Easy baby breakfast ideas from 6 months
4 min read
Quick answer
Easy baby breakfast ideas include unsweetened porridge with mashed banana or pear, toast fingers with scrambled egg, plain full-fat yoghurt with soft fruit, and lower-sugar cereal with whole milk. Keep breakfasts free of added sugar, syrup and honey, and adapt the texture to your baby's stage.
- Porridge, eggs, toast and yoghurt cover most baby breakfasts
- Choose unsweetened porridge and lower-sugar cereals
- No honey before 12 months
- Whole cows' milk is fine on cereal from 6 months
- Offer water in an open cup, not juice
What can my baby have for breakfast?
Your baby can have most simple breakfasts the family eats, without added sugar or salt. Breakfast is a good time to include fruit, a starchy food and a protein such as egg or full-fat dairy.
Around 6 months, breakfast might be a few spoonfuls of porridge or a couple of soft fruit pieces. From 7 to 9 months, breakfast becomes one of 3 regular meals.
Easy baby breakfast ideas
These are based on NHS baby and toddler meal ideas. Adjust the texture by mashing for younger babies or cutting into finger foods.
- Unsweetened porridge made with whole milk, topped with mashed ripe pear or banana
- Toast fingers with scrambled egg and sliced tomato
- Toast fingers with a hard-boiled egg and soft ripe peach
- Toast fingers with mashed banana and a thin spread of smooth peanut butter
- Plain full-fat yoghurt with unsweetened stewed apple
- Lower-sugar wholewheat biscuit cereal softened in whole milk, with soft fruit
- Strips of omelette with soft cooked mushroom or spinach
- Muffin or pitta fingers with cream cheese and avocado
Baby breakfast ideas by age
Around 6 months, keep it to one or two soft foods. Smooth porridge, mashed banana, cooked pear or soft avocado are easy starts.
From 7 to 9 months, offer lumpier porridge, eggs and toast fingers, and soft fruit to hold. By 10 to 12 months, your baby can have chopped and finger foods and may enjoy feeding themselves most of breakfast. From 12 months, breakfast is one of 3 meals alongside 2 healthy snacks a day.
Can babies have eggs for breakfast?
Yes, from around 6 months. Eggs are one of the foods that can cause allergies, so offer egg on its own at first, in a small amount, so you can spot any reaction.
In the UK, hens' eggs with the British Lion stamp can be given lightly cooked, such as a soft scrambled egg. Eggs without the stamp, and duck, goose or quail eggs, should be cooked until the white and yolk are solid.
Choosing cereals, milk and spreads
Many breakfast foods carry hidden sugar or salt, so a few quick checks help.
- Choose plain porridge oats or lower-sugar cereals, and avoid sugar-coated cereals
- Do not add sugar, syrup or honey (no honey before 12 months)
- Whole cows' milk is fine in porridge and on cereal from 6 months, but not as a main drink before 12 months
- Use plain full-fat yoghurt rather than sweetened or flavoured pots
- Spread nut butter thinly on toast; never give whole nuts to children under 5
- Use pasteurised cheese, such as mild cheddar or cream cheese
What should my baby drink with breakfast?
Offer sips of water using an open cup or a free-flow cup with no valve from around 6 months. Breast milk or first infant formula is still the main drink until 12 months. Babies do not need fruit juice or smoothies. The NHS advises avoiding sugary drinks for young children, which also helps prevent tooth decay.
Sources
We check this guide against these sources. It is general information, not medical advice: speak to your health visitor, GP or paediatrician about your own baby.
Questions parents ask
Is porridge good for babies?
Yes. Plain porridge oats are a good starchy breakfast from around 6 months. Make them with breast milk, formula or whole cows' milk and add fruit for sweetness instead of sugar or syrup. Like any new food, it may take several tries before your baby takes to it.
Can I give my baby toast for breakfast?
Yes. Toast fingers are a popular finger food, cut to about the size of your finger so your baby can hold them. Top with egg, mashed banana, avocado or a thin spread of smooth nut butter rather than jam or chocolate spread.
Are baby breakfast cereals necessary?
No. Babies do not need baby rice to move on to solid foods. Plain porridge oats and lower-sugar family cereals softened in milk work well. If you use baby cereal, choose one without added sugar. The CDC suggests offering a variety of cereals rather than relying only on rice-based ones.
What if my baby will not eat breakfast?
Appetite varies from day to day, and some babies are not hungry first thing. Offer breakfast without pressure and let your baby stop when they show they have had enough. Under 12 months, milk is still their main source of nutrition, so one small breakfast is nothing to worry about.