25 fun and delicious breakfast ideas for baby-led weaning (BLW)

Breakfast is often considered the most important meal of the day and this is especially true for children. Studies show that routinely eating breakfast during childhood is associated with improved academic performance, lower body mass index (BMI), and higher nutrient intake [1-4]. This article provides a breadth of healthy, fun breakfast ideas for baby-led weaning (BLW).

Benefits of breakfast for kids

Eating breakfast has a wide range of benefits for children. Studies show that regularly eating breakfast during childhood is associated with:

• Higher IQ [1]
• Improved attention, executive function, and memory [2]
• Lower BMI and reduced likelihood of being overweight [3]
• Increased consumption of nutrients such as calcium and folate [4]

Establishing a breakfast ritual as your child starts solids is a great way to get kids into the habit of eating breakfast and can pay dividends later in childhood. 

How to build a healthy baby-led weaning (BLW)

breakfast plate

While there’s no need to get specific about the macronutrient breakdown of your baby’s breakfast plate (unless your pediatrician has advised otherwise), serving a diversity of foods can help your little one meet their nutrient needs. Moreover, serving a variety of foods at breakfast can be helpful for training their palate to accept a wide variety of foods. 

A good rule of thumb for building a healthy breakfast for your little one is to aim for a source of protein, a fruit or vegetable, a source of carbohydrate, and some form of fat on every plate. 

• Protein: Found in popular breakfasts foods such as eggs, yogurt, no added salt cottage cheese, low sodium cheese, nut butters, whole grains, and seeds such as chia and hemp.
• Fruit/ veggies: This one is self-explanatory. Avoid raw, hard fruits and veggies, and choking hazards such as whole grapes and whole blueberries.
• Carbohydrate: Sources include oatmeal, pancakes, toast, fruit, potatoes, and infant cereal.
• Fat: Found in avocado, whole milk dairy, nut butters, eggs, coconut, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and oils such as olive oil and avocado oil.

Flavorings often get excluded from infant meals, however, there are plenty of ways to flavor food that don’t include added salt and sugar. Herbs and spices such as cinnamon, dried basil, dried parsley, and turmeric, can be sprinkled on to infant meals to add an extra dimension of interest.

Easy breakfast ideas for baby-led weaning (BLW)

Making breakfast for your baby-led infant doesn’t have to be complicated. Parenting is busy enough already! Here are 25 easy breakfast ideas for baby-led weaning.

Yogurt

1. Plain Greek yogurt + strawberries (quartered) + toast fingers smeared with a thin layer of peanut butter
2. Plain Greek yogurt mixed with mashed banana and cinnamon + toast fingers smeared with mashed avocado 
3. Plain Greek yogurt with cinnamon + smashed blueberries + toast fingers smeared with sunflower seed butter
4. Plain Greek yogurt sprinkled with cinnamon + kiwi quarters + toast fingers smeared with mashed avocado
5. Plain Greek yogurt sprinkled with cinnamon + pineapple spears + toast fingers smeared with a thin layer of peanut butter

Eggs

1. Scrambled eggs with shredded spinach + toast fingers smeared with mashed avocado
2. Scrambled eggs with dried herbs + orange slices + buttered toast fingers
3. Scrambled eggs with grated zucchini + kiwi quarters + toast finger smeared with sunflower seed butter
4. Omelet slices + peach slices + toast finger smeared with whole milk ricotta
5. Omelet slices + pear slices + sweet potato wedges

Toast

1. Whole grain toast fingers smeared with avocado + tomato slices + mozzarella slices
2. Whole grain toast fingers smeared with ricotta and cinnamon + strawberries (quartered)
3. Whole grain toast fingers smeared with nut butter + smashed blackberries
4. Whole grain toast fingers smeared with avocado sprinkled with hemp seeds + grapefruit wedges
5. Whole grain toast fingers smeared with sunflower seed butter and cinnamon + peach slices

Pancakes

Base recipe: 2 mashed bananas, 4 eggs, ¼ tsp baking powder

1. 3-ingredient pancakes + smashed blueberries + whole milk plain Greek yogurt
2. 3-ingredient pancakes smeared with peanut butter + strawberries (quartered)
3. 3-ingredient pancakes + peach slices + whole milk plain Greek yogurt
4. 3-ingredient pancakes + smashed raspberries + whole milk ricotta
5. 3-ingredient pancakes smeared with sunflower seed butter + orange slices

Oatmeal

Base recipe: ½ cup of old-fashioned oats cooked in 1 cup of milk of choice

1. Plain old-fashioned oats sprinkled with hemp seeds + peanut butter powder + mashed banana
2. Plain old-fashioned oats sprinkled with flax meal + sunflower seed butter + smashed blueberries/raspberries
3. Plain old-fashioned oats sprinkled with hemp seeds and cinnamon + grated apple + a dab of coconut oil
4. Plain old-fashioned oats sprinkled with flax meal and cinnamon + orange wedges + whole milk Greek yogurt
5. Plain old-fashioned oats, sprinkled with flax meal, mixed with smashed raspberries and unsweetened shredded coconut.

Overnight oats

Base recipe: ⅔ cup old-fashioned oats + 2 tbsp chia seeds + 1 cup of milk of choice

1. Plain old-fashioned oats + chia seeds soaked in milk mixed with chopped peaches + vanilla
2. Plain old-fashioned oats + chia seeds soaked in coconut milk mixed with finely chopped pineapple + vanilla 
3. Plain old-fashioned oats + chia soaked in milk mixed with mashed banana + cinnamon
4. Plain old-fashioned oats + chia soaked in coconut milk mixed grated pear + cinnamon 
5. Plain old-fashioned oats + chia soaked in milk mixed with mashed blueberries/raspberries + peanut butter powder

Summary

• Eating breakfast during childhood is associated with improved academic performance, lower body mass index (BMI), and higher nutrient intake [1-4].
• Serving a variety of foods at breakfast can help your infant meet their nutrient needs and train their palate to accept a variety of foods.
• A good rule of thumb for building a healthy breakfast for your little one is to aim for a source of protein, a fruit or vegetable, a source of carbohydrate, and some form of fat on every plate.