How to Build a Better Breakfast for Kids

Breakfast Ideas for Children to Support their Nutrition Intake.

Mornings are busy, everyone needs to get out the door, and sometimes you're simply happy that they've eaten something before school or childcare.

But breakfast is also a great opportunity to pack some important nutrition into your child's day.

As a paediatric dietitian, when I'm putting together breakfast for my own children, I think about a few key nutrients that can help make breakfast more satisfying and give growing bodies and brains the energy they need for the morning ahead.

My simple formula is to start with a whole-food carbohydrate, then look for ways to add fibre, protein and iron.

And it doesn't have to be complicated.

Start with carbohydrates for energy

Carbohydrates are particularly important for active, growing children.

Breakfast foods such as organic oats, wholegrain bread, fruit and wholegrain cereals provide carbohydrates alongside other important nutrients.

Where possible, I like to choose less refined, whole-food sources of carbohydrates because they generally provide more fibre and nutrients and tend to be more satisfying.

Some of my favourites include:

• Organic Rolled oats

• Wholegrain or wholemeal toast

• Wholegrain breakfast cereals like shredded wheat.

• Fresh Fruit

• Homemade pancakes or pikelets made with oats or wholemeal flour

• Homemade muffins or banana bread

There's absolutely nothing wrong with toast or cereal for breakfast. The trick is often in what we add to it.

For example toast topped with peanut butter and banana adds protein, healthy fats, fibre and additional nutrients that help turn a simple piece of toast into a more substantial breakfast.

Don't forget fibre

Fibre is important for healthy digestion and bowel function, but it can also help make breakfast more filling.

One of the easiest ways to increase fibre at breakfast is simply to choose wholegrains and add some fruit.

Think:

Oats + berries

Wholegrain toast + peanut butter + banana

Greek yoghurt + fruit + chia seeds

Wholegrain cereal + milk + sliced fruit

Seeds are another easy addition. Chia seeds, ground flaxseed and hemp seeds can be stirred through porridge, yoghurt, smoothies, pancakes and muffins without adding much extra work.

You don't need enormous amounts. Small additions across the day all contribute.

Add a source of protein

Protein is important for children's growth and development and can also help make breakfast more satisfying.

Adding one protein-rich food can completely change the nutritional profile of the meal.

Easy protein-rich breakfast foods include:

• Eggs

• Greek yoghurt

• Cottage cheese or ricotta

• Milk

• Cheese

• Peanut butter, nut butters

• Seeds and seed butters

• Baked beans

This doesn't mean you need to start cooking eggs from scratch every morning.

Try adding Greek yoghurt to oats, spreading nut butter onto toast, serving milk with cereal, adding ricotta to pancakes or keeping some homemade egg cups in the fridge or freezer for busy mornings.

Breakfast is a great opportunity for iron

Iron is one nutrient I pay particular attention to in children.

Children need iron to support growth, brain development and the transport of oxygen around the body. Yet many of the foods traditionally offered at breakfast can be relatively low in iron.

This is why I like to look for opportunities to add iron rather than relying on dinner to do all the heavy lifting.

Eggs, wholegrain cereals, baked beans, nut butters, chia seeds and hemp seeds can all contribute iron at breakfast.

For children who eat meat, there's also no rule saying breakfast has to look like traditional "breakfast food". Leftover meatballs, savoury mince or chicken from dinner can absolutely be offered in the morning.

Plant sources of iron contain non-haem iron, which isn't absorbed as efficiently as the haem iron found in meat. Pairing these foods with a source of vitamin C can help improve iron absorption.

Luckily, breakfast makes this quite easy.

Try:

Peanut butter toast + strawberries

Iron-fortified cereal + kiwi fruit

Porridge with chia seeds + berries

Baked beans + tomato on toast

Small combinations like these can make a meaningful difference over time.

Think about what you can ADD

One of my favourite approaches to children's nutrition is to think about what we can add, rather than constantly focusing on what we need to remove.

If your child loves cereal, you don't necessarily need to replace it. Could you add milk, Greek yoghurt, fruit or some seeds?

If they love toast, could you add peanut butter, avocado, ricotta, egg or fruit?

If pancakes are a favourite, could you make them with oats, egg and banana and serve them with yoghurt?

If they love porridge, could you stir through chia seeds, nut butter or full-fat yoghurt?

Often, one or two simple additions are all that's needed to make a familiar breakfast more nutrient-dense and satisfying.

Keep breakfast realistic

Breakfast doesn't need to be Instagram-worthy to be nutritious.

Some mornings there will be eggs, avocado and fruit. Other mornings someone will be eating a piece of toast while you're looking for a missing school shoe.

That's real life.

Instead of trying to make every breakfast perfect, think about the foods you offer across the week. Keep some easy staples in the fridge, freezer and pantry, and look for small opportunities to add fibre, protein and iron to foods your child already enjoys.

Dietitian's Tip

If breakfast tends to be a small meal for your child, don't panic. Children's appetites can vary enormously from day to day. Keep offering a predictable breakfast opportunity and focus on providing a combination of nourishing foods rather than how much they actually eat.

X Anna