If you have a new eater and you’re here looking for some great baby-led weaning breakfast ideas for baby, I’ve got you covered! Feeding your baby at 7 months can be both exciting and overwhelming. And so, so messy. You may be wondering what’s appropriate for babies at this age, how to serve some breakfast favorites, or you may just be fresh out of ideas. I get it, and I’ll cover it in this post. 

As an experienced Registered Dietitian and mom who followed baby-led weaning with my own two babies, I’ve gathered some great ideas for how to make breakfast nutritious, safe, and easy on you! I’m going to give you my top 10 easy baby led weaning breakfast ideas.

10 Baby-Led Weaning Breakfast Ideas 7 Months

If I am thinking about making breakfast for my 7-month-old, there are a few important considerations I like to keep in mind.

First and foremost, I want to make sure all finger foods are prepared and offered safely, in age appropriate ways for a new eater. 

If you’re following baby-led weaning, this typically means serving foods that are: 

a) soft and mashable between your fingers (or pre-mashed by you, like blueberries or raspberries)

 b) are about adult 2 fingers widths wide so they can grip onto them in the palmar grasp.

At this age, baby’s airways are about the width of a straw, so we want to avoid anything of that shape or size that could possibly block the airway and lead to choking.

Beyond safety, there are a few nutritional rules of thumb I like to keep in mind.

I try to make meals as nutritionally dense as possible at this age. That just means that each bite is providing a strong nutritional benefit and a good amount of calories.

We’ll get into more specific ideas below, but babies need plenty of fat for brain development. So I’m always looking to add healthy fats to their meals. 

I also like to serve iron rich foods (across all meals). At around 6 months of age, iron stores begin to deplete, so we need to make sure babies are getting enough iron in their diet. Iron-rich breakfast foods include eggs, nut butters, fortified whole grain products, and dark leafy greens you can throw in an omelette! 

How Does Baby-Led Weaning Work at Breakfast

Babies often eat best in the morning

After a (hopefully) full night of sleep, babies are often more receptive to trying new things at breakfast. I found that lunch or dinner could be hit or miss depending on nap times, distractions, being out of the house, etc. But we always had the most success in the morning! After they’ve had their morning breastmilk or formula, you can usually get them to sit in the high chair and explore some new foods. Take advantage of breakfast, and don’t worry if lunch or dinner sometimes fall flat. (Or if you’re simply not home to actually make a meal.)

Many breakfast foods are great for baby-led weaning

Lots of common breakfast foods are either already a good texture for babies or can be easily made into a safe texture. Think oatmeal, yogurt, scrambled eggs- these can all be fortified into even more nutritious preparations! You can also use a good, whole grain or sourdough bread cut into strips as a great vehicle for many new and nutritious spreads. 

One of my friends commented on how baby-led weaning while traveling was always easiest at breakfast time because she could always find some eggs.

You can easily adapt for meals for the whole family

If you’re also making breakfast for yourself or your older kids, most of the time you can just make one thing and doctor it up slightly differently for baby. When my youngest was 6 and 7 months old, I’d make a batch of scrambled eggs for the whole family, and everyone could choose their own adventure with how they’d like to eat them: on toast (me), with cheese and hot sauce (my husband), or not at all (my oldest). 

What Are BLW Breakfast Ideas For 7 Month Old Babies?

Omelette strips 

There’s no denying eggs are a powerhouse food. A great source of protein, fat, and tons of vitamins and minerals- they are a wonderful breakfast for babies. I like to make them into a thin omelette (you can even add some spinach or other cooked down vegetables like bell peppers), cut it into strips, and serve for an easy, quick, nutritious breakfast. 

Have an egg allergy? Tofu scrambles with extra firm tofu are a great sub.

Yogurt “parfait”

When I’m choosing a yogurt for baby, I’m looking for a full fat, plain Greek yogurt with no added sugar. Babies benefit tremendously from lots of fat in their diet, and they don’t need any added sugar that comes in flavored yogurts. The texture of Greek yogurt is also easier for babies to scoop since it’s thicker than regular yogurt.

My kids liked plain yogurt just fine as babies, but I often mixed in fruits like blackberries or raspberries and made my own homemade flavored yogurt to add vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.

I’m calling this a parfait because you can top it with mashed berries, swirl in a drizzle of almond butter (or any nut butter), and/or sprinkle on some hemp seeds or chia seeds for some more fat and fiber. That’s a filling and nutritious breakfast! 

Pictured here: plain full fat Greek yogurt, mashed fresh mango, and hemp seeds.

Chia seed pudding

Chia pudding is another super healthy but low effort breakfast. You do have to make it the day before so it can sit and plump up in the fridge, but it’s a simple one-step recipe that makes a nutritious meal. I’m linking my favorite blended chia seed pudding here, and for babies, I’d skip the dates. This ends up being a fun texture that they’ll definitely want to explore with their hands, so beware of the mess! 

I love chia seeds for the omega-3s, calcium, and fiber. Just make sure you always soak them first for babies.

I know chia seeds can seem a little “out there” if you grew up in a meat and potatoes kind of house. But trust me when I say that the foods you introduce your little ones to now will seem normal to them. And how cool if they are not weirded out by some of the healthiest seeds around? Establishing healthy habits right from the start goes a long way.

Oatmeal bowl

Similar to the yogurt parfait, you can beef up a baby oatmeal bowl with all sorts of mix-ins and toppings. I also like to cook it in whole milk instead of water for a bit more fat and protein. (I like unsweetened soy milk if dairy free, or unsweetened flax milk.) Ideas for mix-ins:

1. Mashed strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries
2. A scoop of full-fat Greek yogurt
3. Drizzle of almond butter or peanut butter
4. Some applesauce or mashed banana
5. Ground chia or ground flax
6. Hemp seeds
7. Ground up nuts, like walnuts
8. Pumpkin and cinnamon (pictured below)

I used to grind up walnuts in my food processor and keep a container of it in the freezer to mix in to oatmeal with mashed berries!

Baby-friendly smoothie

I actually have quite a few baby-friendly smoothie recipes that are great for both a nutritious breakfast and to practice some straw or open cup work! These are my favorite smoothie cups.

For this age, you definitely want to skip honey (not safe for babies under 1) or any added sugar. I even skip dates for babies because the fruit in the smoothies make it plenty sweet for little ones!

Some people think smoothies are not healthy for babies and I’m really not sure what they are basing that on. I wouldn’t necessarily serve a smoothie every day for breakfast, since you want them to practice picking up food and chewing too. But there’s nothing wrong with a smoothie!

I think some BLW “purists” also have a negative view of anything that’s a pureed texture. But that’s actually a texture we eat as adults, too. Totally fine for them to eat a mix of purees and solids.

Baby-led weaning muffins

I love these because you can make one batch and have a great breakfast or snack for the next several days! My berry banana baby-led weaning muffins are made with all the nutritional considerations in mind: no added sugar, great ingredients, and will bake to a texture that is easy for baby to handle. 

One of the babies on the MKN team absolutely devoured these! He could not get enough. Highly recommend!

Scrambled eggs

A cousin to the omelette, scrambled eggs are another great way to serve eggs in the morning. Eggs are great for choline, a nutrient that supports baby’s brain development.

I like scrambled eggs for babies because you can add in some veggie boosts (like spinach, bell peppers, steamed broccoli, or tomatoes), or you can also add in a dollop of ricotta or cottage cheese at the end of their cooking time for a calcium boost. They’re soft, relatively easy to grab off a tray, and, like I said above, a nutritional powerhouse for breakfast!

Loaded toast

We love toast for babies and toddlers! Believe it or not, I have an entire post dedicated to just loaded toast ideas. A good whole grain, sprouted grain, or sourdough toast can be a great vehicle for tons of nutritious spreads. Think thin layers of nut butter, avocado, cream cheese, etc. Toast can get a little gummy as they chew on it, so make sure to offer it sturdy and toasted!

Also skip any bread that has a bunch of seeds that would be hard to chew.

Baked French toast sticks

French toast sticks are a brilliant breakfast that combines a great whole grain bread with all the benefits of eggs in a shape that’s really easy for baby to navigate. I’ll link my healthy baked french toast sticks here (that’s right- no standing there at the stove flipping every piece), but omit the tiny bit of sugar in the batter for babies! And no need to serve with maple syrup at this age. You could offer yogurt for dipping or just serve as is. 

When my kids were toddlers, I served French toast with a dip I’d make with mashed banana, a scoop of full fat Greek yogurt, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Baby-led weaning banana oat pancakes

This is one of the top recipes on my site of all time! It’s a no-brainer recipe because all you have to do is throw everything in a blender. They are a great, naturally-sweetened pancake (thanks to the banana) that babies can easily hold and chew/gum. You can also top them with a layer of full fat yogurt or a thin spread of nut butter to boost the nutrition even more. 

BLW FAQ

Just getting started on the baby led weaning journey? It can be overwhelming!

When can you start baby-led weaning?

You can start baby-led weaning as soon as your baby is ready for starting solids, AND you feel comfortable with them feeding themselves.

It’s a common misconception that you *have* to start with purees or spoon feeding. You certainly can, but you don’t have to. The most important thing is serving your baby foods that are a safe shape and texture, but they don’t all need to be pureed. For more info on when and how to start baby-led weaning, check out this post! 

What are the benefits to baby-led weaning?

Although I don’t believe there is one right way to feed your child, baby-led weaning does have some unique benefits. It can be helpful in getting your child a variety of nutrients. It can be helpful in developing oral motor skills. And it can be great early practice in your child learning to tune into their body and listen to its cues related to hunger and fullness! 

And don’t forget it frees you up from having to sit there and feed them for the whole meal. Of course you want to supervise them, but it’s nice to be able to feed yourself while they feed themselves!

What are the best first foods for baby?

I’m glad you asked! While I mostly stuck to breakfast foods in this post (and I do LOVE eggs, yogurt, and oatmeal as early foods for baby), there are plenty of other amazing first foods for babies, too. Sweet potatoes, avocado, soft cooked meat, fish, soft/steamed fruit and vegetables, and hummus all come to mind. For more information on the best first foods for baby, I’ve got an extensive list here!

My baby is a little older, what should I be feeding them?

Here are my best ideas for 8 months and up!