Healthy and Easy Breakfast for PICKY Eaters

Actually Cheerio's is pretty healthy. It has a lot of grains in it that most kids don't get enough of. If they are using milk with them they are getting a pretty balanced breakfast except for the fruit part.

In child care we usually do a cereal at least 3 of the mornings because it is so easy and healthy. One morning we'll do pancakes or french toast and the other we'll do biscuits and gravy. We don't do a lot of variety because we don't want to deal with a lot of food going in the trash and crying cranky hungry kids all morning.

Breakfast doesn't need to be "breakfast" food. Just feed them whatever they like: sandwiches, wraps, pasta, soup, leftover dinner, etc.

I am not a breakfast food person, never have been. I do like an occasional BLT but I do not eat eggs, pancakes, cereal, etc.

I know the importance of a healthy breakfast. Right now I am having my breakfast of a 1/2 turkey sandwich with my cran-cherry juice. Many times, my breakfast is something we have leftover from dinner.... lasagne, noodles, salad, peanut butter, etc.

I do eat fruits and I also like the dried fruits... bananas, apple chips, etc.

Good luck

I agree with your other responses, especially that breakfast doesn't have to be a traditional breakfast food. In fact, many breakfast foods are really heavy on simple carbs, which leaves most people tired and hungry again by 10.
That said, we often pack our cheerios in a ziplock with a sippy cup of milk for the car if we're running late. Otherwise, mini whole wheat bagels with cream cheese is another easy and packable breakfast item. And whole grain frozen waffles (you can even make them from scratch and freeze them and retoast in the oven, if you don't like the idea of Eggo).
If you have time to actually cook, I've done pancakes where I hide in strawberry or sweet potato or banana or blueberry puree. It's fun for the kids to get an orange or pink or blue pancake. You can do the same with the batter for whole wheat french toast.

Not sure if you are willing to do this, but my MIL famously cured my husband's pickiness by serving him the same dish (which he had asked for), over and over again, until he ate it. He refused it for breakfast, it was served for lunch, and dinner, and breakfast, and I think he relented at lunch. From that point on, he was never again quarelsome, and "understood" that he would have to eat what he was served, or could choose to go hungry.

Why not make smoothies in big vats, freeze and thaw as necessary. Alternatively, puree your fruit, freeze as ice cubes, store in ziplock bags. Put a few ice cubes, a few spoons of yogurt, and milk in a sippy, shake, and they will be smoothies by the time its snack/ lunch time.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

I know you said they won't eat fruit but will they eat those pureed fruit pouches because of the novelty? I know they have all flavors... some with grains, some without. My 15 month old loves them and although she is a good eater right now, we are alwasy on the go (2 older siblings) and they are convenient, quick and mess free. They have "baby food" ones, and kid ones. We also do a lot of cheese sticks and healthy home made snack mixes. You can mix favorite cereals with raisins, dried fruits, sunflower seeds etc. My kids aren't big on dried fruit, but love plum sweets (dark chocolate covered dry prunes). Yogurt with granola? Be creative... maybe they can help come up with ideas!

We do cheerios a lot in our house too.

Lately, they have been loving plain cinnamon raisin bagels (Thomas brand)...they're better then other brands and my kids actually eat them. Sometimes I put a little all natural peanut butter on them, they're great for finishing in the car.

I also give them a side of vanilla greek yogurt or just vanilla yogurt. Or, a frozen yogurt stick.

A side of fruit, grapes, banana or an apple. They also love raisins.

My girls are 10 months and 22 months. They have oatmeal for breakfast most mornings. The instant kind with tiny bits of fruit in it. I've never met a kid who wouldn't eat that. Other mornings they'll have yogurt and banana slices. Sometimes I make pancakes or French toast or eggs. Have you tried toast with jam? Or a peanut butter and jam tortilla roll up? I would keep trying fruit since there is plenty to choose from. I don't agree with allowing picky eating. At least encourage healthy eating by offering it. Make sure you will eat it if they don't so it doesn't go to waste. The best way to get kids to eat something is by showing them you eat it. Good luck.

I would do cereal but get something from the organic section so that it does not have high fructose corn syrup in it. Most cereals are fortified with many vitamins, plus the better ones have grains to help fill them up. If they will not do any others there are much worse breakfasts out there than cheerios. If they will eat it and it's fast then go for it. As they get older they will start trying new foods, as their pallet expands.

Otherwise, makes some homemade muffins on sundays and serve them for breakfast the rest of the week. You can sneak fruits into muffins pretty easily.

Gamma G brings up a good point, you don't want a lot of variety, especially with picky eaters. An article I read recently in a parenting magazine recommended a set schedule for weekdays, leaving pancakes, omelettes and other "fancier" more time-consuming goods for the weekends when there's more time to prepare and eat. Monday/Wednesday/Friday it's cold cereal, milk and fruit. Tuesday is whole wheat mini bagels with a light spread of cream cheese or Nutella (not a lot of chocolate or caffeine as I'd feared) and milk, Thursdays it's whole wheat toast with a light spread and milk. You can vary up the cereals, there's different whole grain ones to choose from, so it's not always Cheerios.

I bought colorful plastic lidded bowls in the $1 section at Target, the last one has the Very Hungry Caterpillar pictured, that open up on one side so a child can feed themself while minimizing spills. Fill them up with cereal the night before and set them on the counter, add a sippy or sports bottle of milk in the morning and breakfast is ready and can be eaten in the car if necessary.

Also, start offering fruit twice a day, a slice is enough. They may not eat it but will get used to it on their plates. And when they see it and others eating it they'll eventually start eating it. My guy's preschool has the rule they have to have all foods on their plates, they're encouraged to at least taste everything. My guy (3.5) had NEVER eaten bananas in his life, even strained/pureed, because of the texture, he'd spit them out immediately. The first day of school he tried a small piece, made a face, but ate the piece in his mouth. Since then he's eaten it again, teacher says he looks around and sees others eating it so knows it's OK :) I'm glad because I'm allergic to them and feared he was, too. Small steps but he's getting less picky, yay! Hiding fruits and veggies has gotten old, can you tell? :D

Perhaps a small bowl of mixed dry cheerios and raisins or craisins with a glass of milk? I remember my kids loving a little plate (always best) of cubed cheese, cubed ham and strawberries! And they always ate better when I sat and ate with them, while I worked hard not to comment on or encourage their eating. Best of luck!

My kids like Vans (freezer) Waffles and oatmeal (homemade with a spoonful of peanut butter(you could use soy butter) and a sprinkle of brown sugar. Not real healthy, but I pick my battles in the AM!!!

Tree nut allergy, so peanuts are ok right? Peanut butter and jam sandwich has everything, and is fast and conveient for on the go. Use whole grain bread, natural peanut butter and jam with less sugar and it is pretty healthy.

I don't have an answer for you! My son is also a picky eater and I'm constantly looking for meal ideas!!

I did "mystery pancakes" for years with our son! Wheat germ, eggs, whole wheat flour, soy powder/milk, fruit, etc. You can also do French toast with a "holey" bread that soaks up the egg/soymilk mixture - use whole grain and then put cinnamon in the egg mixture and shake a little more on top while the slices are cooking. It disguises white bread and makes it look brown, so you can switch to brown bread easily after the first go-round. I made a whole bunch on the weekends, then put the pancakes or French toast slices between sheets of wax paper. Keep some in the fridge, freeze the rest, and pop out what you need. I use a few drops of real maple syrup instead of the corn syrup cheapy stuff. You can also use honey. If you cut the French toast into sticks, the kids can dip it in a small container of syrup and not have it swimming in it!

My new favorite is Greek yogurt - vanilla bean flavor - and I add cocoa powder (unsweetened, pure cocoa) and stir it around well. Tastes like a chocolate shake. And the cocoa only has 10 calories per tablespoon and no sugar. The protein in the yogurt will help them last through a busy morning. You can give cheerios in the car if you want, as someone else suggested.

This is very common. And thank you for knowing NOT to feed him Cheerios.
This works every time. This is my friend Sean and his baby.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlQw7yP-GiY
Kids know what is good for them.

B.
AskBarbilee.com

What's picky depends on the kid. List for picky eater A will be totally different than for picky eater B.

If you have a list of okay foods, though, we can work with that (and knowing many autistic and SPD kids, don't worry if the list is things like 'Golfish original baked only. Whole. No crushed or broken ones. In multiples of 3. Can be mixed in with hot wet foods. Cannot be mixed in with cold wet foods. Cannot be touching anything red, or white.)

In a pinch... I always do dinner leftovers for on the fly breakfasts or lunches. Breakfast doesn't have to LOOK like breakfast it just has to be food.

Yogurt, oatmeal, toast & jam, Other-than-Cheerios cereal, cantaloupe, watermelon, juice, carnation instant breakfast with a scoop of frozen yogurt, berries, biscuits, bagels and jam or cream cheese, pancakes on a stick, sausages, microwave bacon.....

You don't elaborate on what "picky" means to each kid, so hard to say...

Mine is the polar opposite, always wants something "different" and "new" each day. Which is a nightmare of another kind. I've found that I have to get over my own "hang-ups" about "what is a breakfast food" and if he wants leftover General Tso chicken & steamed rice for breakfast--that's OK, too. He's also had leftover homemade mac & cheese, hash brown potato casserole and BBQ cocktail meatballs for breakfast! Hey--better than a doughnut, right? LOL

I would keep trying with fruit. Dont give up. My 4 kids have so many "picky" friends. It is really tough to welcome them for dinner. I have actually had ones that asked for buttered noodles only :(

Besides yogurt, oatmeal is healthy. The pepperidge farms breads toasted with peanut butter are yummy too. (they have a pumpkin one out now) Are they allergic to nutrigrain type bars or granola bars?