Some sample breakfast menus listed by age group:
9 to 12 months
- 8 to 10 oz. breast milk or formula
- 2 to 4 tbsp. iron-fortified infant cereal
- 2 to 4 tbsp. canned peaches
12 to 24 months
Parents start adding milk from a cup at this stage. The pediatrician will recommend whole milk up to age 2—the fats it provides are important to brain and body development—and then suggest scaling back to lower fat varieties.
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/4 banana
- 1/2 cup whole grain oat cereal, like original Cheerios®
- 1/2 slice toast
- 1 tsp. butter or margarine
As parents start adding juices to kids' diets pediatricians recommend around 4 to 6 oz. a day.
Preschool and school-aged
The importance of breakfast is old news—parents' timeless wisdom on the subject keeps proving more and more true. For example, it's been found that children who eat breakfast tend to do better in school compared to children who skip breakfast. Making breakfast not just healthy but practical and fun is a good goal. Here are some ideas:
- Adding fruit and yogurt to whole-grain cereal
- Whole grain waffles with fruit or peanut butter and jam
- Whole-wheat toast and hard-boiled eggs
- Smoothies
- Breakfast burritos with whole-wheat tortillas and cheese
As schedules get busier parents develop tricks to make sure kids get breakfast even when they're rushing out the door, like:
- Leaving extra time for breakfast
- Getting kids involved in making breakfast
- Having healthy grab-and-go breakfast foods on hand like fruit and small packages of cereal, yogurt or low-fat granola
How can we help?
As generations of parents have discovered on their own, the size, shape and texture of original Cheerios cereal make it a great finger food for toddlers. At all ages, the vitamins, minerals and whole grain oats in original Cheerios can play an important role in a fun and healthy breakfast.