There used to be a time when I enjoyed nice slow mornings, sipping coffee, reading a book, getting ready for the day without feeling rushed. But now, those days are gone, we hit the ground running! 

My son is 6 months and is typically up for the day around 0600, with my 2 year old daughter following shortly after at 0730. My toddler wakes up very hungry and so does Mama! After my son was born, I learned quickly that we needed to get more efficient with breakfast time, build in routines, and make it easy for Mama to get nourished as well. Here are 5 tips that have made breakfast so much easier in our household. 

Create a Rotating Breakfast Menu

Rather than expend mental energy deciding what to cook for breakfast, we’ve chosen to rotate between 5-6 options. This keeps our daughter from getting tired of the same meal and makes it easy for my husband or me to quickly prepare breakfast without having to stand in front of the fridge or pantry thinking about what to make. Here’s our current menu: 

1. Oatmeal
2. Waffle with Nut Butter & Fruit
3. Yogurt with Berries & Granola
4. Avocado Toast
5. Banana Pancakes from the Baby HealthNut Cookbook
6. Egg Muffins or Quiche

Batch Cook & Freeze

As a small family, most of the time when we make waffles, we have leftover batter. Rather than eat leftover waffles for the next 3 days, we freeze the extra to heat up in the toaster oven at a later date for a quick breakfast. I’ve gotten into the habit of doubling many of our recipes to freeze for later. It takes no additional time on the front end and gives me back so much at meal times. 

Always Stock Frozen Berries

We all know that toddlers and berries are inseparable, and that as parents we can easily spend a small fortune making sure that our fridge is always stocked with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or any type of berry you can think of! This is easier to do in the summer when berries are in season, but it’s certainly not cheap. To make sure that we always have these tasty fruits available, we keep frozen berries stocked at all times. They are much more affordable, especially when purchased in bulk at Costco, and can be defrosted to add into yogurt, top French toast, or serve on the side of any meal. 

Run the Dishwasher Overnight

If the dishwasher is clean and I can empty it quickly before my kids wake up, or while my toddler is eating breakfast, I already feel like I’m ahead of the game. An empty dishwasher means I can more quickly clean up from breakfast and get to spending more quality time with my kids. 

Make Mama’s Breakfast Ahead of Time

I started making overnight oats when I worked in a nursing role that had me in the office at 0530 every morning. I wanted a nourishing and filling breakfast that was always ready to go. 6 months ago when my son was born I started meal prepping my overnight oats for the week. No matter how many times my baby was up overnight or what kind of mood everyone is in, Mama always has a filling breakfast ready to go. It helps me avoid eating the scraps of leftover toast or yogurt and ensures that I’ve got optimal energy for my family. I store the oats in these BEABA clip cups (also perfect for baby/toddler food storage) or in glass jars. Here is my favorite recipe:

• ½ Cup Oats – We love the One Degree Gluten Free Sprouted Rolled Oats at Costco
• 1 TBSP Chia Seeds
• 2 TBSP Almond Butter
• 1 Drizzle Honey
• ½ Cup Almond Milk 

My Toddler Meal Time Favorites:

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. I appreciate your support!