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Breakfast babies

Make sure your little one has a good, healthy breakfast. These tips will simplify your life.

Your own mom probably told you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Well there are plenty of scientific studies that support her views. These studies suggest that a good breakfast can lead to a more active, productive day and contribute to good overall good health. It's important for all of us – especially young children – to get the day off to a good start.

Here's why:

Breakfast starts the day after twelve hours of overnight fasting, when the body's sugar levels need replenishing. This is particularly important in the case of babies and young children, whose small stomachs fill up and empty quite fast.

It is difficult to get all the nutrients you need in a day without breakfast. Some nutritionist will tell you that a quarter of your nutrients for the day should come from breakfast. Because of their high growth rate and high energy levels, babies and toddlers have relatively high energy and nutrient requirements.

Breakfast provides energy for the activities during the morning and helps to prevent that mid morning slump.

Skipping breakfast results in children having less energy, becoming more tired, and not paying as much attention at school, particularly in the late morning. In a survey of local and international children's and breakfast habits, the Child Nutrition Expert Panel, a Kellog's corporate initiative found that children who eat breakfast have the following advantages:

1. They get more vitamins, minerals and energy. Breakfast skippers showed greater deficiency in most nutrients and minerals.
2. They concentrate better and are more attentive at school
3. They tend to take in less fat and more carbohydrates
4. If they eat breakfast cereals, they get more fibre and calcium from the milk.

What's a good breakfast

Fruit in the morning is good for the digestive system, and it provides minerals and vitamins.

Protein is important for your baby's development and also helps keep him from feeling hungry early in the day. Get it from porridge, breakfast cereals, and bread (preferably wholewheat)

An ideal breakfast includes all three; for instance oats or cereal with milk, plus fruit or fruit juice.

Wonderful ways to start the day

Little babies will start with breast or bottle, and then have a solid meal. Rice cereal is generally recommended as a good starter cereal.

Home made oats, mielie meal, Maltabella. As your child gets older and more foods are introduced to his diet, you can add fruits, raisins, honey, (only of if your child is over 1), cinnamon or – if your child won't eat plain – a little sprinkling of brown sugar.

The sugar and salt free weetbix

Eggs (preferably boiled or poached) are a good high protein option for babies over 1.

Breakfast tips

There's no real reason why we have to eat "breakfast foods" at breakfast. Your toddler might prefer last night's left-overs or even baked beans on toast. The baby who turns up her nose at porridge or cereal may go for something different – maybe some toast fingers or banana chunks if he's graduated to finger foods.

Get your children used to plain unsweetened yoghurt, mixed with fruit or cereal. It's got live bacteria cultures and isn't full of sugar like many flavoured varieties.

Don't get kids used to a sugary start to the day. Don't sprinkle sugar on their cereal, and limit sugared meals.

If you have any more breakfast suggestions to help moms on the go, tell us in the comment box below.

Previously published in Your Baby magazine, Subscribe now and save

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Please advise the best diet for a 3 yr old. He's got Eczema, alergic to all fish and dairy products. Every healthy suggestions seem to include his alergies.

Lindile on 12 Mar at 13:05