Baby Led Weaning Breakfast Ideas: The Ultimate List

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Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. I don’t know if it’s because I just spent the past nine hours not eating, or if it’s because of all the different varieties of food there are on offer, but there’s something special and exciting about the first meal of the day. When it comes to baby led weaning, things are no different. The possibilities are truly endless when it comes to a baby led weaning breakfast. The foods you can offer baby are so varied that it makes breakfast the perfect meal for you to begin with if you’re just starting out. The majority of breakfast foods are soft too, just in case you feel a bit apprehensive about starting off with a full Sunday Roast!

I wanted to condense all of my favourite baby led weaning breakfast ideas and recipes into one post so that as many Mums as possible can enjoy the first meal of the day with baby just as much as we do. Read on for a comprehensive list of breakfast foods perfect for babies and toddlers. If you’re looking for more meal ideas for your baby, keep scrolling to find the links to my baby led weaning dinner and dessert ideas posts.

Do you offer milk before or after breakfast?

Ah, the age old question of whether to offer breakfast before the first milk feed of the day or after. My first son was born in 2016 and the advice then was to offer food AFTER the first milk feed of the day. By the time I had my second son in 2018, the advice was to offer food THEN milk.

On the whole, I offered milk first, because that was what I was used to doing with Dexter. I also found as well that often when they were six months old, they would have their first feed and go back down for a snooze for an hour or so, before getting up and wanting to eat a meal anyway. Offering milk before food gave me an extra hour of sleep, which was usually much needed after a bad night or two!

As the boys got towards one year old, I switched it around so I was offering breakfast first, or rather offering breakfast alongside a cup of milk. Of course, what you do is entirely up to you. Baby advice changes regularly, so check with the NHS or your paediatrician who will let you know what the best course of action is!

Onto the baby led weaning breakfast ideas!

Our favourite baby led weaning products

IKEA Highchair ANTILOP, White, 15 kg Max Load, Portable, Foldable, for Kid, Aged 6 months to 3 years

Easy to disassemble and carry along.
Safety belt included.Recommended for indoor use

Sale

Munchkin Soft Tip Toddler & Baby Spoons, Baby Weaning Spoons Set with Ergonomic Handles, Dishwasher Safe Plastic Cutlery, BPA Free Baby Feeding Spoons & Dessert Spoons for Babies – Pack of 6

MUNCHKIN SPOON SET: This essential baby feeding set of 6 spoons combines a smart baby weaning spoon design with flexible tips and long handles. Suitable for 4 months and over
VERSATILE BABY PLASTIC SPOONS: Coming in six vibrant colours, the soft tips of the baby and toddler spoons are flexible yet strong. Featuring ergonomically designed easy-grip handles
EASY CARE BABY FOOD SPOONS: These durable toddler and baby feeding spoons are top rack dishwasher safe and BPA-free. Great for boys or girls, for picnics, lunchboxes, at home or on the go
THE PERFECT SIZE FOR LITTLE MOUTHS: The shallow spoon bowl is comfortable for babies and young children, and the soft tips are gentle on gums. Long handles are great for easier high chair feeding
PART OF THE MUNCHKIN WEANING RANGE: Complete your baby weaning set with the Munchkin infant feeding and dinnerware range for babies and toddlers. Discover our matching plates, bowls and sippy cups

Bubba Bear Baby Weaning Set | Bamboo Plates, Bowls & Spoons for Toddler Led Feeding | Suction Plate, Bowl & Spoon Sets for Babies from 6 Months | Optional Matching Kids BLW Bib (Green)

Eco-Friendly Material: Baby weaning set is made from sustainable bamboo, ensuring a safe and environmentally friendly option for feeding babies and toddlers.
Suction Base: Each bowl and plate in the set features a strong silicone suction base, preventing spills and making mealtime easier for both babies and parents.
Complete Kit: This weaning set includes bowls, plates, and spoons, providing everything needed for a baby’s first eating experiences, whether for a boy or girl.
Safe and Gentle: The bamboo and silicone materials are gentle on a baby’s gums and teeth, making it perfect for those crucial first months of weaning and feeding.
Perfect Gift: The bamboo weaning set comes in a beautifully designed bundle, making it an ideal gift for new parents and a great addition to any baby shower.

BIBaDO – Long Sleeve Baby Bibs – Babies & Toddlers 6-36 Months – Coverall Baby Weaning Bib – Easy Wipe Clean & Soft Fabric – Attach to Highchair & Tables – Waterproof – Machine Washable – Baby Gifts

Let There Be Mess! – Our Bibs help nurture adventurous, independent eaters and protect clothes and highchair seats. Parents love the convenience and speedy post-meal clean-ups, and experts endorse them for rich developmental opportunities for children.
Making Parents’ Lives Easier – Features easy-to-wipe, 100% waterproof material in on-trend, stylish Scandi designs to make cleaning up a breeze, saving parents 30 minutes daily. Crafted from premium, super-soft fabric, it withstands the messiest of meals.
The No. 1 Way to Wean – Weaning your baby is a wonderful experience, and our bibs help manage the mess, leaving you free to enjoy the weaning journey with your little one. Our Coverall Bibs are a must-have for developing babies up to 36 months.
How To Use – Put your child’s arms through the bib, drape it over their shoulders, and fasten at the neck. Drape the Coverall around your high chair tray and fasten underneath with the adjustable strap. Use with our Handi Cutlery to help master control.
Why Bibado – We are a British brand on a mission to make a positive difference for children and parents in the feeding and messy play space. We do this by designing products that provide practical solutions that empower, educate, and help you have fun.

Pancakes

Baby Led weaning spinach pancake in a pan on the hob

Whether you prefer traditional pancakes or those made with added fruit or veg, pancakes for babies are really simple to make, can be batch cooked, enjoyed by the whole family and are super versatile. While weaning both my boys, I have turned regularly to pancakes as the ultimate finger food.

Over the years I have become more and more adventurous, adding different fruits and vegetables into the mix to try and mix things up a little. I have tried adding beetroot to create shocking pink pancakes, I have thrown spinach into the mix which creates neon green pancakes which are packed with iron and I’ve added all sort of other ingredients including oatmeal, peanut butter, sweet potato and even peas!

Want to create totally insta-worthy pancakes, get your hands on some pancake moulds. These can help you create beautiful looking pancakes for your baby that are great to use during holiday seasons such as Halloween, Christmas and Easter.

When it comes to baby breakfast, there is nothing better than a pancake. We prefer to use self raising flour to make ours as it creates lovely fluffy pancakes which are always demolished by the baby AND toddler.

Some of our favourite baby pancake recipes include:

For more ideas, try this post containing the ultimate list of baby pancake recipes.

Toast

What’s easier to offer baby than a round of toast? As good as yummy unsalted buttered toast, made with a good quality bread is, we prefer offering toast with a range of toppings. We are also huge fans of eggy bread and just like with pancakes, we have endeavoured to make this protein rich baby breakfast and nutritious as possible by adding different veggies. Check the list below for a few different ways of making eggy bread.

Our favourite baby toast options include:

Other baby led weaning breakfast toast ideas:

Scrambled eggs (try with a little added pepper or cumin)
Cottage cheese
Mashed avocado (Learn more about how to serve avocado to baby here)
Mashed banana (with added nut butter)
Peanut butter
Melted cheese
Tahini
Cream cheese (can be mixed with crushed raspberries, strawberries or blueberries)

Muffins

Ideal to batch cook while the baby is napping, mini muffins can be packed full of nutrients whether you opt for a savoury egg muffin or a sweeter flourless option. They’re also perfect for baby breakfast on the go and a great option for busy Mums and toddlers too.

Some of our favourite baby led weaning breakfast muffins include:

Related Post: THE Ultimate Guide to Baby Led Weaning Products

Of course, to make muffins you’re gonna need a few bits in your kitchen:

Muffin tin – non-stick is the best
Muffin cases – we love these silicone ones
Electric mixer – doesn’t need to be an expensive one, but will save tons of time and energy mixing by hand

Smoothies

Smoothies are a great way to get vitamins and minerals down your little one and many Mums find smoothies an easy way to incorporate more iron into babies diet. But how to serve them? You can either make really thick ones (up the amount of greek yoghurt versus milk) and serve with a spoon (preloaded or let baby at if they’re a bit older; we love this ergonomic Doddl cutlery) or you could pop the smoothie into a reusable food pouch and let baby suck on it. The best recipes are:

*Just be aware to offer smoothies in moderation as they can contain a lot of sugar.

The Breville blender is a cheap smoothie maker that does the job and no smoothie would be complete without paper straws!

Porridge Fingers

Photo Credit: Devon Mama

Oatmeal is a great breakfast staple, but can get a little messy if you don’t want to spoon feed your baby. Porridge fingers or oat bakes are a really simple baby breakfast idea which can be baked in advance, then eaten over a few days. A lot less baby led weaning mess than offering porridge in a bowl, but just as delicious! Porridge fingers are one of the ultimate baby led weaning finger foods. Are you even a baby led weaning Mum if you haven’t tried porridge fingers?!

Some of our favourite and easy to follow recipes include:

Don’t be discouraged if they don’t come out perfect the first time. Creating porridge fingers is an art that can take a few attempts to perfect!

Waffles

Photo Credit: No Cow Chow – Get this gorgeous Bamboo Bamboo plate here!

Another super versatile breakfast food are baby led weaning waffles which can either be made with lots of healthy extra ingredients or topped with a huge range of treats such as yoghurt, fruit or nut butters. Just like pancakes, waffles can be made with either fruit or veg and over the years we have tried so many different methods.

Of course, to make the above, you need a waffle maker (we have this Russell Hobbs waffle maker which we highly recommend!), but just incase you don’t have one, try these Griddle Pan BLW Waffles.

Sweet potato waffles on a bamboo bamboo plate served alongside banana

Related Post: Common Baby Led Weaning Worries

The Best of the Rest…

Crumpets – I like to cut these into three fingers and smother with unsalted butter. They can also be topped like toast.
Porridge or Weetabix – Add yummy fruits like frozen blueberries or raspberries and chopped up banana or stir in yummy flax or chia seeds.
Yoghurt and fruit – We love full fat Greek yoghurt (don’t forget- buy the one without honey!) and a range of fruits – watermelon, strawberries, banana, pomegranate, blackberries, clementines and apple.
Fruit – banana, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries – any fruit makes a great breakfast food served alongside a carb.

Try this trick to make handling banana easier for baby: How to Serve Bananas to Your Baby

Sausage and egg – I cut the sausage in half lengthways and try different types of egg such as hard boiled, scrambled and poached.
Toasted bagel – delicious smeared with cream cheese or hummus.
Breakfast cookies – made with oats, banana and peanut butter, perfect for batch cooking.
Breakfast popsicles – Greek yoghurt with a bit of milk plus any of your favourite fruits. Try this recipe: Peanut Butter and Banana Yoghurt Pops Recipe (just make sure you don’t add honey if using for baby led weaning) Get silicone popsicle moulds here.
Cheerios – probably the easiest breakfast of all, with or without milk, and also the perfect food for practising that all important pincer grip.

Dairy free baby led weaning breakfast options

A lot of the recipes I have shared on this post are jam packed with dairy. I know many babies out there have CMPA and other issues which mean they can’t have dairy so here is a quick list of dairy free baby led weaning breakfast options for those babies. (Remember of course, many of the options above can be substituted for dairy-free alternatives such as oat milk, coconut yoghurt etc etc)