Breakfast Ideas for Self-Feeding Babies

Dairy

• Many dairy products are soft without any cooking, making them safe for your baby to eat for breakfast. Large-curd cottage cheese allows your baby to pick up the small pieces with her fingers. Small pieces of cheese also work. If she has some experience using a spoon, a bowl of low-sugar yogurt is a healthy way to start her day. She may make a mess, but letting her experiment with a spoon is a simple way to improve her self-feeding skills.

Grains

• The grain group has many common options for a breakfast menu. Your baby can eat many typical breakfast grains. Dry cereal is a food that your little one can pick up on her own. Avoid cereals that are very hard or crunchy. Softer cereals that melt in her mouth reduce the choking hazard. Oatmeal or baby cereal made with a thick consistency offer your baby a chance to work on her spoon skills. Small pieces of toasted bread also fit into the breakfast grains group. Bread that isn't toasted can present a choking hazard since it may become a large ball if she puts too much in her mouth.

Protein

• Eggs are a common source of protein at breakfast. A serving of scrambled eggs is a safe breakfast option for your self-feeding baby. Serve the eggs in small pieces that your baby can easily grab without choking. Soft meats, such as chicken, that are cooked well and chopped into small pieces are also an acceptable finger food for babies. Even though chicken isn't a typical breakfast item, your baby won't know the difference.

Fruits and Vegetables

• Many fruits are naturally soft, so they are safe for your little one to eat at breakfast. Small pieces of banana work well. Other firmer fruits, such as apples, are a choking hazard for babies. Cooking the apples or serving applesauce makes for a suitable alternative at breakfast. Stir the fruit in with low-sugar yogurt for variety. Fruit is most often associated with breakfast, but vegetables also work. Many vegetables are tough or hard, so they need to be cooked before serving. The vegetables should be cooked to the point of being soft and easy to mash with the gums. You can combine her scrambled eggs with the well-cooked veggies for a baby-friendly omelet.

Safety Considerations

• The safety of the breakfast food you serve is the key consideration. Foods that are hard, round, sticky or difficult to chew should never make it onto your baby's breakfast plate. This includes dried fruit, raw vegetables, nuts, popcorn and large pieces of food. Round foods, such as sausages and grapes, should be cut into quarters and sliced so the pieces don't get lodged in the esophagus.