The 12 Best Kid-Approved Breakfast Foods That Are Perfect for School Days

Picture how awesome it would be to have enough time on school mornings to make blueberry pancakes from scratch and sit at the table with your kid and a big mug of coffee. The dream, really. But most days, life gets in the way, and making breakfast for kids becomes something you have to do between packing lunch and tracking down all the things they suddenly can't find ("Mom, where's my backpack/socks/library book?").

For the Parents Food Awards 2022 Best Breakfast Foods list, we wanted to come up with easy meals that require little or no cooking. We scoured supermarkets for cereals, bars, yogurts, breads, frozen waffles, and other shortcuts that launched within the last year. We also connected with brands for early samples, so we'd be sure to have the latest items on the market. From there, we mainly narrowed our list to products with a wholesome ingredient list and plenty of vitamins and minerals. We added a few treats for special days, plus a couple of classic faves that our staff suggested.

Then the fun really began: Our panel of kid testers sampled more than 50 products. Not all our toddler to tween testers are adventurous eaters—and we prefer it that way. They rated an item's taste and presentation, while parents and other caregivers chimed in about prep and convenience. After reading through the reviews, we selected the following 12 gems—including dye-free pink waffles, oatmeal balls, and chocolate granola with a secret ingredient—as this year's breakfast winners. Let's eat!