I've lost all perspective on breakfast. Please advise!

[KindergartenKop]

I'm in an ongoing battle with my kids over breakfast. I want them to have plain porridge, they want toast with jam, chocolate spread and pancakes on. We usually compromise somewhere in the middle. They also take ages to make any choices for breakfast, thus making me late for meetings etc etc.

So new plan is that I tell them the breakfasts available in the week and they choose which day it happens in advance. So in a week they have to have...

2 x cereal (not fun ones) or porridge with small amount of raisins or half a banana and peanut butter.

2 x plain yogurt with frozen fruit.

1 x treat breakfast (pancakes or croissant and jam etc)

1 x fruit smoothie and a chunk of cheese/babybel.

1 x egg on toast

Also fresh fruit if they want it.

Is this crazy? Is this too much sugar? I've lost all perspective! They are 6 and 8. I'm a bit concerned they need to keep dairy consumption up, they don't drink milk at all.

Just let them have toast if its what they want. Give them yoghurt with lunch or a milkshake later if you're worried about milk - but aren't they above the age where you worry about milk consumption? Just make sure they have a selection of food groups over the course of the day, there is no rule saying you have to have milk at breakfast.

It does sound like you're setting yourself up for food battles and them up for food issues.

You are massively overcomplicating your life, in my opinion. I'd say:
Weekdays: they choose from a selection of healthy cereals including porridge or toast.
Weekends: egg on toast offered one day, 'treat breakfast' offered the other.
I'd probably fit the babybel, yoghurt, fruit in as snacks/ puddings.

Even better if you can make the jam/etc accessible so they can spread the toast themselves/ grab a yoghurt of fruit if they want it.

Having a list they have to work through is just crackers. Completely crackers.

I eat plain porridge every day not so liked by small kids though.
Do not buy chocolate spread or pancakes, lessen the choice, they are 6 & 8 and you’re not a bloody servant catering to every whim; cereal or toast if they refuse well they’ll be hungry!

I hate porridge so I'd be like your kids and wanting something else!

Just have healthy breakfast foods that they like in the house and then tell them what's for breakfast each morning - takes away the choice and drama. If they don't have cereal you can give them a glass of milk if you want to get milk in them Eg

Toast with cheese spread/ peanut butter/ low sugar jam and a glass of milk
Weetabix, milk and fresh berries
Shreddies
Scrambled egg on toast
Bagel and cream cheese
Low sugar granola and green yoghurt

Just let them have toast, surely?

All that fuss over a few spoons of milk- surely if they don’t drink milk the don’t drink what’s left in the cereal bowl? So it probably doesn’t even count as a portion.

Just give them toast. I honestly don’t know why this needs to be such a battle. Make sure they have yogurt, cheese, cream on puddings etc if you’re so worried about dairy.

To add, you heathens putting sugar in porridge!!
It’s savoury not sweet, if anything a dash of salt 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

@lucysmam

How old are they?

It clearly says 6 & 8 !

You don’t need milk. No one needs milk. That’s just marketing.

Take a look at their diet as a whole and get the additional nutrients in elsewhere.

Breakfast battles start the whole day off on a shitty note.

Ours have cereal for breakfast on weekdays and usually eggs and toast, pancakes or croissants on the weekend. As long as the other meals are balanced a bit of sugar won't kill them. They will sometimes have porridge and I will put some honey in it or dried fruit.

Your list reads like a nightmare. My kids get a choice of cereals (usually shreddies, branflakes, special K or Rice Krispies) with milk.....every day. That’s it. Same age as your DC. And they get it themselves.

So many complications. It's breakfast. Don't give them so many options!

Poached eggs on toast.
Boiled eggs and soldiers.
Cheese omelette.
Bacon rolls.
Marmite on toast.
Plain croissants with ham and/or cheese.
Any complaints ‘the kitchen is closed’ Or ‘there isn’t a menu as it’s not a restaurant’.
On a side note, the 8yo is old enough to be taught how to use a toaster and microwave so can help himself and make breakfast for his sister (if he’s feeling generous).

There are some seriously weird attitudes to food on mumsnet, particularly children’s diets. My SIL is an NHS dietician and she is often aghast at mumsnet food discussions!

They don’t need a different breakfast menu everyday, and bribing them to eat stuff they don’t like with the promise of ‘treat’ breakfasts at the weekend could very easily lead to issues around food. Offer them cereal (weetabix, shreddies, cornflakes) or toast with butter, and jam if they want it.

A teaspoon of Jam on your childrens toasts won’t harm them but setting them up with strictly controlled rules around food will !

Mine have porridge with honey and banana, healthy ish cereals (low sugar cheerios, shredded wheat, muesli) or toast with peanut butter, or yoghurt with nuts and fruit. They do get to choose from those although porridge is only on offer if DH is cooking it

Anything fancier (harder work) or less healthy is very very occasional and definitely weekends only

I think you’re making life very complicated for yourself

When my older two were around that age we switched to breakfasts they could make themselves every weekday and I or DH would do something special like pancakes, eggy bread or bacon sandwiches at the weekend. Initially it was a choice of cereal, toast or yogurt but they can now make smoothies and DD1 (11) can fry an egg if she wants one. I do tend to allow jam but don't regularly buy the highly sugary cereals.

This is a lot of angst over nothing really.

My kids have

Ds - golden syrup porridge, a banana and a smoothie every single day

Dd - bagel with butter or sometimes crunchy nut cornflakes and a smoothie

I really feel like you're overthinking it and giving them jam is not a big deal

My dd (admittedly only 2) loves porridge. I add a handful or frozen blackberries or strawberries while cooking which adds natural sweetness without sugar which might work?

I second BillMasheen - you have no need to be concerned about dairy, as children do not need to have any. It really is not necessary. How do you think vegan children or children with dairy allergy stay healthy?
Just let them eat toast if they don't want non-sugary cereal and milk.

@TriflePudding

There are some seriously weird attitudes to food on mumsnet, particularly children’s diets. My SIL is an NHS dietician and she is often aghast at mumsnet food discussions!

They don’t need a different breakfast menu everyday, and bribing them to eat stuff they don’t like with the promise of ‘treat’ breakfasts at the weekend could very easily lead to issues around food. Offer them cereal (weetabix, shreddies, cornflakes) or toast with butter, and jam if they want it.

A teaspoon of Jam on your childrens toasts won’t harm them but setting them up with strictly controlled rules around food will !

Agree completely Kids that age love to eat pretty much the same breakfast every day, in my experience. My DSD was previously stuck on a crappy chocolate cereal and we had to do some work but now breakfast is a relatively healthy cereal and a piece of fruit and the choice of toast or plain yoghurt w maple syrup. Homemade pancakes or a croissant as a weekend treat. Not exactly perfect (could be less sugar of course) but low stress and low fuss which makes for a good start to the day.

Mine have toast and cheerios during the week and pancakes, croissant or egg on toast at the weekend.

DS loves plain porridge I didn't realise he was an anomaly! He tends to have fruit on it for flavour, chopped banana, blueberries, strawberries etc depending what's in season, or we often have stewed apples and pears with cinnamon in the freezer as we get a huge amount in the autumn from MIL , toast with butter/peanut butter, or an egg and a piece of fruit and if he had the latter he either has some plain Greek yogurt or a cup of milk. Those are the options and he can choose from those. If there's no Nutella in the house they can't have it

Mine have toast with either peanut butter or jam, glass of milk, boiled egg (a bit of sugar at breakfast is not so bad I think). I put a plate of fruits (e.g. Cut up banana, grapes, berries or apples) and many times they help themselves. Fancy breakfast is in the weekend. Don't create massive work for yourself, and def don't offer them a menu choice!