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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

7 year old and breakfast

58 replies

Poppets14 · 07/11/2021 18:53

My dd7 is a very early riser- if she had it her way she’d be up and dressed at 5:30am!

We all get up around 6-6:30 Monday - Saturday as we all have work or school.

Now Sundays I would love to stay in bed until around 7:30am- a lie in!

My idea is to put her cereal in a Tupperware box, her bowl and spoon out on the table and a little jug of milk in the fridge so she can get up go downstairs have breakfast and watch tv until we get up.

AINBU and thinking this is ok once a week? We eat breakfast asa family all the other days.
Is this ok?
AIBU? Part of me thinks maybe this is a bit mean to let her get up by herself.

Opinions please?

OP posts:
DancingQueen85 · 07/11/2021 19:49

My 6 year old often gets their own breakfast

BrilliantBetty · 07/11/2021 20:00

My 7yo is allowed downstairs on her own on a Sunday morning. I leave out a banana and a wrapped brioche for her, until proper breakfast later on.
She'll sometimes get a yoghurt from the fridge too.

I could imagine her tipping over a box of cereal / spilling milk everywhere.. but they've got to learn at some point.

GinGinItsAWonderfulThing · 07/11/2021 20:24

Just let her help herself. Maybe rejig cupboards if they can’t reach certain things?

Mine aren’t allowed cereal in the week or on sports Sunday, so can fill their boots on a Saturday, and do 🤣 it means I can lie in one blooming day a week!

Myusernameisnotmyusernameno · 07/11/2021 20:24

Our 8yo has been doing this for a while and been fine. She loves it actually and is usually online to her school friend already Grin

newmum0604 · 07/11/2021 20:32

You weigh her cereal?

Mossstitch · 07/11/2021 20:43

I must have been a terrible parent🤔😱 I used to go out on a Friday, only swimming and drink after with a friend, but mine used to get a treat left out for them Saturday morning, all three in a row on sofa under blanket watching TV📺😁 they used to have what we called 'penny mixtures' 25p worth of sweets each or the little packets of cereal which they ate like popcorn. (I can hear sharp intake of breath from all the healthy eaters😱 but I cook from scratch mostly and everybody likes a treat😋) If too young to pour drinks then they were left in cups with spouts in the fridge (which I confess youngest used til he was about 7😳). They are all grown up and teeth are fine😍 and I was a light sleeper so always aware they were up and listening out for them.

gibsonle · 07/11/2021 20:47

@GinGinItsAWonderfulThing

Just let her help herself. Maybe rejig cupboards if they can’t reach certain things?

Mine aren’t allowed cereal in the week or on sports Sunday, so can fill their boots on a Saturday, and do 🤣 it means I can lie in one blooming day a week!

They'd aren't allowed cereal?
Bobsyer · 07/11/2021 20:48

She’s 7 Confused it would be fine every morning. What do you think could happen?

AllWaxedOut · 07/11/2021 20:50

A 7yo is more than capable of getting up and making some cereal! Toast too in our house, but we live on the wild side 😏

Without turning this into a boasting thread at 7 DD could follow a recipe and bake simple cakes independently (apart from the oven!).

Children are very capable of given the chance.

Bobsyer · 07/11/2021 20:50

I do think it’s a good idea to have the milk in a jug and a small bowl rather than weighing her portion.

Yellow85 · 07/11/2021 20:51

My seven year old goes downstairs each morning and puts on tv. He always comes in to us first to make sure it’s ok. He waits for breakfast, but sometimes he’ll help himself to a cereal bar. We’re usually down about 10-15 mins behind him.

TheVolturi · 07/11/2021 20:56

Totally fine! You need a rest. And if she's happy to do that then great.

HopelesslyOptimistic · 07/11/2021 20:58

Absolutely no problem. Enjoy your extra hour.

GinGinItsAWonderfulThing · 07/11/2021 21:21

@gibsonle - Not on school/sport days, no. It doesn’t stick with them. If they have it they have to have something substantial to go with it.

Cereal (I’m not talking porridge) doesn’t last long, they get hungry when they’re busy. So they can eat all the chocohoop/coco pop/shreddie/krave/crap they like on a Saturday/holiday when they don’t have to use their brains or bodies for anything decent.

Startrooper · 07/11/2021 21:23

My 6yo can do his own porridge in the microwave or granola and yoghurt, but I always get up when he wants breakfast as I worry about choking if we were upstairs still asleep. True choking is silent so it’s not like you’d know if you weren’t in the room.

Indoctro · 07/11/2021 21:34

My 7 year old make him and his younger brother porridge every morning

That's more than acceptable at that age. I would be encouraging her to make her own breakfast, it creates independence.

My son feels very important doing his breakfast duties

Crumblinginside · 07/11/2021 21:38

Ours are this age and have got up on their own for years! They come in and say hello and watch you tube kids
To be fair they don't wake until 8 and don't need breakfast straight away.

You sound so nice.

sunflowerroses · 07/11/2021 21:45

Mine started getting breakfast occasionally alone at around 5 years old. They are now 8 and 6 and almost always get their own, even on school days. We sit round the table for every other meal we are home for so I don't feel guilty about it!

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 07/11/2021 21:51

If you were a lone parent and this was the only opportunity for you to steal an extra hour in bed, fine.

But you mention "we" so I wonder if you and dp/dh should not just take turns with getting up with her each weekend day and let the other lay in.

Cupcakeschocolate · 07/11/2021 21:51

On a side note.... why are you weighing her cereal? My 8 year old and 6 year old cam get cereal or toast and will get juice, squash, milk or water for themselves and the younger 2 if I'm busy in the bathroom for example.

Surely she can eat what she needs to feel full? We are quite laid back about food and snacks but they get a home cooked meal every evening and i pack their school lunch.

You restricting food now could be a recipe for disaster later. Cereal doesn't needed to be weighed. Let her fill the bowl!

RavingAnnie · 07/11/2021 21:54

Of course it's fine. I used to do the same with my DS.

YoComoManzanas · 07/11/2021 21:55

I wish my 7yo would go downstairs on his own but he's to scared so always wakes one of us up. He's been perfectly capable of making his own cereal since he was about 4. Although there is a danger of them pouring too much and wasting it.

Nellesbelles · 07/11/2021 21:57

My nephew has been doing this since he was 4 or 5 😂 he is a sensible boy though beyond his years. I would say it's fine as long as you think your DD wouldn't mess with anything dangerous such as the oven.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 07/11/2021 21:59

Totally fine. You can’t be getting up the crack of dawn every single day for ever.

gogohm · 07/11/2021 22:14

Unless she has sen you don't even need to set it out, she's capable of helping herself. Mine certainly did at that age, dd also made herself tea around that age, she loved tea from tiny