AIBU to think a tomato is not a sufficient breakfast?

[TomatoBrain]

DD 10 is not one for eating much when she's just woken up. Being back at school is a slight issue as she needs to leave at 710. To have a chance of eating something she needs to be up at 630. This morning she took a tomato for breakfast. I've just noticed she put toast in the toaster but didn't take it out.

That means for breakfast today she has had one tomato and 100ml of energy milk. She's taken a cereal bar (20g) and water (which she probably won't drink) for break time. Do you think this enough food to power a 10 year old through 5 lessons this morning at school?

I think is isn't enough (YANBU) but at am a loss to know how to get her to eat more. As you can see, I let her have free choice in the mornings just so that she eats something. YABU what she ate is fine.

I think teenagers often don't have breakfast mine will often skip it but have something at school.

@nicknamehelp where do they get the food from though? Do you mean they take it with them? And she's 10, not a teenager yet.

So give her better options to pick from than a cereal bar and a tomato.

If necessary give her decent snacks/food in her school bag to eat later on. Nothing stopping you/her making a sandwich/wrap/roll the evening before and putting it in the bag with some fruit or cheese and crackers or whatever.

What's "energy milk"?

Also, consider all having breakfast together, but get up and make something good. Like porridge, omlettes, bacon sandwiches, toast and peanut butter etc.

Some people just don't feel like eating early in the morning. She'll be fine as long as she takes a good snack with her, to eat during the morning break.

I don't eat breakfast. Never have. I don't eat til lunchtime, I'm not hungry until then. What on earth is energy milk????

She shouldn't have to get up at 6:30 to make her own breakfast.
Make her something she can take with her.

This is nonsense, a 10 year old is perfectly capable of making breakfast. My 7 year old makes her own breakfast.

When you say she took a tomato for breakfast, did she eat it or take it with her? It sounds as if maybe she hasn't got enough time in the mornings if she's taking breakfast to eat on the way. In which case, get her up earlier and have a sit-down breakfast together

Has this always been the same, does she just not like breakfast, does she walk to school or go in school bus. I would want my child that age eating something, even taking a some grapes or a banana to eat on the way, or a few mouthfuls of cereal before she leaves, only takes 30 seconds.

Can she get toast or similar at school at break?

I don’t like having breakfast. Something about eating in the morning makes me feel queasy

but at 10 she should have better options. Can you not make her something the night before? Overnight oats? Breakfast cookies? I used to make like sausage egg muffin type things and freeze them then pop them
in the microwave first thing. Could be eaten on the go.

also I make my 10 ye old a snack box the night before. Usually some fruit, veggie sticks, little pot of hummus and something like boiled egg or pepperami

I don't think it's terrible in fact. The milk will be a fair whack of calories.

My mum used to make me a cooked breakfast and something I've retained a fondness for is fish fingers for breakfast. Poor man's kippers. See if she'd consider that, if you put it in front of her.

Agree re egg - hard boiled?

@PhoebusItMeansSunGod yeah of course she's capable, but if she has 40 minutes to get breakfast, dressed, hair, teeth, she doesn't have long enough.

Except that she's chosen a tomato and crappy cereal bar and forgotten to take he toast.

So she needs a bit of help it seems. So, temporarily,OP could step in and guide her to better choices.

She has plenty of options to choose from: cereal, eggs / whatever on toast, porridge...

She shouldn't have to get up at 6:30 to make her own breakfast.
She doesn't. I make her breakfast or she really would eat nothing. She can't eat within 30 minutes of waking up, never has. So she needs to get up so she can eat before she goes.

Make her something she can take with her.
She has a 1 min walk to school so she wouldn't have time.

She ate the tomato sat at the table with DS and me.

There is no food available at school.

also I make my 10 ye old a snack box the night before. Usually some fruit, veggie sticks, little pot of hummus and something like boiled egg or pepperami
This is also on offer. She chose the cereal bar. Yesterday she took mini salami and an apple.

energy milk is a strawberry & vanilla flavoured milk drink with a bit of whey protein in.

I feel like that's a bit early for breakfast for some people (myself included). I think she needs better options she can take with her.

If she's got a 1 minute walk to school why on earth does she leave at 7.10?

nicknamehelp · Today 07:04
I think teenagers often don't have breakfast mine will often skip it but have something at school.

In this case she’s 10, not a teenager.

I used to argue with my mum about breakfast pretty much daily growing up. I hate eating when I wake up, I need about 1.5/2hrs before I want to eat. As an adult I'm up at 6.30am and in the week I have an apple and a cereal bar around 8.30am. At the weekend I usually have some form of eggs/toast/veg any time between 9 and 11. I'd make sure she has light options she can take with her for the travel to school and break eg fruit, cherry toms, snack cheese and leave her to it!

What do you do in the morning? Are you sitting at the table eating with her? Does she see you having a decent breakfast? Do you have a shared breakfast at weekends?

My ds arrives in the kitchen to a plate of wholemeal toast with melty butter and marmite, and a satsuma already peeled and on the plate. Me sitting drinking coffee and eating peanut butter on toast.

I've modelled 'eating a proper breakfast' since he was old enough to notice. It wouldn't occur to him not to eat breakfast.

@user1471457751 bell goes at 720, so she has 5 mins to chat with friends before they go in. This is seemingly the most important part of the school day 🙄

How does she eat the rest of the time? If she eats well at other meals and is not losing weight I wouldn’t make too much of it - you say the only way to get her to eat is to allow free choice.
I found that the pre packed croissant/pain au chocolat type things worked well as an option they are easy to pick up and eat en route. Or make a wrap the night before as a break time snack.

What do you do in the morning? Are you sitting at the table eating with her? Does she see you having a decent breakfast? Do you have a shared breakfast at weekends?
Eat with her/them. Yes, yes and yes!