How can I pad out the calories?

[chelseamorning]

A question about my DS 2.10yr's meals rather than mine!

DS eats most things except meat and his appetite is generally okay. However he's on the thin side (he's tall for his age) and is waking earlier in the morning (6am, rather than 7-7.30am), saying he's hungry. However when I give him breakfast he only manages a small yogurt as he's too tired to eat anything else! I've made porridge with banana in it but he rarely eats it.

So, I was wondering if anyone can please suggest ways that I can healthily boost his calories. Like my DP and I, he doesn't have a very sweet tooth so we often don't eat puddings. DS will often refuse pudding but will just have grapes and a bit of cheese after his tea.

[MrsBadger]

if 6am is too early for more breakfast I'd either offer it later when he's likely to eat more or offer a decent elevenses mid-morning.

croissants? eggy bread? toast and peanut butter?

[AMumInScotland]

How about "second breakfast"? If he's hungry but not really awake enough to fancy much, then maybe another meal/big snack mid-morning would go down better?

But don't worry too much about his height/weight if he's just a naturally taller thinner shape - some people just are that way.

[Sheeta]

what about scrambled egg fopr breakfast? Can you give him a yoghurt when he wakes up and then try him with breakfast a little later?

Alternatively (and I know this will sound like going backwards) how about a small cup of milk in the morning?

[chelseamorning]

Thanks, ladies!

I do try and offer him a second breakfast but it can't be too substantial as he doesn't eat his lunch, the monkey! Will try and coax him with some breakfast treats. He loves eggs so will try them on toast or the eggy bread. Not sure how though with eyelids propped up with matchsticks!!

I've just been trying to think of a way to give him enough calories so that he doesn't wake up so early. Sort of break the cycle if I can. He's obviously still very tired when he wakes and is grouchy until his 30min nap at lunchtime.

I try and load his toast up with butter to give him more calories. Do you do anything similar?

Sheeta, he's not a big milk fan. Perhaps my fault as I BF him until 18 months. I'll try a yogurt smoothie though.

[Sheeta]

what about giving him a banana (or banana smoothie)? Will perk him up in the morning and lots of good calories.

[MrsBadger]

his milk preference is nothing to do with bf and def not your fault [slaps with wet fish ]
I bf dd for 18m and she loves milk - they just have different tastes.

'I've just been trying to think of a way to give him enough calories so that he doesn't wake up so early.'

but when he wakes up he isn't hungry
so he's not waking up because he's low on calories
If he (eg) woke up rattling the cot bars and shouting 'cereal! cereal!' I might suggest giving him more supper in the evening to fuel him through till breakfast, but that's obv not his problem.

If he's still obviously tired at 6am, can you coax him back to sleep till 7 or 7.30? Worked for us when dd went through a 5.30am patch - she thought she wanted to get up but if I put the sleepy music cd back on and tucked her back in (ie treated it as if it was a 'night waking' at 1am or so) after afew minutes she was happy to roll over and go back to sleep for an hour and woke up chirpy afterwards

[Lizzylou]

DS1 was the same, I used to give him a banana or some porridge about 1/2hour before bed.

[chelseamorning]

I've tried that but he can be fussy about only wanting the yogurt. Will keep trying though, thanks, as it's a good one.

Before bedtime, he only wants a very small cup of Ovaltine/similar, a fig roll, water and a couple of bites of banana. He generally sees banana only as a 'supper' food.

[chelseamorning]

MrsBadger, you're right about the BF/milk thingy! [slaps own face with a wet fish] Actually, he is hungry when he wakes early. He tells me he is and wolfs his yogurt down but then won't have anything else. I guess the little pot fills his stomach enough. (He's not a greedy child and has been known to hand back chocolate buttons if he's had enough!!! .)

If only I could coax him back to sleep! I've tried and it doesn't work sadly. He's in a big boy's bed and so can roam freely! [why oh why did we do it!] He wakes up and comes running in shouting "Mummy, I'm hungry/starving!!" and then stands so close to my face at my bedside that I can feel his breathe! He then badgers me so that I have to get up to fix him some breakfast.

[AMumInScotland]

If he's not eating much breakfast even though he says he's hungry, might he be thirsty? If he had a drink of water available when he woke - in whatever container you think he'd be safe to use of course! - maybe that would get him past that idea?

[randomtask]

Not probably what most parents would recommend (and probably not something I would do) but, when my best friend's son used to wake up aged 2, she trained him to go and help himself to a yoghurt! Meant he settled down again and had breakfast with her later on so two lots of meals.

My DSS is aged 8 and has only liked meat/milk/dairy things in the last year (he was brough up veggie til aged 3 and both parents went vegan for a while). But, we discovered we could sneak cheese on top of things (in very small quantities and then upped it slowly). Eggs are splendid for protein, as is the yogurt so if he could eat a yogurt after dinner he'd stay full for longer. DSS is also tall and skinny-I used to think it was because he didn't eat well (ate toddler portions aged 7) however, one year of living with me and DH (and not DH and spoiling grandparents) and he eats almost adult sized portions, looks healthier, has more energy but is still a skinny minnie. So don't worry about his shape, more his energy levels.

With the morning, try not getting up to give him breakfast-tell him you will make his breakfast in 20 minutes when you get up. It might just be he doesn't understand waiting but if you get up in the end, he never will. Worth a try!

[MiniMarmite]

Chelsea, I wonder if food combining at the evening meal and last thing before he goes to bed might help.

In other words, make sure both contain protein, carbs and complex carbs (veg or low GI fruit). e.g. brown bread, cheese, cucumber

Supposed to help the feeling of fullness last for longer.