Turn young kids' morning meal into a party with any of these brilliant breakfast ideas.
1. Invite a Furry Friend
Sue Johnson, co-author of Grandloving: Making Memories with Your Grandchildren (Heartstrings Press, 2006), encourages kids to bring a favorite stuffed animal to the table. That special "friend" provides an extra helping of security and comfort for little ones. (Tip: Put a bib on the companion as it sits beside your child.)
2. Make the Setting Special
Create a laminated place mat with contact paper featuring favorite family photos, Johnson suggests. Lively and colorful plates, bowls, and flatware enhance the dining experience, too.
3. Focus on Presentation
Create a smiley face, a train, or a silly picture out of - yes - eggs, pancakes, bacon, or toast. Even better, let the kids make the design themselves. "The more ownership kids have over something, the more likely they are to eat it," says Shannon Seip, co-author of Bean Appetit: Hip and Healthy Ways to Have Fun with Food (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2010).
4. Color Your Oatmeal
Prepare a bowl of oatmeal, and stir in a drop or two of food coloring, or let the kids add their own wild colors. Marvel at the artwork; then let them devour their rainbow-hue creations. (Tip: Toss in colorful strawberries or blueberries for extra flavor.)
5. Get Your Pancakes in Shape(s)
Pancakes are everyone's favorite breakfast treat. Carin Walling of Columbia, S.C., says her 3-year-old twin girls love making pancakes in special molds. "I do it too," Walling says, "but it's much more fun with Grandma." (Tip: Mix chopped fruit, like blueberries, strawberries, or bananas, into the batter. They make the pancakes sweeter, but in a healthy way.)
6. They Do Like Green Eggs and Ham
The easiest way to make the dish Dr. Seuss made famous - either scrambled or sunny side up - is to add a few drops of green food coloring to the eggs before you fry them. To take it a step further, add mild green salsa or pesto to the mix.
7. Toaster Art
The objects that surround them fascinate toddlers, and they'll get a thrill out of identifying shapes on their breakfast plates. "I use cookie cutters to cut toast, French toast, or egg sandwiches," Walling says. "I eat the edges and they get the cool shapes." (Tip: Buy cookie cutters in the shape of your children's initials - and you can't go wrong with a heart-shape cookie cutter.)
8. Minis to the Max
Toddlers appreciate food that comes in their size. Seip suggests taking any breakfast dish and making it miniature. Think tiny cinnamon rolls, mini-muffins, silver-dollar pancakes, toast sticks, grapes, and berries.
9. Give Them Your Time
Candy Turner, a grandmother of 11 in Houston, lets her 2-year-old granddaughter mix the eggs for breakfast. "I talk to her like she's an adult," Turner says, "and explain every part of the cooking process." During the meal, Turner sits with the kids and gives them her undivided attention. "Everything digests better when you're in your own little world - your food, your thoughts," she says. (Tip: Dining together is a bonding experience as important as preparing the meal itself. So keep the TV off and ban handheld games from the table.)
by Rachel Hartman
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