We’ve all heard the saying: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

And that’s never truer than when you’ve got a just-awake two-year-old screaming the house down in hunger.

Which is exactly why you’ll find a handy list of how to breakfast ideas for two year olds in this post.

Breakfast ideas for 2 year olds

Healthy breakfasts are something we’d all aspire to do if we had the time – especially for our kids. But often, time is non-existent.

So what’s a parent to do?

Worry no more – help is here!

This list of breakfast ideas and recipes for 2-year-olds will have you whipping up a healthy breakfast in no time.

Picky eaters? Gotcha. Busy mornings? All good.

It’s all here to help you feed your hungry little one in the best way possible with minimal disruption to the morning routine.

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How to make delicious banana pancakes

These are my 2-year-olds absolute favourite breakfast (note it’s our 4-year-old here helping me cook them).

They only contain 2 ingredients! He gobbles them up in minutes (no joke).

Note: For pancakes that hold their shape better, use a frying pan made for pancakes. Sounds obvious? Check this out.

How to make blueberry pancakes

Follow the exact recipe for banana pancakes above but add some squished blueberries to the mix. You could also blend them beforehand to make the mixture a bit smoother.

Your little ones will love the purply blue colour of these bad boys!

Hard-boiled eggs

Eggs tend to be liked by children (of course, be aware of allergies if applicable), and boiled eggs are great fun for little hands to peel.

My approach leans toward hard-boiled eggs, ideally boiling them the night before and leaving to cool in a bowl.

They’ll keep your two-year-old occupied for at least 5 minutes if not longer.

Of course, supervision is required for this.

I’m not keen on feeding eggshells to my toddler, after all. Alternatively, you could peel it yourself and cut the egg into bite-size pieces.

As you prefer.

Balanced breakfast

Overnight oats

I discovered overnight oats years ago. They’re sooooo gooooood!

It’s simply porridge oats soaked in a milk of your choice with fruit and/or nuts/seeds added on top. When you eat it the next morning, you can then top it off with honey or maple syrup for a sweet kick.

The key to yummy scrummy, non-dry overnight oats is the container you put them in (my opinion).

I use a glass bowl with a clip – top lid which seals in the milk tight. I add the oats first, then pour the milk on top and mix it well. Then add the remaining ingredients. Put the lid on and cover, then leave overnight in the fridge.

I eyeball the milk amount. So, pop your oats and gently shake the container to level them off. Then add enough milk to just cover the oats plus about a 1cm more (hope that’s clear enough.)

In the morning, the oats should be thick and gloopy. It sometimes takes a few trial-and-error attempts to get it right.

Helpful idea

Warm the overnight oats slightly in the microwave for your two-year-old (not hot though, just enough to take the chill off).

Add a good dollop of honey on top to finish and watch them be gobbled.

English muffin vs Peanut butter

An excellent option for little ones who love nuts but can’t have them for safety reasons – smooth peanut butter is a winner.

A nutritious breakfast is a thin smear of peanut butter on a toasted muffin. Go wholegrain muffins for extra bonus points. Muffins are healthier than bagels if you shop wisely.

And a layer of jam doesn’t go wrong on top of peanut butter! Don’t knock it til you try it.

Cottage cheese

Easy peasy and oh so tasty on a slice of wholegrain toast or sourdough. Just remember to cut up the toast into easily eatable pieces for your two-year-old.

You can make cottage cheese sweet or savoury by adding a drizzle of honey, tomato ketchup or pure maple syrup.

I speak from experience when I say this – GO experiment! Find out what tastes your two-year-old leans towards. Mine for example loves savoury such as eggs, bread, butter (all the butter), and fish, the oily the better.

It’s giving him this but in a way that’s healthy a doable on a morning bright and early, that’s the challenge!

Healthy little foodies

Rainbow sprinkles

I made up an easy-peasy version of rainbow sprinkles that my boys eat without fuss (most of the time!) It combines dried berries and fruits – namely blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries, with dry mango, dry apple slices, and chia seeds.

All you need to do is chop the dry fruit into teeny weeny pieces, mix them with a tablespoon of chia seeds, and pop it in the oven on low heat for about 15 mins to dry them out and crispen them.

Leave to cool and pop in an airtight container. These healthy rainbow sprinkles last for a few weeks.

Avoid the little supermarket sprinkles you find in the baking aisle at all costs. They’re just pure sugar! Which is not good at 7 am (again, speaking from experience).

You can use rainbow sprinkles (the healthy version) on porridge, cereals, and pancakes – whatever way they get eaten is good!

Fresh fruit

The key to getting toddlers to eat fruit of any kind is to give them fruit they like.

I see a lot of small kids get force-fed; this is the worst thing for encouraging new foods.

Top fruits in our home include all the berries (notably blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries), kiwi fruits, sliced apples minus the skin, and oranges.

Bananas seem to only work in pancakes (recipe above) and I reckon this is due to the texture.

Ideas for fresh fruit are adding a dollop of cream cheese or plain yogurt (I’ve even been known to spritz a touch of squirty cream on weekends!)

And for added variety of foods, as fruits are full of natural sugars, it’s a good idea to have on hand some crushed seeds. I only put on a teaspoon’s worth if that – maybe half a teaspoon to sprinkle on top is more than enough.

It adds some healthy fats to the mix, which is great for kids.

Finger food

Finger food is always popular in our home – possibly because my kids are a touch feral! (Joking). I find that you can feed kids normal stuff if you make something extra special out of it.

As an example, french toast sticks, which are delicious but when cut into bite-size bits tend to go down even better!

Or whole grain toast or sourdough toast spread with a little butter and some jam – toddlers love this if you cut it into small pieces, or make faces out of it!

A cheeky tip is to not toast the whole grains too much (the bread bit) as anything burnt is a no-no for toddlers – it’s super unhealthy.

Here are some topping suggestions for healthy toast that I’m certain your toddler will actually eat (yay!)

• Cream cheese topped with a blob of jam (opt for 100% fruit jam if you can)

• Scrambled eggs with chopped ham pieces on top

• Runny honey topped with greek yogurt

• Any seed butter such as pumpkin or sunflower seed (I like to use this one)

• Toast topped with a variety of fruits

Glass of milk

Don’t forget the obligatory milk in a glass! Depending on your family – there are tons of non-dairy milk options if you prefer, which are, to my understanding, suitable for toddlers.

We personally love coconut milk, almond, and oat milk in our house!

A good breakfast is essential for little children, so I hope this compilation of ideas serves you and your family well.

Let me know in the comments which breakfast is your favourite for your toddler/s. I’d love to know!

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