Breakfast for Kids Can Be Healthy and Fast

By Diana Rodriguez
Medically reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD

Breakfast is the most important meal for kids. Get tips for making quick, healthy morning meals.

Want to know a simple way to help your children do better in school? Feed them healthy meals, especially in the morning.

"If time is a factor, make breakfast portable," she continues. "Try sandwiches, like peanut butter and jelly or ham and cheese leftover from dinner. Dry cereal in a sandwich baggie and a 100 percent real-juice juice box can make breakfast stress-free."

Planning breakfast the night before can also save you time. "This will allow you to plan ahead and know how much time you need in the morning," says Arlene Kaufman, a busy working mother and director of Temple Trager Preschool in Louisville, Ky. "That way everyone isn't saying: 'I don't know what I want,' or asking for something you don't have."

Healthy meals for kids don't have to be hard or time-consuming — or even homemade. There are plenty of prepared healthy breakfast foods that can go in the microwave. Check the freezer section at your local grocery store for pre-made meals like whole-wheat bagels and cream cheese, pancakes, waffles, and frozen turkey sausage. Yogurt and fruit, along with a whole-wheat bagel, is also a quick and easy breakfast for kids.

And, if you’re in a hurry like most families in the morning, Kaufman says, "grab a banana and Nutrigrain bar to eat in the car — it's still healthy, even though it's on the go!"

Learn more in the Everyday Health Kids’ Health Center.

Last Updated: 02/04/2009
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