For a special breakfast for your toddler, you can serve a butter croissant as part of the meal, but it shouldn’t automatically replace their usual bread-based breakfast: the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends wholemeal or brown bread for toddlers. Choose fresh croissants if you want to serve them straight away, bake-at-home ones if you want to bake them at home, or frozen ones if you’re planning ahead. Adjust the portion and check the chosen product’s allergens and preparation instructions.
You want to serve a croissant for a birthday or weekend breakfast without it automatically replacing your child’s usual bread-based breakfast. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends wholemeal or brown bread for toddlers.
If your child has an allergy, or you’re packing breakfast to take to nursery, check the latest allergen information and find out what rules the setting follows.
You can choose between a croissant that’s ready to serve, one you bake at home, or a frozen product that needs freezer space and time to prepare.
Fresh, bake-at-home and frozen croissants mainly differ in when you can serve them and how much preparation they need at home. Also check the portion size, nutritional information and allergens for each product individually.
Choose this when: you want to serve the croissant straight after buying it.
Bear in mind: a single croissant isn’t automatically a suitable portion for a toddler, so adjust the amount to suit the rest of breakfast.
Choose this when: you want to bake the croissants at home and serve them warm.
Bear in mind: you’ll need suitable equipment and time to prepare them. Follow the instructions on the packaging.
Choose this when: you want to keep croissants for a later breakfast.
Bear in mind: you’ll need freezer space and must follow the product-specific defrosting and baking instructions. Jumbo says its luxury frozen croissants must not be refrozen after defrosting.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Balanced breakfast | Compare the nutritional value per 100 g with the amount you’ll serve. Look at fibre, sugars, fat and salt. | For a special breakfast, I want to be able to serve a croissant alongside the rest of the meal without losing sight of my usual choice of bread. For around 42% of consumers, getting that breakfast balance right is the main priority. |
| Allergens and packing | Read the latest information about wheat or gluten, milk, egg and any warnings about other allergens. Check the nursery or school’s rules separately. | If I’m taking something in for my toddler to eat at nursery, I want to make sure the product and the setting’s rules suit our situation. For around 33% of consumers, checking allergens and policies comes first. |
| Preparation and storage | Check whether the product is ready to serve or needs baking, how long preparation takes, and what storage and defrosting instructions apply. | On a busy morning, I want to know when the croissants need to be ready and what I can keep in storage. For around 25% of consumers, preparation and supplies are the main concern. |
A luxury label or the use of butter doesn’t mean a croissant contains more fibre. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends wholemeal or brown bread for an everyday bread-based breakfast.
Enjoy a croissant as a change for a special breakfast, and compare the nutritional information for the product you choose.
Allergens vary from product to product. For example, AH Luxe roomboter croissant lists wheat, milk and egg, and may also contain almond and hazelnut.
Check the latest allergen information before buying. If the product isn’t packaged, ask for the information if necessary.
Bake-at-home and frozen products don’t need the same preparation. Jumbo says its luxury frozen croissants must be prepared and eaten within 24 hours of defrosting, and must not be refrozen.
Before planning breakfast, check the instructions on the packaging and only defrost as many as you’ll have time to prepare.
Some bake-at-home croissants list iodised salt in the ingredients. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt, so the product name alone doesn’t tell you which salt has been used.
Check the croissant’s ingredients rather than making assumptions about its iodine content based on the product category.
The differences below relate to the specific croissants and packaging mentioned, not each brand’s full range.
AH Luxe roomboter croissant is a single fresh croissant, ideal for a breakfast you want to serve straight away.
The products mentioned give you a choice between part-baked butter croissants and luxury frozen croissants.
Lidl describes its butter croissant as part of its freshly baked range, available in store only.
Aldi lists a fresh butter croissant sold individually for breakfast or a snack.
The PLUS products mentioned include a small croissant, bake-at-home croissants and a luxury frozen croissant.
Dirk lists a pack of 1 de Beste Roomboter croissants for enjoying at home.
This product selection features a pack of butter croissants for a special breakfast. Before serving, check how to prepare them and how much you want to serve.
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A pack that lets you plan several croissants for a special breakfast.
Contents: 4 pieces, 180 g. Check the packaging for preparation instructions, the latest allergen information, and whether the nutritional values are per 100 g or per serving.
It shouldn’t automatically become their everyday bread choice. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends wholemeal or brown bread for toddlers. Save a croissant for a special breakfast, and consider the rest of the meal too.
Check the allergens for the specific product. The croissants mentioned here list wheat or gluten, milk and egg, among other ingredients, and some carry warnings about nuts or soya. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says allergen information for prepacked products is shown on the label; for unpackaged products, it must be available before purchase.
You can’t tell from the word ‘croissant’. Some of the bake-at-home products mentioned list iodised salt, but the Netherlands Nutrition Centre says bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. Check the ingredients list for the product you choose.
Not if you’ve chosen the luxury frozen croissants mentioned from Jumbo or PLUS: both brands say not to refreeze them after defrosting. Jumbo also says its croissants must be prepared and eaten within 24 hours of defrosting. For other products, follow the instructions on the packaging.
