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).

Mm my naughty Labrador would have it if I left out! But my 14 year old likes overnight oats so I make that and put it in the fridge - super easy to get out in the morning! Most of the wasted time on a school morning is my 12 year old not being able to choose, though...

A simple but lovely way to get the school day off to a good start for your kids OP. Hopefully they will repay you by bringing you tea and toast in bed at the weekend. 🙂

"Don't people do this already?? Sorry, I'm puzzled at this revelation."

Same

Surely it's a good thing for teens to learn? How to feed themselves, preparing for a self sufficient adulthood instead of expecting their future woman to do it for them..

I'm surprised at the number of people who don't do this.

My mom always had my breakfast ready for me in the mornings. I do the same for my children now. I wake DD up, she eats, changes, etc and we can leave the house 15-20 minutes from the time she wakes. So efficient and so much more sleep for everybody.

Our morning routine is - DH brings me a coffee and I hide in bed drinking it while him and the kids have breakfast. Works for us.

Then do 't so it. 🤷‍♀️

I think this is lovely when you are morning people. But with teens? We have evening meal together, chat, even cook it together. But breakfast? My teens are out the door before my caffeine has even kicked in. We'll chat later on when we are all feeling not so 'morningy'

Am I the only person to notice (and think it odd) that three people on the thread have referred to giving their children vitamins at b/f time? I'm assuming these are vitamin tablets or similar. Why?? Unless they are required for a specific medical deficiency, why do children need to take vitamins?

I'm not waiting on my kids like this. They're not royalty. They can make their own breakfast, clear and rinse their bowls.
Maybe on their birthday they'll get a special cooked breakfast and full silver service.

Everyone in my house is allergic to mornings, we try and avoid each other as much as possible! Also the dc have been refusing breakfast practically since they were toddlers. It would be a wasted effort here, sadly, as it sounds great.

Nice to read of all the posters doing the same. It's not something we did at home growing up, but I do have happy memories of having breakfast with grandparents when we went to stay. They used to put the toaster on the breakfast table and plug it in so you could have hot toast at the table!

Really?

You're puzzled by this? How odd.

The OP's not claiming it's a revelation not previously known to anyone.

The number of people capable of being 'puzzled' or 'confused' by this is simply extraordinary.

Absolutely, mine can dish out their own cereal, make their own porridge, eggy bread, bacon and egg etc. but on a school day they are late risers and are lucky to get soggy toast

Always set the table but only for cereal and toast and yoghurt but I am pretty sure this helped all the teens to eat breakfast every day rather than going to school with out. They all came and went as suited them, didn't all sit together but it did seem to help and mess confined too.

It’s recommended for kids between 6 months and 5 to take vitamins

Toaster on the table is a great idea

I don't really get thiss thead.I mean all you are saying is you set the breakfast table the night before?
I mean nearly everything either needs cooking in the morning or keeping in the fridge or bread bin?

That sounds epic though wouldn’t work here. My DD is an early riser and in the kitchen at 7am before I’m up. My DS gets up about 20 minutes before he’s meant to be in school and races out the door still putting on his tie. I start work at 9am so on office days I need to be out before he gets up. He’s never been much of a breakfast fan anyway, but he’ll pick up something to eat in school at break time. He’s more of a bruncher than a breakfaster. Sometimes my DD and I will go for a very early swim (6.30-7.30am) and pick up some crusty bread from Lidl on the way home. We all eat together at night though.

Lol. This is turning into a bit of a MN Bingo thread isn't it.

"All you're saying is..." (not what I said in any of my posts)

My mum used to do this. My sisters were much younger than me and went in the school taxi. I used to be up very early so I would come in from riding or driving training and into the shower and then grab something before running for the bus so I didn’t always sit down with them.

I did it for mine when we lived in Scotland and had a friend’s three children for a long weekend so she could go to a Amateur Drama comp. she complained afterwards (tongue in cheek) that now they wanted porridge every morning.

Later on I child-minded for a few years and had a friend’s 4 children on a four day rota while she retrained as a midwife. She used to put them through the door with a loaf of bread and a large box of cornflakes at 7am. I had eight for breakfast including my baby( I had four too) but sometimes I made pancakes or muffins too. Two would go on the bus at 8am and two would arrive and sometimes have a second breakfast. It was hectic but fun!

Amused to think some posters think the OP makes the breakfast the night before. She sets the table!

Glad it is working for you OP some of my teens were early risers but the last two were awful to get up!DD had a banana or a muffin in the car and a smoothie some mornings.

@JustLyra
Why is that? Is it based on an assumption that they will not get the appropriate nutrients from their meals?
However did generations of humans survive and thrive without vitamin supplements as children! It sounds to me like a marketing racket.

Don't people do this already?? Sorry, I'm puzzled at this revelation.

Nah.. My eldest has always been an extremely early riser, so he was trained to make his own breakfast (cereal/toast/some awful sandwich idea of his own making) from when he was about 6, and his brother joined in from 3!

They don't make a mess or cause chaos though - just get what they want, eat it, and put the plate in the kitchen. I can see that if there was a lot of kerfuffle, or the kids weren't 'morning people' then this way would be much easier.

At weekends we have brunch together though, which is nice.

No. But it's good for them to learn how to wash and dry up and they chat away while doing it. Saving electricity anyway I can these days.