Breakfast for Children

We all hear that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but cooking breakfast for children can sometimes become a drag especially when you have picky eaters.  Many natural doctors even say that you should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a worker and dinner like a pauper.  When you are met with a “I’m not hungry” or, “I don’t like that!” life can get quite frustrating pretty quickly.  Hopefully some of the ideas listed here will make both you and your child happy.

Variety is the spice of life.  Some people like eating the same exact thing for breakfast each day and some like a little more variety.  On the other hand you need to make sure that you aren’t just feeding your child junk just to say that they have eaten breakfast.  In my opinion, Pop Tarts are not a good breakfast!  I’d rather my child eat pumpkin pie than Pop Tarts.

Here are some ideas that you can either make with or for your child for breakfast:

1. Granola bars – there are tons of granola bars out there. Make sure you read labels and get one that does not contain partially hydrogenated oils or MSG.  There are plenty of bars that taste good that do not have these ingredients.

2. Oatmeal – this is fun to make.  All you have to do is boil 2 cups of water and add 1 cup of regular oats.  Cook on medium for 5 minutes and remove from heat and cover for 5 minutes.  You can then add honey and raisins and enjoy a great breakfast.

3. Pancakes and waffles – most people don’t have time to make pancakes or waffles in the morning, but you can make pancakes or waffles on a weekend.  We enjoy them for lunch or dinner on many weekends.  The trick is to make lots so that you have extras for breakfast during the week. Just pop them in the toaster or microwave and you have a great hot breakfast all ready for you.

4. Cereal – If your children want to eat cereal, be sure to buy organic cereal.  My family likes cereal for an evening snack, so we eat lots of cereal around here.  I try to buy organic for items that we eat a lot.

These ideas should give you the tools you need to get your children eating a good breakfast and make cooking breakfast easier for you.

Let me know if you have any ideas to add to this list or what you think of these ideas.