My first son didn’t take to solids readily. It’s like he didn’t know his Mam was a dietitian!

But breakfast was the ONE meal that he reliably ate. And watching him polish off a bowl of fruity porridge was a joy. So much so that he converted me to porridge, something I’d disliked from my own childhood.

We impact our babies’ eating, but they can influence ours too. And that aside, it’s much easier to make one breakfast than two (or three, or five!).

When’s the best time to introduce breakfast to my baby

There’s no right or wrong answer, but most parents introduce breakfast after ‘vegetable first tastes’.

So generally, at about 6.5 months.

 

How can I make sure what I offer my baby at breakfast is nutritious?

From shelves of baby porridges to scrambled eggs to quinoa with Goji berries, choosing a nutritious breakfast can seem overwhelming.

But it doesn’t have to be.

Sometimes the most straightforward ideas are the best. And the good news is that you’re probably already eating a version of the perfect baby breakfast yourself.

 

This simple rule makes planning your baby’s breakfast a no-brainer!

 

Follow this simple rule for nutritious breakfasts.

 

Here’s the simple rule I teach parents about planning nutritious meals for babies and toddlers at any time of the day.

1. Choose an iron-rich food.
2. Add an energy-rich food (this is usually a starchy food, healthy fat or some dairy or fortified soya product)
3. Finish with some fruit and/or vegetable

 

And if you follow this formula, you really can’t go wrong!

 

Seven days of simple baby breakfast ideas that you can easily share

 

 

	Iron-rich food	Energy food	Fruit or vegetable
Monday	Ready Brek	Whole milk + peanut butter	Banana fingers
Tuesday	Ready Brek Muffin	Greek yoghurt	Raspberries cut in half
Wednesday	Sweet potato pancakes	Mashed banana with almond butter
Thursday	*Carrot cake porridge with chia seeds		Kiwi quartered
Friday	Spinach and tomato omelette fingers	Finger of wholemeal toast	Mashed pear
Saturday	Hard-boiled egg (finger food or mashed with Greek yoghurt)		Avocado cut into fingers or mashed
Sunday	Weetabix	Whole milk + chia seeds	Strawberries (mashed or sliced)

 

FREE CHEATSHEET: Seven days of simple baby breakfast ideas that you can easily share

*Honey isn’t suitable for babies under one

 

 

 

 

What’s the best approach for offering breakfast? Finger food or from a spoon?

 

If your baby is over six months, why not get the best of both worlds and offer both? Or maybe your baby has already decided for you by refusing the spoon.

 

Tip! When your baby prefers finger foods

Luckily, you can adapt most foods to serve either from a spoon or as finger food. If your baby doesn’t like being spoon-fed:

• Serve cereals like porridge or Ready Brek as muffins, porridge fingers, and pancakes.
• Fruit and vegetables are easy to serve as finger foods.
• Use thick yoghurt or nut butter to spread on toast, pancakes or fruit.

 

READ MORE: How to offer finger foods to babies: A step-by-step guide

 

 

Tip! When your baby prefers eating from a spoon

• Serve mashed (or blitzed) hard-boiled egg mixed into porridge or yoghurt.
• Serve mashed fruit (try to move on from puréeing fruit as quickly as possible) in porridge.

 

How to offer porridge every day without getting bored

Parents often ask, “Is it OK to serve my baby porridge or Ready Brek every day”.

Of course!

If you eat porridge every day, then it’s perfect for sharing with your baby every day. You’re not a personal baby chef.

And porridge every day needn’t be dull. By changing the flavourings, toppings and finger food, you can offer your baby a new breakfast experience daily.

 

 

 

READ MORE>>>>>> The best guide to introducing babies to cows milk ever

 

Seven Days of Interesting Baby Breakfast Ideas Based on Porridge

• Porridge + coconut + banana
• Porridge +Greek yoghurt +frozen berries
• Porridge + peanut butter + strawberries
• Porridge + almond butter +pear
• Porridge + chia seeds + grated apple
• Porridge + raisins + grated carrot + cinnamon
• Porridge +nutmeg + mashed tinned mandarins

Serve the fruit mashed into the porridge, as finger food on the side, or both!

 

Which is better, Ready Brek (fortified oat cereal) or regular porridge?

The choice between using Ready Brek or porridge is yours.

 

Advantage of Ready Brek (fortified oat cereal).

Ready Brek and most supermarkets’ instant oat cereals are fortified with iron.

You’ll find advice online about making smooth oats by blending regular oats. I think this is a waste of time! To serve smooth porridge, choose Ready Brek (or own-brand versions) and take advantage of the added iron without the added labour!

 

Advantages of regular porridge

Porridge is an excellent way to push your baby on with lumpier textures.

But like most decisions, it doesn’t need to be one over the over.

Why not mix and match them both over the week?

 

Apart from oats, what other cereals are suitable for babies?

Weetabix is a wheat-based (and gluten-containing cereal) that’s iron-fortified and can be gradually introduced to your baby anytime.

 

RELATED: Easy ways to serve Weetabix for babies-and why to do it!

Bite-size Shredded Wheat can be helpful as your baby gets older and develop its pincer grip. Although unfortunately, Shredded Wheat isn’t fortified with iron.

 

Can I use cows’ milk to make up porridge?

It’s OK to use whole cow’s milk in food anytime, but it’s not suitable for drinking until after 12 months. If you’re plant-based and want to share your bowl of porridge with your baby, that’s fine. Fortified soya milk is an ideal option. But fortified oat, coconut, or almond milk are also OK to use (although they contain very little protein) in food. But rice milk isn’t suitable for babies under five years of age.

 

 

Options for milk alternatives for a cow’s milk allergic baby?

If your baby is allergic to cow’s milk, the best off-the-shelf alternative to use in food is fortified soya milk (if tolerated). If your baby needs to be cow’s milk and soya free, then choose fortified oat or pea milk.

And make sure to consult with a registered dietitian for personalised advice on managing a milk-free diet.

 

Baby breakfast alternatives for egg-allergic babies (you can still serve pancakes!)

Eggs are a breakfast staple, so when your baby is allergic to eggs, it’s hard not to feel cheated!

My first baby had milk, egg and peanuts allergies, so I feel your pain!

However, your baby can still enjoy egg-free breakfast favourites like pancakes, muffins and even ‘scrambled eggs (tofu)’.

 

 

 

 

 

Best bread options for your baby at breakfast time

 

Previously,  wholegrain products were discouraged for babies under two years of age. However, that advice has changed.

It’s OK to offer your baby some wholemeal foods like wholemeal bread and wholemeal cereals like Weetabix. But that doesn’t mean we want them to fill up exclusively with wholemeal varieties. Babies and young children have tiny tummies meaning they can fill up quite quickly. Therefore we want to ensure we offer them a balance of foods, some that are higher in fibre and some that are lower in fibre.

Try to choose bread with the least amount of salt per 100g.

 

Expert Tip-you don’t need to buy special baby porridge (and why regular porridge is better)

There’s no shortage of baby porridges to choose from. Walking down the baby food aisle, you’ll see boxes, pouches and jars in every colour under the rainbow.

Bottom line: Most baby porridges are blends of oats (or sometimes other cereals like wheat, rice, and rye) with milk powder and possibly some fruit concentrates for flavouring.

 

Here are three reasons not to bother with baby porridge or cereals.

 

REASON 1: They’re expensive

You can see here in the example below that an own-brand smooth porridge fortified with iron is far less expensive than an unfortified baby porridge. Don’t get sucked into clever marketing!

 

 

REASON 2: They’re not necessary.

Ready Brek, Weetabix or most own-brand versions of these cereals are perfect for your baby. They contain no added sugar or salt and are fortified with iron, like baby porridge.

 

REASON 3: They can be high in sugar.

Many baby porridge products contain puréed fruit or fruit concentrates, considered free sugars. It’s far better to mash or grate fruit into porridge or serve it as finger food alongside the porridge. Mashed, grated and chopped fruit contain less ‘free sugar’ than purée fruit.

 

 

READ MORE >>> Sugar for babies-Separating fact from fiction!

 

 

I hope this helps you and your baby enjoy this important meal of the day stress-free and easy. My son’s fifteen now, and breakfast is still his favourite meal!

 

Get Your Free Cheat Sheet

When you’re in the thick of a busy morning, it can be challenging to come up with varied breakfasts for you and your baby. So, here’s a week’s worth of ideas to stick on the fridge!

1. Get the free cheat sheet. You’ll get the cheatsheet, plus join my weekly newsletter! Just click here to get it and subscribe.
2. Print or download onto your phone.
3. Hang your cheat sheet somewhere handy, like the fridge. Or save it in a folder on your phone.