Hi! My twins have been on solid people food for quite a while now, except for breakfast. I still can't seem to break away from feeding them warm oatmeal cereal with fruit in it. Then afterwards, they eat dry cherrios (while I eat my cereal)as a treat. Does anyone else have or have had this problem finding nutritional breakfast finger foods? They still can't feed themselves with spoons, so what does everyone feed their kids for breakfast while in this stage? I'm afraid they won't get enough nutrition by just letting them eat dry cereal. Any suggestions?
Wow! Thanks so much to everyone for all your great ideas! We've actually tried scrambled eggs and pancakes so far (as well as fruit) and they love it! Can't wait to try out more of your suggestions! Thanks again!!!
Oatmeat is a great breakfast - I love it! But much easier to eat with a spoon. If you make it a little thicker, they may be able to use their fingers to scoop it up.
Dry cereal has lots of added nutrients, so it's actually a good breakfast. We also do Nutrigrain waffles, french toast, wheat cinnamon toast and a banana, wheat bagels (try to pick ones high in fiber and protein) with cream cheese, and instant grits (I'm a yankee and I can't believe I'm raising a grits-lover!) The daycare also feeds her things like blueberry muffins and cheese toast.
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B.M.
answers from
Columbia
on
My 15 month old loves whole wheat blueberry waffles. I don't syrup or anything on it. I just toast it and cut it into pieces and she loves it!
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L.W.
answers from
Charleston
on
My kids loved scrambled eggs with toast & jelly. Just make sure the egg pieces are small enough and let them use thier fingers:)
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S.W.
answers from
Atlanta
on
Pancakes, scrambled eggs, fruit (cut up strawberries, bananas)
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C.G.
answers from
Spartanburg
on
Avery is just 11 months but has been eating whole wheat waffle with cream cheese for a while now. I started cutting it in bitesize pieces (very messy), but now I just give her sections and she either bites it or tears it apart to eat it. Still messy, but not as much for me! haha It's healthy grains in the waffle as well as good fat and calcium in the cream cheese. She loves it. I also do cheese toast using whole wheat bread sometimes. That's also a big hit! I follow these with banana usually, but sometimes canned peaches or pear, or some other fruit.
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M.F.
answers from
Atlanta
on
I do pancakes (still) with mashed up banana's in them. My kids also enjoyed many of the other things like waffles not always with syrup and best of all I even still do and did give them cheese pizza. Like the other moms I did the eggs and sometimes I have done rice, yes rice with cinnamon, sugar and milk..they eat it like cereal. Yogurt with raisins and peanut butter real thin on graham crackers with a fruit on the side. Of course I'd break things up for little fingers. Breakfast has lots of options. Now that mine are older they have tried and liked or not liked old favorites.
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A.C.
answers from
Atlanta
on
I must start with saying I don't have twins so I'm sure it was a little easier for me. When my son was younger I gave him dry cereal with diced fruit. I also gave him enriched waffles and cut them up into pieces (no syrup, too messy) also with the diced fruit. He loved scrambled eggs too. But mostly if I had time or energy, I would give him the oatmeal. I'm sure they will be nutritionally sound with anything you give them. Good luck!
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T.C.
answers from
Atlanta
on
My kids eat GoLean frozen waffles for breakfast. I find them in the freezer section with the other frozen waffles. They have soy protein and lots of fiber. Once they were old enough I started spreading peanut butter on them. I couldn't live without them!
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C.
answers from
Atlanta
on
Hi J.!
I buy whole-wheat frozen waffles or pancakes and toast those for my children. When they were smaller, I broke them into pieces. I also give them yogurt for breakfast...they can dunk the pieces of waffle into the yogurt. Some other ideas:
scrambled eggs
english muffins with low-sugar jam/jelly
mini-bagels with jam or cream cheese.
Hope this helps!
C.
Mommy to:
Allison Skye 11/13/2003
Ryan Chase 7/5/2005
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J.R.
answers from
Spartanburg
on
Hi,
My Daughter just turned 16 months and for breakfast she eats regular oatmeal (she loves all the different varietys that her big brother eats as well). I also feed her Bananna Sandwiches (which is her favorate)I put a dab of mayo and peanut butter for the protien and smash it up. I then pinch the sandwich into little bite size pieces so she can eat it herself. Other mornings I give her muffins, Pancakes and I have also given her the yo baby yogart which is sold beside regurlar yogart. Hope this helps you or gives you some Ideas. Good luck!
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V.B.
answers from
Columbia
on
Congrats on the twins! I have 22 mo old twin boys. I too try to do the finger foods, yet nutritional. As i like for them to have 2 protiens a day, I do one for breakfast & the other for supper w/ veggies, then lunch is fruit & diary (milk & juice & water to drink)each day. So our breakfasts usually are either eggs w/ pancakes (can do sw potato ones), smashed banannas w/ peanut butter (not too thick), or homemade oatmeal. Then on occasion we will do a french toast to change it up a little. I usually cook only 1 or 2 days a week for the whole week for all meals. This saves time, save electricity, and ensures that we are eating a balanced meal most days of the week. For the eggs I cut them up a head of time & split them up on seperate plates w/ a helping of pancakes then i just pop in the microwave & it's done. I do this with the oatmeal too. Also if you do a breakfast casserole with eggs, cheese, milk & a meat then you could use that. And I have a good recipe for french toast casserole if you'd like it message me. You make it the night before & then bake in am. It is fabulous, not what you'd want them to eat but every other week as it is not extremely healthy, but you could add some fruit in it & cut out alot of the sugar. Hope this helps & keep up the good work with taking care of those precious babies!
Blessings,
V.
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B.L.
answers from
Atlanta
on
I give my little girl those fruit cereal bars. They are soft and I break it in half and she eats it on the way to school in the car. I also give her toast with jam, or a some of those mini pancakes you can microwave.
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L.S.
answers from
Savannah
on
You may want to try things like poptarts, french toast sticks (they are soft and they can hold then in their hands). Try something like scrambled eggs. Leave them in small chuncks and the kids can eat them with their hands also. Always a treat, cut up any fruit and they can eat them with their hands. I hope this helps! ~L.~
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E.S.
answers from
Columbia
on
I have a 3 1/2 year old boy and a 7 1/2 month old boy. When my 3 year old was young, he would eat anything I put in front of his face. I would feed him grits, yogurt, (which you may still have to spoon it to them). Nutrigrain bars, pancakes, french toast, biscuits, any fruit are great finger foods to give them. My 7 1/2 month old just started eating finger foods and he loves it. I know toddlers are messy eaters when they are starting to fed themselves with a spoon, but you just have to keep trying and before you know it, they will be feeding themselves. I hope I have given you some foods that you might try. Let us know how it turns out.
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A.C.
answers from
Athens
on
Don't forget about fresh fruit. They can definately eat cut up bananas and strawberries. Also melons like cantaloupe and honeydew. Grapes are good but be sure you quarter them. Canned peaches work well too. I would add these things along with their cheerios. Eggs are good too. You can even boil some the night before to save time in the morning. Anything soft or that easily disolves and you can cut up into little bites is great for babies starting to feed themselves.
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M.A.
answers from
Columbus
on
More power to you with twins! I would try scrambled eggs. My daughter (Same age as yours)loves them and she can feed them to herself. Otherwise, fruit and pancakes or cereal bars are the food of choice. Sometimes to make it easy on me I buy the Gerber Graduates pears and apples already cut up and give those to her. She loves them and I don't have to cut up fruit. Good luck and I'm sure you're doing great!
M.
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M.H.
answers from
Atlanta
on
Hi J.,
My husband has siblings that are boy/girl twins and his sister has TWO sets of boy/girl twins. Such fun!
Warm Oatmeal is a good wholesome breakfast and is good for the heart. There is nothing wrong with dry cheerios either. They'll learn to eat with a spoon soon enough. Just make sure they are getting greens and protein at their other meals.
Best wishes!
M.
P.S. Stay away from the processed finger foods. There is no nutrition there at all!
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M.M.
answers from
Atlanta
on
My 15 month old eats:
oatmeal
scrambled eggs/omelet
fruit--pears, bananas, peaches--whatever i have to cut up
yogurt
cottage cheese
and i give her a bread a couple of days a week also--whole wheat waffles or pancakes no syrup--and occasionally a biscuit.
the scrambled eggs, fruit, and bread are very finger food friendly. and she uses a spoon ok so the oatmeal is a good practice every morning. this can also be packed and taken to daycare if necessary.
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S.G.
answers from
Savannah
on
My son (almost 19 months) has been eating anything from most cereals you get on WIC, frozen waffles (nothing on it or for dipping), pancakes made from mix (nothing on it or for dipping), scrambled eggs (sometimes with cheeses melted in-cheesey eggs my DD calls them), fried eggs (I break and cook the yoke on his), toast w/thin coat of butter, frech toast sticks (nothing for dipping) sausage patties or links (cut up of course), bacon if it is soft enough, Quacker instant oatmeal (any flavor but plain-yuck!) I also get the sugar free or light syrup canned fruit and cut it up, it's the same stuff as what Gerber sells in the Graduates and a heck of a lot cheaper!! I do buy though the Gerber Graduates fruit bars which he loves! Walmart brand fruit bars are nice and soft for them to eat, yogurt and soft cheese too. Also, for a snack, crush up ghram crackers in a zip lock bag. Put in sliced bananas and shake it till coated!! Or just plain ghram crackers with some fruit. Don't be afraid to feed them stuff. Trust me, I'm a SAHM and I'm always feeling like I feed kiddos the same stuff over and over!! Experiment and see what is easy for them to finger feed and try their skills at the toddler fork!!
As another Mom said, scrambled eggs are a great breakfast, and easy for them to feed themselves. Another thing I used to do (and still do) is mix the scrambled eggs into some cheesy grits. Like cereal, grits are fortified with all sorts of vitamins and minerals, plus they have a "sticky factor" that makes it easy for toddlers to feed themselves using a spoon.
You could also try giving them some yogurt or cottage cheese to go with the dry cereal.
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M.G.
answers from
Atlanta
on
Hey J.,
Try the following:
Frozen French Toast Sticks. Put a small puddle of syrup on the plate. They will love to "dip." My daughter loves this!!
Cheese Toast sliced into strips/bites
"YoBaby" Yogert (Health Food ilse in grocery store). You might have to feed this to them.
Slices of banana
Make Frozen Biscuits and put butter or honey on it. Cut into bites
Just a few suggestions. Good luck!
M.
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S.L.
answers from
Atlanta
on
I give my daughter (1 year old) the mini waffles for breakfast and the mini pancakes with the oatmeal or cream of wheat... at least she can feed herself the waffle or pancake and I can give her the warm cereal... so she feels her little bit of "independence" with feeding herself the waffle or pancake... also I give her diced pears or apple pieces that she can feed to herself and the manderine oranges which are small and break down very easy for her to eat....
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J.H.
answers from
Augusta
on
My daughter will be 15 months this month. What I do is scramble an egg and make sur eit is well done and make her a piece of toast and she feeds herself pretty well. She uses her hands and it can get messy at times, but she LOVES eggs especially if they have cheese on them.
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J.G.
answers from
Atlanta
on
I feed my little one Stoneyfield Farm whole milk yogurt for breakfast(french vanilla flavor is our favorite). Sometimes I put a banana with it. My son likes to hold the banana because he can feed himself and it is very nutritious!
There are also many books specifically for creative and healthy meals to feed your children. Good luck!
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D.H.
answers from
Atlanta
on
HI. I understand your concerns. I find myself in ruts, too. I have 4 1/2 yo twin girls and 9 mo B/G twins. Pancakes or waffles torn into small pieces are good served with raisins or bits of bananas or such. Just look for things that can be cut into small pieces. Hope this helps.
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M.B.
answers from
Savannah
on
At that age I like these things
cherrios in yogurt- they can spoon it themselves and gives them practice!
muffins- I normally make a veggie banana muffin
pankcakes or waffles cut up- sometimes I out fruit in them sometimes I will put alittle honey or something to the side for "dipping sauce"
scrambled eggs
fruit salad- cut up fruit really little and mix it alltogether- sometimes with yogurt too!
granola and yogurt
oatmeal
cream of wheat
barley and oatmeal
for the most part whatever I am eating but scaled down for them. If I am eating something they can not easliy have then I would pick from one of the above.=-)
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M.N.
answers from
Charleston
on
My daughter who is slowly staring on solids, I give her cut up fruit, grapes, apples, strawberries, apples, and so on.
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B.
answers from
Augusta
on
I think cereal is fine to feed them. they will get enough nutrition through out the day. just make sure you give them cereal that dosnt have alot of sugar in it like Kix , Kix is great. and its just one meal its not like your letting them eat cereal all day. some cereal's are actually good for you.
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J.
answers from
Spartanburg
on
For fast and easy, I give my 18 month old daughter cut up nutrigrain frozen waffles, we also do toast with banana spread on top since she isn't supposed to have peanut butter yet and i'd rather not do butter. she also eats frozen pancakes, we dip in applesauce instead of syrup. she loves eggs. cream of wheat works really well and we add applesauce or fruit. if i have more time i make oatmeal pancakes and mix up the batter the night before (just mix wet and dry ingredients in the am and then cook). but oatmeal and fruit with cheerios is not bad!
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M.G.
answers from
Charleston
on
Banana, banana, banana. As my little guy got to be a better 'biter" I went from bits to just cutting them into sticks, which he likes better. Also, little bits of cheese are good for protein - and if they can chew cheerios, thin slices of cheese cut into little squares should pose no problem.
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C.
answers from
Atlanta
on
Hello J.,
My youngest daughter is 13 months old and she just loves breakfast. She usually eats a yobaby yogurt mixed with cereal (comes like that) with about four mini pancakes. If she is still hungry she will also eat a half of a banana while I eat and then she will eat the other half later for a snack. She also loves grapes and waffles. They also have those gerber cereal bars which she loves. I try to alternate what she eats so she never eats the same thing two days in a row. Breakfast if the easiest meal to feed her because she is so hungry in the morning she inhales her food! Good luck, I hope this helps.
C.
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N.B.
answers from
Myrtle Beach
on
J.,
Usually in the morning I feed my 13 month old a variety of things. I've found that nutrigrain bars are great if you're in a hurry or are just too tired. I cut them up into little pieces (you can even do this the night before) and he loves them. Scrambled eggs are great and pretty quick too. Sometimes I'll add cheese to them for some added dairy. Yogurt and some fruit pieces on the side are great but messy. I usually give my son a little yogurt and his plate and give him a spoon to practice his motor skills. Sometimes he gets some in his mouth but for the most part I have to feed him the majority. The fruit pieces he does wonderful with, and if your little ones find them too slippery I crush up cheerios and coat the pieces with them so they are easy to grasp. In the frozen food section you can also get the little mini pancakes or make them yourself. I cut these up in little bits and coat them with a little bit of butter or sugar free syrup. We've also done french toast like this. Toast with jelly or english muffins in bits have worked well for us too. I hope some of these idease help you out or inspire you. I totally understand how difficult it is to be creative so early in the morning when you're barely functioning and the kids are wide awake! How do they do it!!
N.
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C.H.
answers from
Augusta
on
I think cereal or pancakes like the other mother suggested is also a good idea. Since my baby demands to be fed immediately...god help you with twins lol. I also feed mine dry cereal or some cheese grits. Ive also fixed him grilled cheese sandwitch or some eggs.And eggs they can eat with their fingers if you dont chop the egg up alot.With the grilled cheese sand. I just break it up into small pieces.
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K.S.
answers from
Sumter
on
I use to babysit 1 year old triplets. one girl, two boys. try
cutting up fresh fruits into bite size pieces. it can get messy but what doesn't with babies. steer clear of grapes or things like that with the thin skin unless you have the time and patience to peel them. My now eleven year old son ate grits, oatmeal, mashed potatoes(who says it has to be traditional breakfast food?), applesauce etc. for the first year and a half of his life. He is now 5'2 and 140 lbs. I don't think having only oatmeal for breakfast is going to inhibit their nutritional growth. God bless you with much patience and many helping hands with your two little ones.
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J.M.
answers from
San Diego
on
Hey J.,
Have you tried feeding them pancakes? They'd probably like the taste of those with the syrup on them. Just an idea. Good luck
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M.N.
answers from
Atlanta
on
My fifteen month old daughter eats plain dry cheerios for breakfast every morning. I figure she gets plenty of fruit and protein at her other meals. Cheerios are easy, and she enjoys them.