Breakfast struggle

**preciousbabyboy** · 31-05-2011 10:56

This morning DS (4 1/2yrs) took half hour to eat his breakfast (did not finish there were about 4-5 mouthfuls left). I struggle most mornings to get him to eat his breakfast, it is his breakfast of choice though. This morning I said to him if he didnt finish his breakfast before it was time to go he would not have time to choose 'show and tell' as he ate right up until 8:45 when we had to leave. We then left, I said he couldnt choose show and tell as he took too long eating his breakfast and didnt finish therefor didnt have time to choose any as we had to leave. He was very uncooperative and would not put shoes on and I pretty much had to drag him to class.

I am now feeling bad for not letting him take 'show and tell' as most of the other kids take it along. should I feel bad or is this hopefully going to pay off and teach him to eat his breaky faster? (I would have thought 1/2 was more than enough time to eat 2 weetbix)

please feel free to offer any honest advice or personal experience

**AndrewTheEmu** · 31-05-2011 11:07

Does he take forever to eat every meal or just breakfast?

If yes, maybe he is just a slow eatter. Set a time limit of 15mins and whatever he doesn't eat gets tossed. In the long run it's a great thing. He'll never over eat because he is allowing himself time to feel full and know when to stop.

If no, maybe he's not that hungry at breakfast time. And trying to force him to eat when he is not hungry is going to encourage a bad relationship with food.

Have you thought of getting some 'up n go' poppers or Mulesie bars that he can drink/eat on the way?

**shinebrite** · 31-05-2011 11:09

Just check and make sure he hasn't got a sore throat or abnormally large tonsils. Half an hour is good for us! DD takes over an hour to eat anything! But she has just had her tonsils removed. Maybe you could make some healthy cereal style muffins and pop them in the freezer for him to have... Maybe he is getting bored? I know as a child I hated breakfast! I still remember my nana asking me what I wanted over and over and over!!!! Drove me crazy as I didn't want it until at least 9 or 10. I have done a bit of reading and people who aren't hungry in the mornings means they can't digest meat quick enough so not to eat meat at night, not sure if that's the case in kids tho!

**waterlily** · 31-05-2011 11:10

Originally Posted by TheSudgestionator

Does he take forever to eat every meal or just breakfast?

If yes, maybe he is just a slow eatter. Set a time limit of 15mins and whatever he doesn't eat gets tossed. In the long run it's a great thing. He'll never over eat because he is allowing himself time to feel full and know when to stop.

If no, maybe he's not that hungry at breakfast time. And trying to force him to eat when he is not hungry is going to encourage a bad relationship with food.

Have you thought of getting some 'up n go' poppers or Mulesie bars that he can drink/eat on the way?

I agree!

DD started to take forever to eat her brekky and I'm talking 20 mins to eat half a slice of toast. So we started giving her breakfast later because she clearly wasn't hungry. I know that's not a real option for you so I think like PP has suggested maybe an up and go to and a price of fruit in the car?

Maybe make some healthy snacks he can have too?

**KatiesMum** · 31-05-2011 11:29

also a problem for us ....

what I have done (that seems to be working

- if she doesnt finish her breakfast (she usually has dry cereal such as sultana buds or weetbix fruitybix ... her choice) then the treat for morning tea comes out of her lunch box, and the leftover breakfast goes in.

- we have a reward chart for breakfast. She gets a tick for finishing her breakfast before leaving for school. If she doesnt finish (aside from getting leftover brekkie in her lunch box) I take a tick off. 5 ticks and she gets to order her lunch from the canteen. (So basically, if she eats her breakfast all week ... Monday she gets a lunch order)

Seems to work pretty well - have been going for about 4 or 5 weeks now, and she has had probably 3 lunch orders ... so more often than not she is eating properly.

Dinner is a whole other issue though

**nicoleE** · 31-05-2011 11:35

I think kids can just be slow eaters weather it's just them or the age/phase they are in.

I wouldnt rush too much - who wants to be rushed to eat? Can't you try to give it to him earlier so he can still take his time and be out the door on time?

DD is 3.5 and can take a while to eat her breakfast sometimes, her weetbix goes all cold and gluggy but she doesn't seem to mind she still eats it! Sometimes I threaten to turn the tv off though as it's on cartoons while breakfast is on as she can get fixated on that and not her breakfast.

I agree to never make a child eat all their food whatever the meal apparently it can lead to problems/obesity later in life. I tell her to eat until she is full, sometimes she will eat all 3 weetbix (Inc a cup of milk over it) other times she won't even get through half of that! She won't starve there's always a healthy snack a couple of hours away.

I don't like to rush kids too much at least not to the point where it's stressful for them, they are kids they go at their pace!

**4fullstop** · 31-05-2011 11:42

Originally Posted by preciousbabyboy

This morning I said to him if he didnt finish his breakfast before it was time to go he would not have time to choose 'show and tell' ......
....I am now feeling bad for not letting him take 'show and tell' as most of the other kids take it along. should I feel bad or is this hopefully going to pay off and teach him to eat his breaky faster?

PP's all have good advice about the eating - so I'll add don't feel bad about this. You told him what would be the consequence if breakfast wasn't finished - in the long run it would be worse to not stick to this consequence. I'm very wary of making false "threats" to my children, I never offer a consequence that I'm not willing to follow through on. Sometimes it upsets me more than them I think!!

**missie_mack** · 31-05-2011 11:43

I dunno about rewarding children for finishing meals they otherwise wouldn't. I think it encourages them to overeat and the whole 'clean your plate' theory is a big part of the obesity issues in society.

Having said that my DS is often a pain to feed for any meal. Breakfast is difficult because it is a tight schedule. Often I reduce the amount of cereal (or porridge as it is at the moment) and add fruit to be eaten on the drive to school (we live about 25 minutes away from preschool) If its not eaten it is just added to his lunchbox where he can eat it later, should he choose to do so.

**4fullstop** · 31-05-2011 11:59

Originally Posted by missie_mack

I dunno about rewarding children for finishing meals they otherwise wouldn't. I think it encourages them to overeat and the whole 'clean your plate' theory is a big part of the obesity issues in society.

I agree completely. But if you tell a child "If X, then Y" I think it's important to stick to it. (although yes, there are always exceptions to every rule).

I guess the other thing I thought of is if your child has always eaten 2 weetbix, they do change their habits as they seem to go through growth spurts & then periods of not needing so much. My 2yo DS went though 3 or 4 months where he'd *smash* 2 weetbix and a piece of toast the second he got out of bed, but now doesn't ask for breakfast for about an hour after he's been up, and only has 1 weetbix. These little people - there's so many variables - and just when you think you've got their routine & them... they go & change!!!

**Ana Gram** · 31-05-2011 12:02

DD hardly eats anything in the morning. It is enough of a struggle to get her out of bed lol She has half a piece of toast at the moment and that is it. When bananas were not so costly, it would be half a banana as well ,but she really had to force it down.

I make sure she has a full lunch box instead of making her eat when she clearly isn't hungry. But she must have something in her stomach before school, even if it is just half a piece of toast.