What does your 6yo have for breakfast?

[brogueish]

DS has medical problems connected to food/absorption and I’m not sure if my portion control is completely out of step. Hospital dietician is not especially helpful. I’m trying to work out a healthy and appropriate diet for him (in the literal sense, I’m not putting him “on a diet”!).

DS is overweight by BMI, you can see his ribs but he’s definitely not gaunt. His breakfast at 7ish today was a peanut butter sandwich, some melon, small bag of popcorn and a yogurt. He’s just (10.00) had an apple as a snack because he said he was hungry. This is pretty typical. He will be having lunch, tea, and a snack after swimming (probably a biscuit or cracker). He eats a good variety of fruit.

yabu: that’s way too much for breakfast
yanbu: sounds ok

That sounds like quite a lot of food at 7am but then as your son has special dietary requirements, what's normal won't apply and no one here can really help

BMI is totally outdated now.
My DS ate just like that. He was never skinny but never looked overweight, just normal size. They are using up lots of energy at that age and it sounds like he is eating healthy stuff.

I don’t allow snacky things like popcorn til later on but it’s low calorie so can’t imagine that’s a big problem. Porridge with stewed fruit on is what keeps my 6yr old full for longest I have noticed - today she had Cheerios at 8 and she’s already nagging for snacks.

How many slices of bread for the sandwich? That sounds like a lot to me but I guess if only one slice of bread it’s the same as peanut butter on toast, so not sure why I have an aversion to the idea of a sandwich for breakfast! If 2 slices it’s too much though. My 7 and 8 year old would have the peanut butter on toast and a piece of fruit. Yoghurt if they were really hungry, but that doesn’t really happen unless we’re on holiday.

It’s a lot of carbs

My 6 year old is a big fan of breakfast and will often have a lot. He doesn't eat very much at all in the evening.
Typical for him is a chopped banana and some tinned peaches with Greek yoghurt. Then he'll often have either a bowl of porridge, baked beans on toast or a toasted bagel with butter.

My 6 year old daughter always eat the same sort of breakfast every day. She starts with a banana, then has either cereal or toast (or bagel) with butter and a glass of milk, and then a second fruit. Sometimes she is still hungry so I give her plain yoghurt, sometimes with honey, with the second fruit.

She has always been hungriest at breakfast time and tends to eat smaller portions than I would think “normal” at lunch and dinner. She loves snacks, but I try to make sure they are relatively healthy, with the occasional non healthy item like a packet of crisps.

I don’t think you should worry about a particular meal, but focus instead on the overall food for the day/week to be able to understand if their diet is good overall.

Fair point! I should have said that we are now managing his condition.

Two slices but it’s special (prescription) bread that’s around half the size of normal stuff. So just one in “normal” terms.

Yes you’re right. More protein would be better wouldn’t it.

Ds has egg (boiled or poached) a slice of toast and butter and fruit. He sometimes has porridge and banana. Sometimes he beans instead of the egg. I dont offer snacks.

Thanks, yes that’s exactly how my son eats. Like a series of breakfast courses! I definitely want to take out the popcorn based on these comments - thanks.

Lose the popcorn at breakfast, but tbh I wouldn't fixate too much. It sounds fine and a bag of popcorn isn't going to be the end of the world. And you've had other issues to focus on/

And it's easy to say 'up the protein' and ideally you would, but that depends on what your DC will/can eat. My DC doesn't like meat, eggs or porridge, so peanut butter and milk are key protein sources for them in the morning and we don't manage much else. Maybe a cheese sandwich, but my DC wouldn't eat cheese for breakfast?

The easiest thing at this age, I find, and something to bear in mind for the holidays is to get them busy and out of the house. I find we all (not just my DC) snack much more at home than if we're out and about and I grabbed a couple of bananas as snacks when we were leaving.

DS (5.5) alternates between porridge and a 2-egg omelette. Then a banana mid-morning for a snack. He's bang on 50th centile for weight and 75th for height.

Mine (between 4 and 13) go to breakfast club.

They have a bowl of cereal (rice crispies, cornflakes, weetabix) and a slice of toast, with some orange or apple juice, and a
Piece of fruit.

If at home they have pretty much the same, although we also have porridge and fruit. Sometimes they have leftovers from the night before (one had pasta bake for breakfast today) and once every couple of weeks we do pancakes and waffles (homemade) with fruit and ice cream on a Sunday

Cereal on a school day. Eggs and toast on the weekend.

I think some kids are 'top loaders' and will eat loads at breakfast. I'd try and up the protein a bit. Take away the popcorn. Maybe add in a glass of milk.

Mine tend to have two breakfasts - a habit from nursery days as they would have breakfast at home and then second breakfast at nursery. Now they are at school they have the same thing with breakfast club.

Usually first breakfast at 6/7am is one of: half a bagel and cream cheese, Shreddies or Weetabix

Second breakfast is scrambled eggs or baked beans and toast

It is quite carby but they generally have a carb light dinner - fish/meat and vegetables - so I don't worry too much about breakfast

Oats and milk. Cooked as porridge sometimes but he also likes raw rolled oats with milk. It wouldn't be something I'd choose to eat but I don't think it's bad for him so I'm happy to allow it. He often eats a large serving and is then not very hungry for lunch, whereas my 9 year old is the opposite. I don't think it matters either way.

Mine like fruit and greek yoghurt or a scotch pancake or waffle with fruit and chocolate spread. Sometimes they have cereal or toast. We have croissants sometimes too with butter, jam and fruit. Mine aren't fans of cooked breakfasts early in the morning, we do like a brunch type fry up though if we have a chilled weekend(rare).

Blimey my DC1 eats plenty at breakfast. Say 4 weetabix & milk plus fruit. Or a huge bowl of porridge with fruit.

He is very slim

My DS is very skinny but he’s always eaten a lot of breakfast! When he was at nursery they used to let him have unlimited toast until I asked them not to as he just wouldn’t stop and then would hardly eat any lunch.

He’s 8 now and generally has cereal, plus one of toast (one slice) or porridge, plus a piece of fruit! He gets very annoyed if we’re in a rush to get out and there’s only time for one breakfast.

Usually either:
Two boiled eggs and ketchup
Home made pancakes with greek yoghurt and banana
Eggy bread
Peanut butter toast
Porridge with cocoa powder and sultanas in
Sometimes a breakfast burrito (a wrap with scrambled egg, cheese and a hash brown in)

She will often be hungry by mid morning though and need another decent snack.

My daughter is 7 but quite petite so probably equivalent in size to your son (circa 20 kilos). On weekdays she has a bowl (side plate size) of cereal or overnight oats, plus a slice of toast and some fruit. At the weekend we have pancakes with fruit. Either way she wouldn't have any more food until lunchtime. She definitely wouldn't manage the yoghurt on top of a peanut butter sandwich; that sounds like quite a lot of filling food to me. But equally it sounds nutritious. I'm not sure about the popcorn at breakfast!

Mine would have a peanut butter sandwich, fruit & milk.
Or greek yogurt with berries and peanut butter
Or Weetabix with milk and a banana
Or boiled eggs and toast

Other than the popcorn which seems an unusual breakfast choice, it looks fairly standard. What is he drinking? What are his lunches and evening meals like?