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AIBU?

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Original poster

To not know what to feed her??

39 replies

ThePebbleCollector · 03/06/2016 10:37

Posting for traffic because I know you will all have some good suggestions.

For the last few months it's been a nightmare trying to get my now 16 month old daughter to eat her breakfast. She enjoys Porridge, Wheatabix..etc but lately when we put her to the table in the morning it's just outright refusal, anything from pushing the bowl away and shaking head, to saying "all gone" Or screaming bloody murder as soon as she's sat down. I know it's not the chair, table, cutlery, food etc as she is happy with them at any other time of the day (within reason)

We keep having to take her to nursery and explaining she hasn't ate again, in which she will then be given breakfast at nursery and will usually eat half or all of it (same things we provide at home). We obviously don't want to get into the habit of it is not a regular arrangement with the nursery, but they are happy to feed her if for whatever reason she hasn't eaten.

Anyway. This morning i decided to try some "finger food" scrambled egg and a potato cake. She had a few bites and wanted to get down again. So I put the bowl on the foot stool, and she kept going back to it and eating bits of her dinner whilst playing.

Clearly after being in bed all night she doesn't want to be restricted to her high chair.

So to get to the point;

Does anyone have any suggestions for good finger food/on the go food I can give her in the morning? As I am not leaving a bowl of weetabix on the stool for her to chuck around the carpet and im not feeding her eggs and potato cakes every day, it's not really the best brekkie! :)

I was thinking maybe some kind of cereal bar made at home with oats? I don't know... I don't bake... wouldn't know where to start!

OP posts:
Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 03/06/2016 10:37

*breakfast, not dinner. Typo!

OP posts:
Noisylion · 03/06/2016 10:40

Eggy bread, crumpets with cheese, a bagel with Philadelphia?

Noisylion · 03/06/2016 10:44

You could make some American style pancakes you can make them with blueberries or banana.

memyselfandaye · 03/06/2016 10:48

Ham, cheese, crackers or breadsticks and yoghurt, that was the standby snack food for my refuser, it still is now he's five.

HairsprayBabe · 03/06/2016 10:49

deliciouslyella.com/guest-recipe-blueberry-porridge-squares/

You could try something like that bake them up sunday evening and have enough for the week?

You could try banna or other fruit, eggs are a really really good breakfast so omlet strips and brown toast would also be healthy and easy to grab!

BillSykesDog · 03/06/2016 10:50

My little boy is the same. He really doesn't like eating in the morning and will only have small amounts over a pretty long period. I have given him Nakd bars (oats, seeds, nuts mixed with pulped dates or figs), smoothies, toast fingers with peanut butter, mini sausages, yogurts with sunflower seeds.

Sometimes though, I do let him just not eat. He isn't hungry and I don't see the point in forcing him if he doesn't want to. He just has a reduced appetite in the morning and is perfectly happy with a bit of toast mid morning to tide him over until lunchtime.

I do have sympathy because I also don't like to eat much until about 11am earliest when I'll just have something very light.

Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 03/06/2016 10:50

Didn't think of crumpets, doh! Other half bought a packet of scotch pancakes but that's a bit sugary for my liking (although I won't deny her a couple!) breadsticks and yoghurt is a good idea too.

I'm afraid she doesn't like cheese in any form!

Will try her out with some pancakes (home made) tomorrow :)

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Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 03/06/2016 10:53

Sometimes though, I do let him just not eat. He isn't hungry and I don't see the point in forcing him if he doesn't want to. He just has a reduced appetite in the morning and is perfectly happy with a bit of toast mid morning to tide him over until lunchtime.

I do understand what you mean, I am the same and don't eat until It's about 9am at work.

We get up at 6/6:30am latest, and she's out the door by 7:30, so it's a lot of messing and I think she just wants to play and chill.

She did seem to want to eat once she was on her own two feet and could do it at her leisure, and finished her potato cakes in the pram on the way to nursery. And she will have milk too.

They do have a fruit snack in the morning, and lunch quite early at 11:30am, so I guess I shouldn't get too worried. She is very active though :)

OP posts:
Noisylion · 03/06/2016 10:56

Yes I think if you make them you don't need to add any sugar.

This probably sounds gross but my mum used to give me dry weetabix with butter on as it was the only way I'd eat them (we did have other normal breakfasts too), I'd still eat them like that only I'm too embarrassed.

Newmanwannabe · 03/06/2016 10:57

Breakfast muffin? Smoothie? Sandwich?

Rinceoir · 03/06/2016 10:57

Mine doesn't like to eat first thing either. I always offer porridge/weetabix in the morning. Sometimes she eats, other times not but will usually have something in nursery.

NoahVale · 03/06/2016 10:58

oh weetabix with butter. food of my youth.

Liiinooo · 03/06/2016 11:13

I don't like eating first thing either. If they can give her breakfast at nursery just go with that and enjoy a less stressful morning routine. If she ever says she is hungry a banana, fromage frais in a tube or some milk will keep her going until she gets there.

Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 03/06/2016 11:17

Breakfast muffin? Smoothie? Sandwich?

Muffin - as I said I don't bake, but would imagine most are just sugary cakes?

Smoothie - she drinks nothing but milk and water

Sandwich - doesn't like them - just de-constructs and uses them as craft items lol

May have a look for some oat recipes over the weekend and try and make her some relatively healthy cereal bars. I'm a bloody good cook but god do I hate baking.

OP posts:
NoahVale · 03/06/2016 11:21

perhaps she is full of milk?

Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 03/06/2016 11:21

I don't like eating first thing either. If they can give her breakfast at nursery just go with that and enjoy a less stressful morning routine

I don't like eating first thing either. If they can give her breakfast at nursery just go with that and enjoy a less stressful morning routine

The children at nursery who have full days come in at 7am, they have breakfast, she does 8 til 1pm and really only her lunch and snacks are included. So if she skips breakfast she will be sat at the table on her own for a bit (or with any other breakfast skippers) on the days we don't get anything in her. I don't want to get into a habit of taking the mick and just sending her for her nursery brekkie. As it's not something that could continue as easily when she moves up into a bigger room. I'd rather she didn't get into the habit of going there for her breakfast.

Not that it plays on my mind at all to any great degree. Just something I'd like to try and sort at home if I can :)

OP posts:
NoahVale · 03/06/2016 11:23

does she like bake beans?
toast and marmite?
a banana?

Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 03/06/2016 11:24

perhaps she is full of milk?

Nope. She is offered her brekkie first, then if its a no she will get a bit of milk or water, then offered again.

Doesn't matter what order she has anything in it seems to have little effect. Some mornings she could have a full bottle of milk and brekkie, other mornings just water, and still not want food...etc..

As I said. If she is stood up and has access to the food but doesn't have to sit with it she goes to it and eats at her leisure. Which is why I think it's more of she's been stuck in the cot and just wants to get out and about. Hence me asking for the "finger food" advice. As it seems being at the table at her breakfast isn't going to be her thing :)

OP posts:
NoahVale · 03/06/2016 11:24

do you eat breakfast with her?
if not, i think that would help

FIS2016 · 03/06/2016 11:26

Do you give her milk after she wakes up?

Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 03/06/2016 11:26

does she like bake beans? - nope, plus I'm looking for ideas that mean she can stay out of her high chair, beans and roaming around the house just don't mix lol
toast and marmite? - marmite - not having that nasty stuff in my house haha! Toast she will chew on with little interest, gave her toast in her pram yesterday, but it was more something to lazily chew on than eat :D
a banana? - offered in the morning now and again but she has a lot of banana at nursery - such a thing as too much banana? i dunno...

OP posts:
NoahVale · 03/06/2016 11:27

i think she should still sit down and eat, even if it is only the pretence of eating.

NoahVale · 03/06/2016 11:28

she wouldnt be allowed to wander around at nursery eating i bet

Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 03/06/2016 11:30

do you eat breakfast with her? - yep we all sit at the dining table together and generally eat the same thing

Do you give her milk after she wakes up? - nope, she gets up, nappy change, then is free to roam around with a sippy cup of water left out for her while we make breakfast. She gets put in the high chair when all is ready which ranges from screaming on the way up there, getting in ok but asking for her dummy/bunny rabbit, looking at the food and pushing it away, crying, and sometimes actually eats it... with no difference in routine most days.

If she doesn't eat anything at all she may ask for a bottle of milk, and gets it, but it seems to have no affect on her eating habbits.

As I said I don't think its a food thing, I think it's being stuck in the high chair thing, hence my suggestions for food she can just get to herself while we all sit together in the living room. As that seems to suit her better (Nursery is the same case where they all have fruit they can access when they like..etc)

OP posts:
Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 03/06/2016 11:32

she wouldnt be allowed to wander around at nursery eating i bet

At nursery they have a fruit bowl they can access and sippy cups around that they all use at their leisure, they sit at a small table together in chairs for their dinner.

At home she is happy to sit in the high chair for lunch on a weekend, and every evening meal.

So I'm not too bothered if she wants to wander in a morning, no bother to me, I only get an hour with her most mornings so if that's what makes her happy so be it. We still are all together, just not sat at the table.

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