Need Finger Food Breakfast Ideas

(typing with one hand...sorry for typos)
at 16 months, I gave my son thick oatmeal and a spoon. it was messy for a few weeks, buut now he eats regular cereal with milk and there is little mess. he even knows how to drink the milk left in the bowl;)

I feed my 18 month old (and have since he has been eating table food) a variety of things. We do scrambled eggs and little sausages, nutri grain bars, granola bars, toaster scrambles (he loves these!), cereal, bagels the list goes on, She can eat everything you do, just cut it up. I always give the boys fruit with breakfst too, they are addicted to a morning banana.

Breakfast is easy.... toddlers eat whatever you eat. Starting at around 9 months, breakfast is eggs (any way but scrambled is easy to pick up with fingers), french toast/pancakes/waffles - cut into squares and skip the messy butter/syrup, any cold cereal - there's a huge variety of healthy choices out there, any fresh fruit, etc. Thick oatmeal can even be a 'finger food' if you don't mind the mess. It also sticks to the spoon very well so it's a good food to practice using the spoon.

My sister would take 2 pieces of bread and roll it flat with a rolling pin. She would then put some baby food fruit in the middle and make a sandwich and then cut it into strips or pieces. My niece loved it. You might try some fresh fruit muffins. I make strawberry muffins and the kids love them. Something else you might try would be to take a piece of bread and put butter on it. Put it into a muffin pan. squish the bread in to make a cup. Then crack an egg in the middle of the bread and then bake for about 30 min until the egg is done. You can make a bunch of these and freeze them for quick meals.

My favorite breakfast items are fruit, light dairy products and a small carb-bread product. I make fruit plates of at least two different fruits such as strawberries, apple pieces, pears, peaches, mango, blueberries, raspberries, bananas, raisins. Then I give my toddlers a light dairy product like a bit of yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese stick mozzerella or swiss, cheese slices (favorites are colby cheese or colby-monterey jack mix), or sometimes American cheese slices. Then I'll give them a piece of raisin bread, toast with all fruit jam, Sunbelt cereal bar (all fruit center and low-sugar). I give them the choice of white milk, 1% chocolate milk, or juice.

These are quick and easy things that use few utensils, which means few dishes to clean up afterwards. You can cut up fruit ahead of time or save it for a later snack in the day if they don't eat it all. Plus, you can mix leftover fruit into yogurt for a fruit salad. I usually buy Yoplait Vanilla yogurt in the larger tub.

I have also tried giving my boys a waffle with canned peach slices and use the light syrup in the can instead of regular pancake syrup.

I have tons of waffles in my freezer! There are so many different kinds. Also french toast sticks and then I also make french toast. On Sat Morn (daddy's turn) he gives her a little bowl of Apple Jacks or Pop Tarts ( I don't say a thing :) Another thing she loves is bananas or gerber toddler cerel bars. Even a simple cheese omlet is easy.

Some of our favorite breakfast treats are shredded cheese, frozen blueberries ( I thaw under cold h2o) sausage is a favorite as are eggs and rasberries. Hostess makes mini muffins, not good for everyday, but they are small enough that you can feed one a day (saving the rest of the pkg) and you won't have too much waste. I have also used a cookie press to drop small amounts of yogurt on a cookie sheet and freeze, it makes it good for her to handle, it is nice on a hot day too, also when teeth are coming in! Hope this helps.

We give our daughter waffles, pancakes, cheerios, kashi cereal and walnuts (that is what I eat and she love to eat what mommy eats), eggs, dried cranberries, raisins (really any fruit). I usually stay away from bacon and sausage b/c it really isn't good for her, but occasionally give it to her. Also, I do not put butter or syrup on the waffles and pancakes. She loves them plain. I usually buy the whole grain kind and sometimes put a little cinnamon/sugar mix on for a little added flavor. I know it seems that you give them the same thing all the time, but I know my daughter loves to have the same thing over and over. She is 22 months now and I give her choices...six days a week out of seven she is going to pick a waffle and then I give her some kind of dried fruit with it.

My son is 17 months and he loves eating mini pancakes, you can buy them in the frozen food section and you put them in the microwave for like 30 seconds, then I usually but cinnamon butter on them. Quick and easy! Also, he likes waffles and french toast sticks with sausage links!

Maybe you can add those little mini blue berry muffins, they ususally sell them in a box that has individual packages near the bread isle

Hi R.,

Trader Joe's has great breakfast options that are quick and easy and on the healthier side. I buy my kids the banana and blueberry waffles. I also like the frozen french toast and pancakes. Their banana bread mix is really good too. I usually replace the oil with a mashed bananas. I feed all of this to my 3 year old and to my 10 month old. They have good english muffins and cereal bars as well.

Raisins, toast, any fruit, cereal, sausage...
Anything can be finger food, just cut it up!! I love to use my kitchen scissors to cut things easily!

Hope this helps. I use to give my daughter and now she gives her daughter: little sausages, dry cereal, some junior food for kids that can be finger foods, toast, donuts, jello jiggles. Anything you can think of that would be good for her that you can break up into tiny pieces.

Not a whole lot I can add to this great and long list of ideas, but I will offer this suggestion... take 2 pieces of bread (or a raw biscuit) buttered a little on the "outside," spoon thick/chunky applesauce or sliced aplles or apple pie filling onto one side, top with the rest of the bread (don't overfill) and toast/brown it in a skillet or sandwich maker if you have one. We call them apple pies. Cut them in half or quarters like you would a grilled cheese. Make sure they're cool inside before giving to baby, of course! They're good cold, too. Actually, we've had grilled cheese and grilled egg and cheese for breakfast before, too. When they begin eating table food, the sky is the limit on choices. Good luck!

I'm a believer that as long as it is quick to make and healthy, I let my kids have whatever menu item they want for breakfast. You shouldn't have to limit your choices beacuse of tradition.

Here's some regular ideas though:
Extra firm scrambled eggs
Fresh bite-size fruit
Canned Fruit
Toast
Frozen Pancakes
Frozen Waffles
Sausage
Cheerios
Cut up chewy Granola Bars/Cereal Bars

Hi R.,
I don't know what you are currently feeding her but my kids loved anything I could cut up. Fruit bars, pancakes, french toast, toaster waffles, all kinds of fruit. Fresh fruit is great or buy the little fruit in a cup that is already diced. If she likes syrup just give her a very tiny bit she can dip her pancakes, french toast or waffles in. You can always give her more. She might get messy but that is part of being a kid. Different kinds of dry cereal are good too. My kids like all the differnt cheerios, kixs, golden grahams even wheaties.
Hope these ideas help. L. L

Acquire the book....FEED ME I'M YOURS by Lansky

My son is the same age and loves all the below options!

French toast sticks, granola bars, they have cereal bars now too, but I prefer to make my own because of the ingredients used in some of them. Finger jello, rolled pancakes, dry cereal rings (Cherios (can't spell this morning, sigh), apple rings or slices (I don't know how many teeth she has and these might be difficult yet), cut up pears (fresh, not canned), watermelon, peaches. I know I used to cut toast into strips with a little peanut butter on it too, it can be a little messy but the children loved it.

I have a 16 mth old son...worked for 18 years and now SAHM and loving it too. Different - but good. Breakfast can be challenging - we do eggs (hard boiled, scrambled - he's a big fan), toast with jelly and butter or peanut butter, turkey bacon, frozen waffles & pancakes. He only has 2 teeth, so some foods are challenging. Good luck!
C.

My daughters like nutrigrain bars (they are two and 1/2 and they've been eating them almost daily for about a year)and we used to cut up bananas (now just give them each a half).

Dry cereal, small pieces of fresh fruit, cut up frozen waffle, pancake, small pieces of toast spread w/ peanut butter (if she isn't allergic to PB), Gerber puffs, small pieces of a soft granola or cereal bar, oatmeal, Yo Baby yogurt, scrambled egg, small pieces of a "sausage" patty or "bacon" from Morningstar Farms, and Boca makes "sausage" links (these are healthier than the normal fatty breakfast meats) sold in the freezer section or veg freezer aisle.

my son LOVED (loves) these...I would segment an orange. I know babies cannot chew the skin but here is a video showing you how to take the skin/membrane off easily. you have to watch a commercial first but the video is short and very helpful.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/863578/how_to_segment_an_or...

just copy and paste that to your address bar.

We used mini wheats with a little bit of warmed milk on it to soften- let cereal soak up milk & then put on tray. My son loved this at her age. We also use many of the things others have suggested-cinnamon french toast sticks, raisins, blueberry pancakes & waffles are a fav (we make our own, freeze some extras, & thaw in microwave, then toaster), fruit pieces, & I used those meat sticks from gerber for a little while, too. Good luck!

What are you eating for breakfast? She can have the same thing. But, all fruits, frozen pancakes or waffles, dry cereal, fruit bars, scrambled eggs, sausage, toast, and french toast. I'm sure there's lots more, but I can't think of any right now. She is at an age that she can eat anything that you do.

R.,
I don't know what you are feeding now but some suggestions of mine are: toast,waffles,scrambled eggs,grapes,strawberries,dried cereal,pop tarts,soft cereal bars,pancakes,cut up apples without peeling,french toast stix. Good luck!

Waffles... don't cut it up and just let her chew on it. Helps with teething too. My boys eat them without syrup and enjoy them very much.

My son is 15 months old also, and he loves scrambled eggs, bananas and mandarin oranges. I also make toaster swirls and muffin tops from the freezer section. Those are really fast. He eats french toast and pancakes that- I cut the french toast in half and then cut it into little strips, and when I make pancakes, I just make some little bite size ones for him. He also likes the cereal bars Gerber makes. Hope this helps!

Hi, R.!
My son is almost 8 months and I am feeding him "grown-up" food along with his baby foods.
I am giving him cheerios, plain and multi-grain, pancakes, waffles and toast.
There is diced peaches, pears and other fruits out there. Gerbers and even in the canned fruit section of the grocery store. Those are probably a little bit cheaper, too.
Let her try yogurt cups. YES, IT'S MESSY, but she will love being a "BIG" girl feeding herself!!
Good luck!
Marjie

Hi. We give our twins french toast sticks and pop tarts. They love them!

try frozen french toast sticks. if she eats eggs ,scramble them but don't make them all mushed up. Let them set up and then cut in strips so she can pick them up easy. Don't be afraid to feed her veggies or fruit for breakfast . Those can be great finger foods and will give her a greater variety of choices. And remember to eat with her so she sees Mommy making great choices too.Good luck .

Hi R.,

I'd stick to any whole food such as peas (frozen veggies work great), cut up fruit, my kids love avocados (a bit messy), eziekiel toast (with almond butter if you want) is high in fiber and protein, hard boiled eggs or cooked an sliced as mentioned before, roasted chicken pieces. I don't worry if it's a "breakfast" type food just if it's a whole food full of nutrients for a growing body. I would skip the dry cereals and boxed convenience foods.

Be Well,

P.

Hello R.,
Your daughter should be able to eat French Toast stix, you can make them or buy them it doesn't matter, you can also make scrambled eggs with cheese, we always did mixed cereals that she liked and added dried fruit (no milk) especially on a trip unless we put it in a cup for her to drink. We also did a fruit bowl and toast. If you guys eat pretty much the same things at the same time, just make sure its a smaller portion and really cut up in smaller pieces for her to chew and swallow. Some ppl say don't give hotdogs to your child, we had given our daughter hotdogs as soon as she was 11months old. We always cut them up so small (like the chicken in their toddler foods) and give them to her. We also did the vienna sausages as well. Good Luck, Have fun & Be creative!

Try waffles, pancakes, eggs, french toast, fruit bites, any of these my 17 month old will eat.

I am not sure how you are for time, but something quick and easy are the frozen french toast sticks. My 13 month old daughter likes them a lot. You just heat them up and then I just lightly drizzle with a little syrup. She also loves Ekrich smokey links, cheese, and one of her favorites are cut grapes. Hope this helps!

B.

I am also a 36 year old PT SAHM although my kids are older. 6 and 12. I remember trying to come up with finger food breakfast ideas too but here are some that I can think of. Bananas or other soft fruits, Cheerios, French Toast sticks, Eggo Waffles, or Nutri Grain Breakfast Bars. Hopefully at least a couple of these are new ideas for you. Enjoy your little one. I know first hand that they grow up toooooo fast! Good luck!

Try cheese sticks; cut in smaller pieces if you are worried about choking.. Crackers, pretzels--you can eat them plain or put a spread on (peanut butter, almond butter, cream cheese etc.)

Lots of other good ideas on the other posts!

K. Z.

Kix (kids really love them)or any dry cereal, berries, grapes (obviously cut), cheese, scrambled eggs, mini pancakes (freezer to microwave), sausage (links or patties cut up or you can buy ground sausage, french toast sticks, toast, cubed ham, diced fruit