I'm always looking for fresh breakfast and snack ideas. Otto at nine months is now eating a lovely variety of foods that makes breakfast fun and interesting. Here are a few of our favourite plant-based baby breakfast ideas (from nine months) that my big kids (7 and 10 years) love too. 

1. Fruit Yogurt. Caspar (10 years) eats yogurt almost every day for breakfast and once Otto hit the six months point he started feeding it to him too. Sometimes I serve it plain but often we add fruit. Here I mashed two strawberries and mixed in coconut yogurt. 

2. Mashed Avocado and Banana. For the big kids I simply put this on toast. We often sprinkle a few chia seeds on top. At nine months it's not even necessary to mash it, soft banana fingers and pieces of ripe avocado are perfect finger foods. 

3. Banana and Chia Pudding. This could not be easier. Mix together 1 mashed banana, 1 cup coconut milk and ¼ cup of chia seeds. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight if possible. I serve with a few fruit pieces on top. 

4. Raspberry Oats. My big kids love oats but they always add a lot of honey on top for sweetness. As honey is not recommended for children under 12 months, I stir in some smashed fruit like raspberries, but any soft fruits will do (mango, banana, strawberry). I cook a ¼ cup of oats with coconut milk and then add two to three smashed, ripe raspberries.

5. Apple Quinoa. This recipe was inspired by Luci and Pavel. I simply cook the quinoa (simmer for 12 minutes), drain and then mix in apple puree (steam apples and then puree). A pinch of cinnamon is optional! 

6. Vegan Banana Pancakes.  I use wholemeal self-raising flour because it's what I have on hand but you could substitute for your usual flour (1 cup) and baking powder (1 teaspoon). I mix 1 cup wholemeal self-raising flour, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 mashed banana and 1 cup coconut milk. I use a tablespoon to spoon out the batter and cook on a fry pan until golden. My big kids will eat this with honey or maple syrup on top. I tear it into smaller pieces for Otto and serve with a few slices of fruit. 

Please note that these are what we commonly eat for breakfast and it includes a lot of sweet fruits. We are more likely to serve vegetables at lunch and dinner. We are not a vegan family. Otto also consumes lean meats, fish, eggs, cheese, pasta and, breastmilk. We serve water with all meals and snacks. For Otto at nine months (almost ten months) most of these serves are around four tablespoons. Sometimes Otto will eat it all, especially yogurt and oats and other times he will barely touch it. I take a big picture approach to nutrition as the amount of food Otto eats varies day by day. 

I was shocked when I moved to the UK to find the Department of Health "recommends that all children aged 6 months to 5 years are given vitamin supplements containing vitamins A, C and D every day." Otto doesn't have any vitamin supplements. Our health visitor is coming tomorrow, I wonder if they will ask.