What can i feed my baby for breakfast
Baby and toddler meal ideas
If you need some inspiration to help you cook healthy and tasty food for your kids, try these meal ideas.
They are not suitable as first foods, but fine once your baby is used to eating a wide range of solid foods. Read more about your baby's first solid foods.
When preparing food for babies, do not add sugar or salt (including stock cubes and gravy) directly to the food or to the cooking water.
You can find more meal ideas and recipes on the Start4Life website.
Breakfast ideas for babies and young children- unsweetened porridge or lower-sugar cereal mixed with whole milk and topped with fruit, such as mashed ripe pear or banana
- wholewheat biscuit cereal (choose lower-sugar options) with whole milk and fruit
- lower-sugar breakfast cereal and unsweetened stewed apple with plain, unsweetened yoghurt
- toast fingers with mashed banana and smooth peanut butter (if possible, choose unsalted and no added sugar varieties)
- toast fingers with a hard-boiled egg and slices of tomato, banana or ripe peach
- toast or muffin fingers with scrambled egg and slices of tomato
- lamb curry with rice
- cauliflower cheese with cooked pasta pieces
- baked beans (reduced salt and sugar) with toast
- scrambled egg with toast, chapatti or pitta bread served with vegetable finger foods
- cottage cheese (full-fat) dip with pitta bread, cucumber and carrot sticks
- mashed sweet potato with chickpeas and cauliflower
- shepherd's pie (made with beef or lamb and/or lentils or vegetarian mince) with green vegetables
- rice and mashed peas with courgette sticks
- minced chicken and vegetable casserole with mashed potato
- mashed canned salmon with couscous and peas
- fish poached in milk with potato, broccoli and carrot
Finger food is food that's cut up into pieces big enough for your child to hold in their fist with a bit sticking out. Pieces about the size of your own finger work well.
Examples of finger foods:
- soft-cooked vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, courgette, parsnip and sweet potato
- carrot or cucumber sticks and avocado
- fresh fruits, such as apple (soft-cooked if needed), banana or soft, ripe peeled pear or peach
- toast, pitta or chapatti fingers
- unsalted and unsweetened rice or corn cakes
- strips of meat without bones, such as chicken and lamb
- cheesy (full-fat) toast fingers and cucumber
- hard boiled eggs
- omelette fingers
Babies under 12 months do not need snacks; if you think your baby is hungry in between meals, offer extra milk feeds instead.
Once your baby is 1 year old, you can introduce 2 healthy snacks in between meals:
- vegetables such as broccoli florets, carrot sticks or cucumber sticks
- slices of fruit, such as apple, banana or soft, ripe peeled pear or peach
- pasteurised, plain, unsweetened full-fat yoghurt
- toast, pitta or chapatti fingers
- unsalted and unsweetened rice or corn cakes
- small strips of cheese
It may take up to 10 tries, or even more, for your child to get used to new foods, flavour and textures.
Be patient and keep offering a variety of fruits and vegetables, including ones with bitter flavours such as broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and cabbage.
Try to make sure fruits and vegetables are included in every meal.
Try these ways to help your child eat more fruit and vegetables:
- give carrot sticks, cucumber stick or slices of pepper with hummus as a snack
- give apple slices with smooth peanut butter as a snack
- mix chopped or mashed vegetables with rice, mashed potatoes, meat sauces or dhal
- add vegetables to classic savoury dishes such as cottage or shepherd's pie, spaghetti bolognese or casseroles
- chop prunes or dried apricots into cereal or plain, unsweetened yoghurt, or add them to a stew
- for a tasty dessert, try mixing fruit (fresh, canned or stewed) with plain, unsweetened yoghurt.
Read more about how to help your baby enjoy new foods and fussy eaters.
From around 6 months, breast milk and first infant formula should continue to be your baby's main drink.
Whole cows' milk can be used in cooking or mixed with food from around 6 months but shouldn't be given as a drink until they are 12 months old. Whole milk should be given to children until they are 2 years old, as they need the extra energy and vitamins it contains.
Semi-skimmed milk can be introduced once your child is 2 years old, as long as they are a good eater and they have a varied diet.
Skimmed and 1% milk are not suitable for children under 5 years old, as they do not contain enough calories.
Sugary squashes, flavoured milk, "fruit" or "juice" drinks and sugary fizzy drinks can cause tooth decay, even when diluted. These drinks can also fill your child up so they're not hungry for healthier food.
Instead, offer sips of water from a cup with meals.
Read more about drinks and cups for babies and young children.
Further information- Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- Food allergies in children
- What to feed young children
- Toodler food: common questions
- Children's food: safety and hygiene
15 Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Babies
Is your baby starting to eat solid foods? When your pediatrician says that your baby is ready (generally around six months), you can begin to introduce “grown-up” food to your little one.
Breakfast is adults’ most important meal of the day, and the same holds true for babies. The food your baby eats first thing in the morning should replenish the calories he’s burned overnight and jumpstart his metabolism for the day.
Try to include some protein, some carbohydrates, and some nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables in your baby’s first meal of the day.
Here are 15 healthy breakfast ideas for babies who are beginning to eat solids. (Make sure you check with your pediatrician about eggs, cow’s milk, and cheese to ensure your baby is ready for these).
Spoon-Fed Foods
Babies can eat and digest “mushy” food quickly, but you’ll have to feed these foods to your baby with a spoon until she learns to handle eating utensils.
1. Oatmeal or porridge
Oatmeal is a spoon-fed favorite for both babies and moms. If you’re making oatmeal from scratch, grind up the oats with a food processor before cooking to make the oatmeal easier for your baby to digest. Top the oatmeal with applesauce or chopped fruit to make it tastier.
2. Porridge
Porridge can be made from various grains, including rice (whole grains, flakes, or flour), barley flour, sago pearls/sabudana, or ragi. Once you’ve cooked the porridge, add some fruit to give it flavor and extra nutrients.
Mashed ripe pear, mashed mango, mashed banana, or unsweetened stewed apples are all great choices. Try adding a little cinnamon or ground cloves for flavor variety.
3. Vegetable Purees
If your baby likes purees, you can make many great breakfasts in your blender or food processor. Ensure you have a blender that can handle hot foods and liquids unless you plan to let your vegetables cool before pureeing them. (The Vitamix 5200 Pro is an excellent example of a blender that can handle hot and cold foods.)
To make a vegetable puree, chop and then steam or boil your choice of vegetable until soft. Put the cooked vegetable in your blender and puree it, adding a small amount of the cooking water until the puree reaches the desired consistency.
For a thicker texture and more nutrition, add some cooked rice to the mixture and puree it more in the blender. Cool the puree to a safe temperature and give your baby a serving as part of a balanced breakfast.
Tip: freeze the remaining puree in an ice cube tray for handy individual servings you can thaw one or two at a time.
4. Vegetable puree with meat
Once your pediatrician has okayed meat for your baby, you can add some small pieces of cooked meat to the blender with your vegetable puree. Be sure to select parts of meat that don’t have any bone or tough gristle.
5. Mashed vegetables
When your baby can handle a chunkier texture, you can switch from pureeing vegetables to mashing them with a fork or a potato masher. Root vegetables mash particularly well – try carrots, sweet potatoes, yams, parsnips, turnips, or rutabagas. For added sweetness, mash in some cooked apple with any of these root vegetables.
6. Dairy
Plain, unsweetened yogurt is a healthy spoon-fed choice for your baby, and so is plain cottage cheese. Add mashed or sliced fruit to make it more exciting and tasty.
Finger Foods
Your baby will enjoy experiencing different textures and flavors as he starts to eat solid food. Giving your baby food items he can pick up in his fingers is a great way to help him practice fine motor skills, so don’t limit yourself to spoon-fed meals!
1.
Toast stripsTry toast strips for breakfast food that your baby can pick up easily. There’s no need to put anything on the toast strips, as most babies like plain toast just the way it is.
2. Pita bread and hummus
Cut a piece of pita bread into manageable pieces for your baby. Dip the pita bread in hummus for some added flavor and protein.
3. Fruit chunks
Chunks of fruit work well as finger food, although they can be slippery when your baby is first learning to pick them up. Try leaving the skin on the part of a banana chunk to make it easier to pick up. Your baby will figure out quickly that the skin is not the tasty part.
4. Peanut butter
As long as your child doesn’t have a nut allergy, peanut butter is an excellent source of protein. Dip chunks of fruit or bread in peanut butter to make your baby’s breakfast more delicious and nutritious.
5. Hard-boiled eggs
For a good source of protein, try a hard-boiled egg cut into manageable pieces.
For less mess, give him just the whites of the egg.
6. Scrambled eggs
Scrambled eggs are soft, easy finger food, too (make sure the eggs are cool enough for your baby to touch before you give them to her). You can add some veggies while cooking the scrambled eggs for extra nutrition.
7. Cooked whole vegetables
Cooked whole vegetables are tasty and fun! Try cooking string beans, snap peas, baby carrots, or broccoli pieces and giving them to your baby once they’re cool enough to handle.
8. Baked goods
Baked goods made with healthy grains and not much sugar can be good choices, too. Whole grain pancakes, multigrain muffins, egg and veggie frittatas, and sweet potato hash browns can all be given to your baby as delicious, healthy breakfast items.
9. Soups or stews
Most soups or stews you make for yourself can also be given to your baby, although you should pass anything with large chunks through the blender first. Transforming last night’s leftovers into this morning’s baby breakfast is a great time-saver!
Like adults, babies appreciate variety.
Give your baby lots of different foods for breakfast (and other meals) to keep her interested and to ensure that she gets complete, balanced nutrition.
Breakfast: recipes for breakfast for children, before school - September 1, 2021
Evgenia Gaeva
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And most importantly - delicious!
Breakfast is the main and most important meal of the day for a growing organism. It is he who starts all the vital processes in the body. The first meal of the day provides the student with the so-called "fuel" for work - that is, energy for the entire school day. That is why it is very important not to skip the first meal, but also to make it balanced and healthy.
Why you shouldn't skip breakfast before school
Scientists have long proven that children who eat a healthy and balanced breakfast before school achieve better academic results than children who skip it.
In addition, breakfast:
- Improves concentration and attention of the student;
- Compensates for vitamin deficiency;
- Strengthens the heart, bones, joints and muscles;
- Reduces the risk of obesity;
- Improves mood;
- Forms good habits and routine.
What to do if a child refuses breakfast
Most often, a child refuses breakfast before school because he does not have time to get hungry. There are two options for solving this problem: wake the child up earlier (about an hour before breakfast) or make dinners the day before lighter and not late - then the child will wake up hungry.
A glass of warm water will help a student wake up and wake up his appetite.
What to cook for a student for breakfast. Quick and tasty
shutterstock.com- Oatmeal with bananas and chocolate paste. Cook oatmeal in milk, cut bananas into rings, add a teaspoon of chocolate paste.
- Lazy oatmeal in a jar with nuts and fruit. Pour oatmeal with drinking yogurt or fermented baked milk - mix and add fruits and nuts. Close the lid and refrigerate overnight.
- Omelet with ham and tomatoes and whole grain bread. Beat eggs with milk, add finely chopped ham and tomatoes. Cook over low heat covered.
- Cottage cheese with fruit and sandwich with butter and cheese.
- Lavash rolls with ham and cheese. Cut lavash into strips 10 cm wide, put the filling (grated cheese and ham) on the edge of the lavash. Triangle a few turns. Dip in egg and fry on both sides over medium heat.
- Fried eggs in lavash. Fry the egg as usual. Lavash cut into a rectangle and grease it with curd cheese. Put a fried egg and a few thin slices of hard cheese on top. Wrap pita bread from all sides to the middle and fry in a dry frying pan on both sides.
- Granola with yoghurt. In order to prepare granola, you need to mix oatmeal with dried fruits, nuts and honey and put in the oven at 130-150 degrees for 40 minutes. During cooking, you must constantly stir the mixture. Pour the finished granola with classic yogurt. Fruit can be added if desired.
- Banana oatmeal pancakes. Mash a banana with a fork, add one egg, 50 ml milk, 8 tbsp. l oatmeal and 1 tbsp. l vegetable oil - beat with a whisk and fry on both sides in a dry frying pan. Serve with berries or fruits.
- Lazy dumplings with cherries. Mash 180 g cottage cheese with a fork, add 1 egg, a pinch of vanilla and 2 tbsp. l. Sahara. Add 100 g flour and knead the dough. Form a sausage and cut it into 8-9 equal parts. Wrap a berry in each part of the dough, roll an even ball and roll it in flour. Throw the dumplings into boiling salted water and cook over medium heat for exactly 4 minutes after the dumplings float to the top.
Drain and serve with sour cream or condensed milk. - Avocado toast with poached egg. Toast whole grain bread on both sides in a dry frying pan or in a toaster. Lubricate it with curd cheese, put chopped avocado on top. In salted boiling water, create a funnel using circular movements with a spoon or whisk: break an egg into the funnel and cook it for 2-3 minutes. Place the poached egg on the avocado toast, season with salt and pepper.
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Ideal breakfasts that will help to wake a schoolboy in the morning of
Komsomolskaya Pravda
Healthy medicine sizdorye: Parental Council
Anna Gerasimenko
September 1, 2015 6:00
We discuss with a nutritionist, than to feed students in the morning and what to feed to school
Photo: GLOBAL LOOK PRESS
I felt sorry for my schoolgirl daughter and tried to wake her up as late as possible, let her sleep longer.
What came of it? She did not have time to “swing”, she refused breakfast (what an omelette when her eyes are half closed), and she came to school sleepy and unhappy.
Children's physiologist Marina Yermolenko told me that it is necessary and important to wake up a child at least an hour before going out. Then the breakfast will be successful, and the body will wake up by the beginning of the lessons. The alarm clock can be set 5 minutes earlier than usual, then the student will have time to wake up, lie down and stretch. Then - charging. It is important to stretch the muscles very carefully and slowly, warm up the joints, gently tilt the head to the sides, tilt the body forward and to the sides, you can twist your shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees. Then washing, checking the briefcase, preparing clothes. And only then, about 40 minutes after getting up, breakfast.
- In order to build up your appetite in the morning, it is important not only to wake up at least half an hour before eating, but also not to eat too much at night, let dinner be light, - nutritionist Elena Solomatina gives advice .
- Do not push the child to eat, try to prepare a breakfast that is not only tasty, but also beautiful. And another useful tip - immediately after waking up, let the student drink warm water. It will help wake up the enzymes and prepare the body for eating. If you drop a little lemon juice into the water, it will improve your appetite.
What to feed
A schoolchild needs building material (for physical activity) and energy (for brain activity) in the morning.
- Protein and calcium are important for bone growth. And here cottage cheese, yoghurts, milk, cheese are indispensable. Casseroles, cheesecakes, lazy dumplings can become an excellent breakfast. You can add sour cream, berries, fruits to cottage cheese - it will be both tasty and healthy.
- Kashi is energy. Oatmeal, buckwheat, millet, enveloping, protect the gastrointestinal tract, and also fill them with energy for a long time, because they contain “slow” complex carbohydrates (the child will be full after porridge for 2-3 hours).
Porridges are rich in B vitamins, which are important for brain activity and the nervous system. You can add fruits, berries, jam, honey to porridge (if there is no allergy).
IMPORTANT
Oatmeal causes severe flatulence in many people, so if your child "bloats" after oatmeal, it is better to replace it with harmless buckwheat.
After rice porridge, you will feel hungry very quickly. It gives energy, but not for long. But if the first lesson is physical education - rice porridge is the best breakfast. And after the physics lesson, you can eat something.
- Eggs. Easily digestible, provide protein for growth, and a well-fed student after an omelet will be quite a long time. In addition to protein, eggs contain choline, which is important for brain activity, for the so-called "fast" thinking. So before the test, before the report and the survey - scrambled eggs, poached, benedict, scrambled eggs and just a sandwich with a hard-boiled egg.
By the way, the healthiest dish is a soft-boiled egg. The white should be firm and the yolk slightly soft.
A great idea for schoolchildren with a sweet tooth is an omelet with dried fruits. This is not just breakfast, but a real dessert!
- Bread . Better than whole grains. It contains the necessary fiber, and will give a lot of energy and for a long time.
By the way, a hot sandwich with cheese, tomato, chicken will be an excellent breakfast.
IMPORTANT
If the child has problems with the intestines or stomach, then whole grain bread is not suitable, toasted white bread is better.
- Cocoa. If it is real, made from cocoa beans, and not from a powder with flavors and tastes, then it will bring many benefits - it will awaken and saturate the brain, give energy, and the taste is pleasant.
HOW NOT TO
Useless breakfast in the classroom will already be sleepy and hungry. This is for example:
- White bread,
- semolina porridge (it contains almost no vitamins and will very quickly cause hunger),
- breakfast cereals, flakes - corn, wheat, balls, stars, dolphins - all this is made from flour, and , which means that their action is the same as that of white bread - a minimum of benefit and energy.
In addition, cereals are usually fried in palm (harmful) oil, they add a lot of sugar and flavorings;
- sausage (this is not the most useful product at all),
- sweets - jam, chocolate paste, peanut butter. All sweets will sharply raise the level of sugar in the blood, and then it will fall, and the child will be hungry and sleepy;
- instant cereals from sachets (all useful of them, as in flakes, is removed during processing).
What tastes awaken
Cinnamon, vanilla, lemon, orange, chocolate.
BAGS
What to put in a snack bag for your child
- Whole grain bread sandwich with cucumber, lettuce, boiled chicken, boiled meat, turkey (wrapped in foil).
- Cheesecakes or a piece of casserole.
- Nuts.
- Dried fruits.
- Banana, apple.
- Yoghurt in a bottle.
- Granola. Cereals and dried fruits can be rolled together with honey into balls or bars (if fried, then just a little bit) and wrapped in foil.
No sweets!
- I urge all parents to ensure that the child does not eat harmful sweets during the school day - chocolate bars, sweets, caramel, chewing marmalade and other "nasty things", - says nutritionist Elena SOLOMATINA . - The fact is that all these products cause a storm in the body, an explosion of energy, which almost immediately subsides, leaving the child hungry and sleepy. Schoolchildren with a sweet tooth are inattentive, fall asleep in class, do not perceive the material. In addition, the body, in an attempt to get enough and get useful substances, requires more and more, the child eats a bar after a bar and gradually turns into a sugar "addict" - the receptors become dull and without a huge amount of sugar, the food becomes tasteless for the child. All he wants is sugar.
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