Help! My daughter won't eat breakfast

[coffeetofunction]

My youngest child is a nightmare when it comes to breakfast. She doesn't like milk, oats, toast or a cooked breakfast. I struggle to get her to eat anything before school. I would be so very grateful for any suggestions or recipes

Get up earlier and do something before breakfast? Go for a walk or have a bath or play a board game.

Will she drink a glass of milk?

I have reached the grand old age of 40 something 😉 and have never had breakfast, even as a child I couldn't eat in the morning.

Maybe forget the breakfast and make sure she has some chopped up fruit for a mid morning snack or banana etc?

People around the world eat all sorts of things for breakfast. It doesn't have to be "healthy" either. Biscuits dipped in milk was our go to, very Italian, sometimes plain Madeira type cake. I used to love going round to my Dutch friend for cheese, ham, and chocolate chip covered toast.

Eating breakfast used to make me feel sick, I honestly couldn't do it. I'd be hungry by about 11am and this was break time at school, which worked well.

Thankfully my mum never forced the issue.

I have 3 kids and my eldest hates breakfast. He will have a smoothie or protein shake though and take something to school for break. I'm very similar to him and don't eat til later.

My others love breakfast, they love scotch pancakes with chopped fruit and yoghurt. Even if you could just get your DD to have a frube, it's better then nothing.

My child went through a phase like this. Agree with a PP about getting her up and ready and she'll be more likely to sit and eat something. I made my daughter cheese toasties when she was like this. It doesn't need to be traditional breakfast food. She'll now eat a couple of croissants. Stick them in the airfryer, some fruit (if she'll eat it) and a yogurt. Doesn't always work though, but thinking about it - usually when we're running late...

DS2 (14) likes to heat up leftovers from dinner and have that for breakfast. There’s no reason why breakfast has to be ‘breakfasty’.

Is it that she feels rushed in the morning and doesn’t like to be rushed when she eats?

What does she like though. My son doesn’t like cereal or eggs or a lot of typical ‘breakfast’ food so i make him stuff he does like. Toasties or pasta or burgers… whatever he fancies.

If you currently allow them, stop TV/ tablet/ phone in the morning so she can focus on eating.

If she dislikes the things that are typically considered “breakfast food” then give her something she does like. You don’t mention that she dislikes cereal other than oats - have you tried dry cereal (weetabix spread with jam or cornflakes eaten like crisps) or cereal with fruit juice rather than milk?

If she needs to be fully awake and moving before she can comfortably eat then either wake her earlier and get her to do something physical first, or abandon breakfast in the house, make a pack up and let her eat when she gets to school or, if you walk, find a spot near to school. Or, if it’s available and affordable, send her to breakfast club.

I don't think it's because she'd not been up long enough as this morning was a very lazy morning and she still didn't eat till nearly 1 o'clock. I think I might have to try not traditional breakfast or a snack on school days

my dd eats a white bread plus vegan choc spread sandwhich every day. Before she had to go dairy free she ate a chocolate brioche. I’ve tried and tried to get her to eat something else, and now she’s 14, so long as she eats better for the rest of the day, I let it go.

I think she has an anxiety problem that needs addressing. Procrastination is an expression of anxiety.

Can you bring this up with her GP? Therapy or medication may be needed.

Some people just don't eat breakfast. I don't eat in the morning. My kids are the same.

I send them to school with a packet pain au chocolat or a packet strawberry croissant. Sometimes they eat it at break but more often than not they don't.

They have lunch at school, then have a snack when they come home, something like noodles or french toast then we have dinner around 6. they then sometimes have cereal or something before bed

I really don't worry about them not eating breakfast

My DS6 has pancakes for breakfast every morning. I've got it down to an art of doing them quickly 🤣

I give mine hot chocolate so at least they drink some milk. My kids don’t want to eat breakfast at 7 and then they have to leave the house. They are surviving !

Have you tried baked oats? They look like cake but taste quite sweet?

I know it's a worry as Breakfast is ment to be the most important meal of the day. But none of my kids (now 23, 20 & 15) eat breakfast..I've given up stressing over it, My youngest takes a snack for break. It hasn't affected them and they eat a varied diet. Just don't eat breakfast x

My youngest used to have a tuna sandwich for breakfast quite often, would she eat that? Cheese on toast? Smoothies with protein yoghurt and fruit?

My second child (3)is like this I just don’t fight with her no more and ask her what she wants most days she’s happy with a yogurt or smoothie and milk, I’m happy as long as she gets something down her. luckily she’s nursery so they have milk and fruit/ veg available all day so know when she’s ready she’ll get something else. I’ve mellowed out over the years and learnt to pick my battles! Hope you find your happy medium xx

OP has she been checked for Coeliac disease? I only ask because my daughter was the same and it turned out she couldn’t tolerate gluten (or oats or lactose which is very common in Coeliacs).
My daughter had no bowel symptoms, it was lucky up by an astute GP when a blood test showed iron deficiency. Coeliac disease is a whole body autoimmune disease and symptoms can happen anywhere, not just the gut. Some people have mouth ulcers, others hair loss, others migraines or pins and needles.
Even though my daughter is now on a gluten, oat and lactose free diet she still won’t eat those foods as she associates them with feeling off.

‘Nana in the car 🍌 was my daughters breakfast at that age.
now a teen she tends not to bother but has a snack at break and then lunch.
she just doesn’t fancy breakfast

My eldest was the same,
Ham sandwich or cheese sandwich but not ever toast
Processed to cocktail Sausages and warm bread
Now it's cereal, fruit, toast, banana pancakes, yoghurt, brioche (choc chip on a weekend) not all those things together either mixed or single depends on his mood each morning.
People used to have something to say wh3n he told them he had a ham or cheese sandwich for breakfast but he wad eating so f those people.....
Ham & bread not much different to bacon & toast 🙄
Cheese sandwich frowned upon but cheese on toast would be acceptable

Let them skip it! Breakfast is not the most important meal of the day! Give them
A snack like cheeses or natural yogurt. Or overnight oats cold at break time

A fruit smoothie. Strawberries, raspberries, black currants, yogurt and full fat milk. Give her a straw and she'll probably accept it.