We all want love to celebrate our children, and their birthdays are a perfect time to take it over the top, starting with the most important meal of the day. It’s the perfect send-off if their birthday falls on a school day or a unique way to get the party started on the weekend.
We know the kids won’t complain about all the extra attention they’re getting on their special day, so we are sure they will love any of these delicious birthday breakfast ideas.
Our 10 Favorite B-Day Breakfast Ideas for Your Kids
Some of these breakfast ideas are traditional; others push the boundaries of traditional breakfast foods. Whatever you choose, these simple and straightforward recipes will keep the fun going (and keep it stress-free).
1. Belgian Waffles
Belgian waffles are a fan favorite due to their deep pockets that are perfect for soaking up the syrup and other delicious toppings. These deep pockets keep the waffles fluffy but give them an extra crispy texture to the corners, which marries nicely to the softer center.
Add whipped cream, powdered sugar, or a little ice cream to the top to give it an extra sweet kick. To replicate a funfetti cake, add rainbow sprinkles to the batter. For a more substantial (but kid-friendly) topping on this golden-brown snack, try cut-up fruit.
2. Cake Batter Crepes
You can sub in a box of cake mix for the standard crepe dry ingredients to make the most delicious cake batter crepes. Basic crepe recipes are very similar in ingredients to the basic pancake recipe.
Here’s a pro tip for a birthday crepe: it might be a bit too much for a birthday celebration before school, but if your child’s birthday is on the weekend and you don’t mind extra sugar in the morning, fill the crepe with ice cream.
Lay the crepe flat and add a few scoops of ice cream to the middle and roll it up. Add rainbow sprinkles on the outside, maybe a dash of whipped cream, and you are ready for candles.
3. Fruit Kabobs
Fruit kabobs can be a festive birthday morning treat when you cut the fruit into shapes like flowers or hearts.
This can also be a side dish for a birthday party, as it’s a sweet treat with a healthy component. Kids will get the sweet tooth satisfaction they crave, and parents can rest assured knowing there won’t be a sugar crash in a few minutes.
4. Pancake Cupcakes
Looking for a fun way to put a twist on fluffy pancakes? Try pancake cupcakes.
The batter for pancake cupcakes is very similar to cupcake batter; you’ll just use less sugar, which is always welcome news to parents. This will keep the cupcakes on the healthier side and still give your child an extra special treat for their big day.
You can add ingredients like blueberries for added nutrition or colorful sprinkles to emulate traditional birthday cakes.
5. Breakfast Sundaes
As a child, there might not be anything better we could think of than a sundae for breakfast, but thankfully, we have a bunch of options to make it fun but keep it light and healthy.
Use traditional yogurt, and add granola or graham crackers, chocolate chips, and fresh fruit to make a sundae that will make their day. For an extra-healthy breakfast, Greek yogurt has more protein and less sugar than most other yogurt types.
6. Homemade Pop Tarts
There’s nothing like a fresh puff pastry that’s warm and full of sweet jam. Top it off with fresh icing, and you’ve got yourself an easy breakfast that any child would love to have.
You can whip up homemade DIY pop tarts or rely on this hack to create them quickly:
Thaw out a package of puff pastry and cut it into equal amounts of rectangles. Lay one piece flat, fill it with your favorite jam or jelly, and add another puff pastry on top. Use a fork to pinch the edges, and then brush the top with a whisked egg.
Once they are out of the oven, top them with a streak of royal icing. A simple royal icing recipe involves mixing powdered sugar and a tiny amount of water, and edible coloring. When it’s ready, you can decorate the top.
7. Birthday Cake Smoothies
Birthday cake smoothies, while delicious, can be pretty full of sugar and sweets.
Shakes and smoothies are a great way for parents to add extra nutrients to a picky child’s diet. Add kale, spinach, and other nutritious greens without changing the flavor of the smoothie. Everyone will be happy and satisfied.
8. Cinnamon Roll Cake
To make a yummy cinnamon roll cake, add cake mix to the dry ingredients to make it unique and add a birthday cake flavor.
This cinnamon roll cake recipe is one of the longer ones, with 25 minutes of prep time and 25 minutes in the oven. You can either use a canned cream cheese frosting or make a glaze with two cups of confectioner’s syrup, five tablespoons of milk, and one tablespoon of vanilla extract.
9. French Toast Muffins
French toast is another breakfast treat that is always a hit with kids, but if you want to dress it up extra for this special occasion, try making French toast muffins. The best part about French toast muffins is that you don’t need any additional ingredients compared to what you’ll need for traditional French toast.
Instead of dipping full pieces of bread in the batter, cut up the bread so that you end up with a large bowl of battered bread pieces. Then you’ll bake muffins from pieces of uncooked French toast by layering them in a muffin tin. (You can make a streusel topping for the muffins if you like, but it’s not necessary.)
Bake them for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Your house will smell amazing, and breakfast will go off without a hitch.
10. Fruit Loop Parfaits
A breakfast parfait is always delicious and full of nutrition. Try dressing this breakfast up with a colorful additive: fruit loops. It will add so much color and vibrancy to your parfait and is (almost) part of a well-rounded meal.
Host Breakfast in the Playhouse
The smiles shouldn’t stop at a special birthday breakfast; there’s more that can be had with breakfast time than just the ingredients.
Host a group meal in your child’s outdoor playhouse if you're planning a birthday breakfast.
They can invite friends over, and you can add birthday-specific decor to the playhouse on top of the normal decorations and accessories. Allow them to choose the plates, cutlery, and napkins to really set the scene, maybe even a few pitchers of juice and water that you can serve to all of your child’s guests.
Host a Themed Breakfast
Since you’ve already decided to make it an extra special morning for your child, take it one step further and host a themed breakfast. Here are a few ways to involve their personal taste.
Base It On Their Hobby
If you’ve got a soccer star on your hands, plan an entire breakfast around all things soccer. Have a post-meal skills tournament or bake waffles in the shape of balls and keep all decor to their favorite team or use a lot of hexagonal shapes in the decor.
Whatever they like, change the details to match their interest. You can create toppings or side dishes and add imaginative names to tie in the theme. Renaming classic foods (like “dinosaur snacks” for honeydew) is a perfect way to get kids excited — and excited about nutritious options.
Base It On Their Favorite Animal
An animal theme can come together quickly and easily. Mimic the colors of the animal for the decor motif. Take inspiration from the landscape of where the animal lives to set the scene with additional decor or names for breakfast items.
For example, cereal can be fish food, or you can hand out costumes like puppy dog ears to keep the theme at the top of the mind.
Base It On Their Favorite Movie
A movie theme can also incorporate the names of characters or events in the movie to replace traditional names for ingredients or meal components. The adult in charge of breakfast can pretend to be one character from the movie as they serve breakfast!
After breakfast, hand out costumes and pull out your phone to record the party guests reenacting their favorite scene from the movie.
Give Your Birthday Kid a Sweet Surprise
We are sure that any of these ideas and tips will be sure to take your child’s birthday breakfast to the next level. Whether you go for extra sweet breakfast recipes or add in those extra tiny details, your child will feel the love behind it all.
Sources:
- Easy French Toast Muffin Cups Recipe | Chef Savvy
- Simple Belgian Waffle Recipe | The Spruce Eats
- Pancake Cupcakes With Maple Frosting Recipe | The Spruce Eats
- Basic Crepes Recipe (with Video) | AllRecipes
- Greek Yogurt vs. Regular Yogurt: What's the Difference? | Healthline
- Pop-Tarts® Recipe | AllRecipes
- Birthday Cake Batter Smoothie | Better Homes & Gardens
- Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls | AllRecipes
