagine a more innocuous thread so if you are getting upset at this, maybe you need to take some time out?

My two - 2.5 and 1 love crumpets or peanut butter toast with some fruit and a yoghurt. I also make pancakes a few times a week - just oats, milk, eggs, a banana sometimes chuck some berries in too or peanut butter then all whizzed up and fried in a bit of butter.

A little one I once looked after loved a baked potato with cheese for breakfast. We cooked a small potato in the microwave and it took 5 mins or so. I know it's not traditional breakfast food, but it's carbs, protein and dairy and it's a hot, filling start to the day.