3 year old hates breakfast…

[Spinningloom]

So much so, that he sometimes gags to the point of vomiting when it’s even mentioned.
He’ll have a smoothie for breakfast, sometimes a kid’s oatie bar thing (toddler range with low salt/sugar) but won’t have anything else.

The rest of the day he’s fussy, but nowhere near as bad as at breakfast.

It’s not a huge issue at the moment as I can give him a snack mid morning and give him his lunch accordingly. But when he starts nursery school next year and then reception the year after it’ll be more of an issue.
I don’t want him to be one of those kids who comes into school not having had breakfast. I worked in a school and I could see the difference it made to those who didn’t, they were always more lethargic and less likely to focus.

When I offered him some fruit and cereal this morning he literally gagged and vomited a little bit up. It’s bizarre! I’ve never come across anything like this before.

Ask him what would like to eat in the mornings? Involve him in it.

I can't stand sugary cereals and milk first thing. I much prefer savoury things (have been known to polish off leftovers from dinner the night before!) rather than bacon/eggs etc. Or just toast and marmite.

Do you only offer 'breakfast' foods? Can he choose pasta/cheese sandwich/breadsticks etc if the things you're offering don't appeal?

Is it that he isn’t hungry in the morning, or that he doesn’t like fruit and cereal/breakfast foods?

If the former: just wait till later and give him breakfast when he’s hungry.

If the latter: give him the same foods he’s willing to eat for other meals. There’s no reason why breakfast can’t be cottage pie if that’s what he likes.

Does he have breakfast as soon as he wakes up before getting dressed etc? If so maybe do the getting dressed stuff first and give him time to wake up a bit before breakfast. I say that as a person who cannot stand the idea of breakfast as soon as I get out of bed!

As the others are saying, scrap any notion of "breakfast" foods.
What does he enjoy eating that isnt sugar filled? Offer him that and see how you go.

My sister is like that. She doesn’t have breakfast but will eat something about elevenses (something like breakfast - cereal, toast, oatcakes). She is up at the crack of dawn but just doesn’t want to eat. If I was left to my own devices, I wouldn’t eat until lunchtime either.

Maybe just try something light (‘fuel in the engine’) and have a mid morning snack of something nice and healthy.

Some of us can't look at food in the morning. I still can't. It makes me feel ill if I eat too early. You could try more savoury foods to see if sweetness is the issue, even leftovers but I wouldn't force it. Surely he is having breakfast if he's having a smoothie and/or an oat bar then a mid-morning snack. How big a breakfast do you want him to eat?

It didn't cause me any lethargy or issues at school. Perhaps if I felt hungry in the mornings it would but I never do. He can still have a snack during break at school. Or do children not have breaks now?

Just carry on with the smoothie or oat bar. You can put some soaked oats in it.
Just give him bits of what he likes to eat to get him used to breakfast.

Just give him the smoothie. Its fine for breakfast

Smoothie seems like a good compromise. Does he eat late in the evening or still have milk at bedtime?

Funnily enough, I was like this myself as a child (now in my 40s). I just wasn't hungry at all first thing in the morning and I can recall times when I gagged on being forced (or "overly-encouraged") to eat something. I wasn't ill or anything.

In the end, I just had some milk or fruit juice and that was it. I still don't really eat breakfast now, to be honest, though I would no longer have a gag--reflex if I did eat something.

I can't really explain it I'm afraid, it was just what was normal for me. I don't remember having less energy or being lethargic as a result.

I guess the difference between what you've witnessed and your concerns for your son are that you are offering your son a choice which perhaps the school-kids didn't get - and maybe if they weren't offered breakfast there were other nutritional issues going on at home.

Sorry I can't offer more helpful advice. It's just that I know I grew up in the no-breakfast club, with similar reactions to those you describe, but don't recall suffering because of it.

Best wishes to you and your son. x

My daughters were the same, still are! They would have a glass of milk and one daughter might accept half a digestive biscuit, is all. They never grew out if it. I found it very unnerving, but there was nothing I could do. They are fine! They did very well at school!

My dd is the same as am I. I've resorted to giving her something just before we leave the house as she's not ready to eat for at least an hour after she wakes up. Some days she eats a croissant on the way. I do feel better if she's eaten before preschool but if not I warn them and they tend to give a bigger snack later on.

I used to throw DD a cereal bar/croissant/pancakes/occasionally toast in the car as she couldn't manage to eat until she had been up and about for a while. Eventually I stopped because school introduced breakfast club which worked as a compromise but for the first 3 years she only ever had something in the car. Even now she is grown and working full time she won't have breakfast until she is out of the house. On her days off she doesn't normally eat until around lunchtime, unless she is out.

Bizarre! Just give him what he wants. I struggle to eat before 8.30am ish and sometimes just have an apple and water. I would hate to be made to eat specific things. If he wants a smoothie every morning and/or a cereal bar what's wrong with that?? It's food and fuel and nutrients. Rethink this OP and ask yourself if he was an adult would you even be questioning this.

I never had breakfast as a kid and as an adult I wouldn’t eat cereal. Like ever.

Breakfast for me is eggs or toast.

Why not ask him what he wants? He might want a sandwich.

Also my children don’t eat until they’ve been up at least an hour.

Would he eat dry cereal like Cheerios and a drink of milk? Could add milk to the smoothie possibly. Ultimately I wouldn't worry too much just keep offering.. my 3 year old is the opposite - breakfast is the only meal of the day he will eat 🙈

Smoothie is a great compromise

I wouldn't try to insist he eats anything that makes him gag, you can get enough nutrients and calories in by smoothies or pain au chocolates or oatie bars or whatever he will eat instead.
My teenagers take a packet pain au chocolate or breakfast bar in with them if they don't want to / don't feel up to breakfast before school

They're old enough to describe it to me , that they feel nauseous as " stomach hasn't woken up yet "
Sometimes they'll eat full on scrambled eggs or bacon muffin for breakfast, sometimes cereal and sometimes won't want anything (depends on timing and how much they ate of evening meal)

Sometimes they eat the breakfast bar etc on way to school, sometimes between lessons or at break time

I wouldn't even stress about it. Kids change a lot in 2 years which is nearly what he has before starting school? Is he going to start nursery on full days? If so he will be offered three meals a day and two snacks. They tend to follow what the other kids do so that might get him in the habit of eating breakfast. Continue to offer a variety of foods for now at home but I really wouldn't worry about it.

Smoothies can be very nutritious. Skip the oatie bar though. But why offer only breakfast foods? I hated breakfast food even from age kindergarten just give him left overs from last night or maybe a bread meal or whatever just figure it out. Why force him to eat?

Is he getting to bed early enough and getting enough sleep?

I've never been about to stomach breakfast if I'm too tired, I'm the same now and if I war breakfast after a bad night's sleep I spend the next few hours trying not to be sick in my mouth!

I know a number of people who just can't stomach breakfast when they first get up in a morning (I'm not one of them!!) and will happily wait a couple of hours before they fancy eating. A smoothie isn't that bad, particularly if you can make you own - soak oaks in milk overnight then add the fruit and blend in the morning. Or make your oatie bars so he's not having a tonne of sugar.
Also, there's nothing wrong with having other types of food for breakfast!

I can’t look at food in the morning, makes me feel sick too
I wouldn’t worry about the school issue - the little ones will have milk and a piece of fruit at break time so with that and the oat bar and smoothie you give him that’s a complete breakfast - just spaced out a bit!

My 3 year old is exactly the same. Then about 11am she’s starving and won’t stop eating!

We have a while before they start proper school so I’m not stressing. Just keep offering.

As long as they are eating other times and ok weight wise then they’ll be fine.

My 2yo often won't eat until about 8:30 or eats 2 or 3 tiny portions spaced over a couple of hours. He's also fussy the rest of the time too. He's not at nursery yet but I expect I'll be giving him toast in the car if he doesn't grow out of it. Preschools, nursery and school usually do a mid morning snack so hopefully that will help your DS.