I have made school mornings easier by putting breakfast out

[PrunellaMcTat]

I realise this wouldn't be for everyone, but it's really made a positive difference for us.

Before:
16yo dd moping about saying she can't face breakfast.
14yo ds in the kitchen frying eggs and making a mess.
10yo dd eating her body-weight in sugary crap cereal.

So I changed it a bit and now when everyone gets up (about 20 minutes after me) breakfast is out on the table. I do something different every morning, it's very simple, no choice, just sit down and eat what's there. They love it!

This week was:
M - croissants and jam and milo
T - porridge and fruit
W - brioche toast
Th - Yogurt and fruit
F - Eggy bread

I put out a hot drink, a bottle of OJ or water, and their vitamins.

It takes me 5 minutes, and they clear it all up when they're done. Everyone has been so much more cheerful in the morning. I've been doing it for a few weeks now - I include 5 simple breakfast choices along with my big weekend shop. It hasn't cost any more. The teens have even been getting up to join in breakfast on flexible learning days (when they don't have to be at school).

@UnshakenNeedsStirring she’s not making it the night before, she’s making it in the morning

Aw my mum used to do this

Ohh I see. I think I got muddled as I read further down and saw night before. Thanks

I get up with my teen DD every morning. Table is laid. She gets herself juice and cereal while I make coffee and toast or pancakes.
We chat over breakfast, lunch is made the night before and is in the fridge.
Uniform is clean and on hangers ready for the mornings.
Mornings run pretty smoothly.

I love this. My mil did this for her teenage sons and whenever we came to stay. Fruit salads were out the night before in bowls covered in cling film too. I'll definitely try and do this for my kids when they're teenagers, sounds much more organised and welcoming in the morning! My parents had nothing to do with my breakfast as a teen and it was a lost opportunity for connection I think.

We grew up like that and even in their late 80s my DPs always laid the breakfast table at night. In fact shortly before he died, I stayed overnight in order to catch an early train and my DF insisted in getting up to give me breakfast before I left - I was 63 at the time .

My children have made their own breakfast since they were about 4.

cereal or porridge.

I don’t eat breakfast so it never crossed my mind to make them anything special. But then they’re happy with the above, and the bowls just go in the dishwasher.

I found this confusing too but I think it’s because my kids are much younger - we’re nowhere near them making their own yet. I would like to do more hot food as we go into winter. We’ve got a bit stuck on porridge.

In comparison my breakfast with 3 yo was

DS: can I have some melon please?
Me: yes of course here you go a slice, now what else do you.......
DS: I WANTED BY BITS NOT SLICE I HATE SLICE WAAAAAAAAAAH
me: ok I can cut it up into bits
DS: NO ITS THE WRONG BITS I HATE THIS!!
me: ok so would you like some cereal?
DS: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
me: ok so I'm going to put out a bowl and spoon and you can pick your....
DS: THAT IS THE WRONG BOWL!!
me: ok you put it back and get another bowl then
DS: can I have some cornflakes?
me: yes of course, you can get them yoursel.....
DS: I DONT WANT CORNFLAKES I WANTED TOAST AND YOU TOOK MY BK AWAY I DONT WANT ANY OF THIS WAAAAAAAH!!

Etc etc until at some point I've got him enough food inside to stop the hangry outbursts.

Can't wait to have a 14yo cook themselves eggs!

This sounds lovely! I just through a bowl of sugary coco pops at them in bed & run away to work. You win the best breakfast award🥇

I thought this was normal

It sounds lovely and if it makes mornings less stressful then all the better.
Although make sure they know how to do it even if they don't often. Perhaps at weekends they can take turns in being responsible for breakfasts.

I still remember turning up at uni and a housemate asking me how to make cereal. I really thought he was joking but his mum had always poured it in to his bowl for him and he genuinely couldn't see what he had to do. Shocking!

Same! There’s no way I could be doing with all this breakfast prep! To quote Motherland, my kids would eat a bowl of lego if you put it in front of them. I get up, feed the baby, plonk her in high chair and start shovelling museli into her. My others (10 and under) roll out of bed and grab a bowl of cereal. Then they stick the bowl
in the dishwasher after. I’ve honestly never even thought of breakfast as a big
event! Or even a proper meal really…

This is so lovely ❤️

My two dcs have made their win breakfast fur AGES. Always porridge when both if them were at home. Taking turns to do it. They started when they were end of primary?
Now dc1 at Uni and dc2 has settled fur bacon and eggs. Which he also prepares.

🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

both systems can work

We lined up for porridge then sat down and ate it.

Some ideas for things you can prep in advance: boiled eggs/egg spread, waffles and pancakes can be frozen and then put in the toaster, put the milk and oats together the night before and it can then be eaten cold or heated very quickly with just a splash more of water/milk

It’s a nice habit to sit down together, it’s a nice habit to spend time together, and it seems a nice habit to keep mornings calm, but I’m not sure it’s a good habit to eat breakfast, in and of itself.

I can’t eat breakfast with my kids because I can’t face food in the mornings, it takes hours for me to get enough activity under my belt to start to feel hungry. Middle DC is the same, although loves breakfast foods, the favourite time to eat them seems to be either 4.30pm or 10.30pm. The idea of getting up and eating something straight away makes me feel all wrong and a bit sick, and nobody needs that over the breakfast table.

I grew up in a house where everything for the next morning was sorted out before bed. It meant that even though my mum worked outside of the home the house felt nice in the morning and we always had a nice breakfast and woke up to things being in order. I still do it now as do my children for my grandchildren.

Yes it’s normal in our house on week days. Table laid for breakfast - cereal / milk / yoghurt / fruit / juice etc out, with vitamins. (My kids aren’t big on cooked breakfasts). Everyone sits down and helps themselves.
DH is an early riser so he usually gets it ready, but if I am on my own I do it the night before. Makes breakfast less stressful.

However at the weekend it’s help yourself, because everyone wakes up at different times.

My Nan used to do this for us.
Love to say I followed on the tradition.
I haven’t.
Mine have a cereal bar and a homemade smoothie (if we don’t oversleep) on the way to work and school.
uniforms are always hung in the bathroom above the radiators so there warm out the shower.
i do try and get super organised it just doesn’t ever really happen !

Agg I wish I could do this but my cats would just sleep on the plates 🤣

I do usually just cook and serve breakfast for DC though.

A Mumsnet staple, surely? The 4 year old who can make their own porridge? (Presumably before completing their own reading record and ironing their own uniform and writing their acceptance letter to Harvard?)

I'm all for getting everything ready the night before: uniform, school bags, packed lunches etc. But even I don't put breakfast things out on the table! Mine are older now and just help themselves anyway.

@Ragwort that brought a tear to my eye. My DF was just like that, only I was in my 30s when he died 😢