The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises replacing white bread with wholemeal or brown bread as often as possible. Of these types of bread, wholemeal contains the most fibre. For a toddler’s breakfast, choose a wholemeal bread your child is happy to eat, and check the ingredients and allergens on each pack. The texture, portion size and storage instructions will help you decide which bread is practical for your household.
You’re looking for bread for your toddler’s breakfast and would like to choose wholemeal more often. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises replacing white bread with wholemeal or brown bread as often as possible.
Your child leaves bread with a coarse texture uneaten. It may be worth seeing whether a finer-textured wholemeal bread goes down better, but don’t assume that every bread labelled ‘fine’ is wholemeal.
You’re buying bread to eat at home or to take to nursery or school. Check the allergens on the pack you choose, and ask separately about the rules at the place where the bread will be eaten.
Start by checking whether the bread is wholemeal and whether your child likes its texture. Then compare the information on the label and choose an amount you can store and use up.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Wholemeal and fibre | Check the product name and compare fibre content on the same basis, for example per 100 g. | If you want to replace white bread as a regular breakfast choice, look for clearly labelled wholemeal bread and compare its nutritional values; this would be the main purchasing concern for around 36% of consumers. |
| Taste and texture | Check that the fine-textured bread you’ve chosen is actually wholemeal and that your child gets on with its texture. | If your toddler leaves coarse-textured bread uneaten, the main thing is whether they’ll eat a finer-textured loaf; food acceptance would be the priority for around 29% of consumers. |
| Allergens | Read the current label. If you’re buying unwrapped bread, ask about allergens before buying, and check the nursery or school’s policy if needed. | If you need to account for an allergy or rules about food brought in from home, you’ll want to know which ingredients and allergens apply. This check would be the main concern for around 21% of consumers. |
| Portions and storage | Compare pack sizes and check whether, and how, the bread can be frozen. | If your household only gets through a few slices at a time, you’ll want to avoid a whole loaf going to waste; ease of storage would be the main purchasing concern for around 14% of consumers. |
Colour, seeds and the word ‘multigrain’ don’t tell you on their own whether a loaf is wholemeal. That can make it harder to switch from white bread with confidence.
Look for ‘wholemeal’ in the product name, then check the ingredients and fibre content per 100 g.
The wholemeal breads described by Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS list cereals containing gluten; other allergens and warnings vary by product.
Check the label of the specific variety each time you buy it. If you’re buying unwrapped bread, ask for allergen information, and check the nursery or school’s rules before sending bread in with your child.
A whole loaf may not be practical if your household only uses a few slices at a time.
See whether a smaller loaf would better suit what you can use up. If you want to freeze portions, follow the instructions for the product you’ve chosen.
Albert Heijn lists iodised salt as an ingredient in the AH Volkoren heel described here. The type of bread alone won’t tell you which salt has been used in another product.
If this matters to your choice, check the ingredients list on the loaf you’re actually buying.
The product page for AH Volkoren heel lists the ingredients, allergens, nutritional values and freezing instructions for this specific loaf.
Jumbo Fijn Volkoren is a specific example you can use to assess a fine-textured wholemeal bread by its ingredients and nutritional values.
Lidl describes a wholemeal kids’ bread made with extra-finely ground wholemeal flour, for families who pay attention to texture.
Alongside its fine-textured wholemeal bread, ALDI describes an extra-high-fibre wholemeal option.
The product page for PLUS Boeren Volkoren heel lists its ingredients, allergens, nutritional values and storage information.
Under the Bakker van der Akker name, Dirk offers products including a Boeren Extra vezels wholemeal loaf.
These options include rye bread, wholemeal flatbread, crispbread and wholemeal wheat bread that needs to be baked before eating. For a toddler’s breakfast, look beyond the wholemeal label and consider the type of bread, how it needs to be prepared and its allergens.
Image unavailable
A rye bread option if you’re considering a different type of bread alongside regular slices. Check the pack to see whether it is labelled wholemeal: the product information describes its rye base in different ways. The bread contains rye and gluten; check the current label for other allergens too.
Image unavailable
A flatbread option if you’d like to try something other than sliced bread. Check whether its shape and texture suit your child’s breakfast. The product contains wheat and gluten and may contain soya and milk; check the current label before buying.
Image unavailable
A crunchy breakfast option, but not a like-for-like replacement for soft bread. See whether your child will eat it, and check the current label carefully: the product information lists several allergens, including wheat, rye and sesame.
Image unavailable
A wholemeal wheat bread option if you can store and prepare the bread in advance. This variety is delivered frozen and, according to the product information, needs to be defrosted, baked and cooled before slicing. Check the preparation instructions and allergens on the pack.
Image unavailable
A wholemeal wheat bread option if defrosting and baking fit into your breakfast routine. Allow time for preparation and leave the loaf to cool before slicing. Follow the baking time on the pack, and check it for full allergen information too.
Yes. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises replacing white bread with wholemeal or brown bread as often as possible, and says wholemeal bread contains the most fibre. Choose bread your child is happy to eat, and check the ingredients if there are any allergen restrictions.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends around 2 to 3 slices of bread a day, usually split between breakfast and lunch. Think of breakfast as part of what your child eats throughout the day, rather than as a set number of slices they must always finish.
Wholemeal wheat bread contains gluten. The wholemeal breads described by Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS list cereals containing gluten; if there’s an allergen restriction, always check the specific pack and follow the relevant dietary advice.
Ask the seller before buying. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that allergen information must appear on the label of prepacked products, and must be made available in another way for unwrapped products.
You can if the instructions for the bread you’ve chosen allow it. Albert Heijn and PLUS say that their wholemeal loaves described here can be frozen on the day of purchase; PLUS says its product should be used within one month. Follow the instructions on the pack you buy.
