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Nurseries

Find nursery advice from other Mumsnetters on our Nursery forum. For more guidance on early years development, sign up for Mumsnet Ages & Stages emails.

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Original poster

Toddler refusing all breakast

58 replies

Seashell83 · 08/09/2023 11:40

I know I've shot myself in the foot (I'm a FTM) with my 2.5 DS and his eating habits. But it's really upsetting me. So, he loves his weetabix for breakfast... and in the past I've tried giving him a variety which just refuses. All was fine at nursery because weetabix was always an option. But from the last 2months they've stopped giving it, apparently due to the high sugar content, which is clearly BS since diabetics can eat it! I look at DS nursery food diary and I always see "breakfast refused". It's sad because they provide a good variety (minus the weetabix!) and I just feel awful for my baby! I've tried laying out a variety of things at home for him to get used to but I am having ZERO luck. What do I do???! I am so stuck. DS will eat the other things offered to him lunch...but breakfast is meant to be the most important meal of the day. I've thought about complaining to the Nursery but at the same time I want my DS to try different foods. Any advice on how I can get him to eat? I have a very stubborn child!! 😣

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Original poster

Seashell83 · 08/09/2023 11:41

2.5 year old*

OP posts:

ShellySarah · 08/09/2023 11:42

He isn't crying with hunger or starving I presume. He's probably fine.

YourNameGoesHere · 08/09/2023 11:43

Any chance he could eat breakfast before nursery? I can understand your frustration especially as they've always severed it and now they are refusing.

Original poster

Seashell83 · 08/09/2023 11:50

You're right...he's not crying with hunger and is most likely ok. And I could give him breakfast/weetabix before nursery but how do I get him to try eating different things. I'm just so worried he will grow up not wanting to try different foods... I love food and feel sad that he's missing out. I feel upset at myself for not giving him a huge variety when I was weaning him :'( #guiltymum

OP posts:

SnapdragonToadflax · 08/09/2023 11:52

I would just give him Weetabix. There are all the other meals and snacks to give him a variety of foods.

Will he eat Weetabix plus something else? It's a good idea to give a 'safe' food with whatever else you want then to try.

Very annoying about nursery though, what do they serve?

Ostryga · 08/09/2023 11:54

I mean this in the nicest possible way, but you have to chill out. Kids are fussy sometimes. Not eating breakfast foods isn’t going to ruin his life.

Dd was incredibly food-restricted from 2-6. As in would eat maybe 8 different ‘safe’ things. I just made sure she had a decent multivit and probiotic.

I always gave Dd a new food on her plate along with her safe foods. It can take upwards of 20 times for a child to try something new, so just offering once and giving up isn’t going to work.

She’s nearly 7 and her palate has expanded a lot recently and she’s more than willing to try new foods.

Don’t make it into a big thing or you’ll make it worse. Just relax and let him enjoy food without pressure.

NannyR · 08/09/2023 11:56

I wouldn't stress about it, if a variety of foods are available to him and he sees other people enjoying them he will try them eventually when he's ready. Weetabix is a great toddler breakfast, it has some added sugar but it's quite low compared to other breakfast cereals.

Amwondering69 · 08/09/2023 11:57

Take a weetabix in to nursery and ask them to give it to him.
Toddlers can be bloody hard work with food but they eventually improve.
My strapping rugby playing 23 year old lived on chicken nuggets and banana for about 12 months at one stage . Eating everything by the time he started school.

Tinybrother · 08/09/2023 12:00

Many many adults eat the same breakfast every single day for years and it’s perfectly healthy and normal, many people like routine especially first thing in the morning, this is not a big worry at all and it’s not because their mothers did anything wrong. If you are concerned that he needs breakfast then give him weetabix at home.

SlipperyLizard · 08/09/2023 12:00

My eldest DD always ate a massive breakfast, so much so she wouldn’t need lunch til 12 at the earliest.

My younger DD totally refused breakfast (she wouldn’t even have milk first thing before she was on solids). She’d then need “lunch” at 10:30/11.

Total pain but nothing I could do to change it (especially as I am also a breakfast-dodger by choice!).

Youngest now has porridge before school because she knows she’ll feel odd if she doesn’t, but at weekends will often not bother.

Some people just aren’t very hungry first thing!

PinkRoses1245 · 08/09/2023 12:03

"I mean this in the nicest possible way, but you have to chill out. Kids are fussy sometimes. Not eating breakfast foods isn’t going to ruin his life."

Give it more time and sure he'll eat whatever is on offer at nursery. Weetabix is high in sugar and is ultra processed

Mariposista · 08/09/2023 12:16

Give him breakfast before he goes. As long as he is open to trying new foods at other meals and doesn't become one of those kids that will literally eat 4 things (from what you say, he's fine with lunch and dinner). How many of us have the same breakfast every morning? Loads!

MariePaperRoses · 08/09/2023 12:19

Breakfast before he goes.

I wouldn't ask the staff to give him weetabix as it's difficult to have one rule for one.

Tinybrother · 08/09/2023 12:22

What are the nursery breakfast options, out of curiosity? I suspect the “too much sugar” thing may not be fully logical.

Anni1234 · 08/09/2023 12:22

I thought weetabix was meant to be one of the lowest in sugars?!

Tinybrother · 08/09/2023 12:23

It is. I can’t eat it because it is too high carb for me, but I am someone who takes medication that raises my blood sugar levels and I monitor that - but for a healthy toddler it is fine.

Icycloud · 08/09/2023 12:26

Give him weetabix at home before he goes in

Beseen22 · 08/09/2023 12:37

There's 1.6G of sugar across 2 weetabix. I really couldn't get het up about 0.8g of sugar.

He will eat breakfast again. You have not ruined your toddler. Just focus on weekends when you get to have breakfast together, take all pressure off, put options on the table and do not comment on what he is or isn't eating. The best way to have a child who eats well is to eat well around him with no pressure.

Weetabix used to do pictures on the side of crazy stuff you could have on it, think they have it on the website and my two used to find it hilarious to copy them with their cereal. Just try and have fun at breakfast time again. He's eating outwith so it's not anything you need to worry about.

Original poster

Seashell83 · 08/09/2023 13:21

Thank you for all your replies... It's reassuring to read so many of your DC have been through something similar and eventually grow out of it. I think I'll give him his weetabix at home before nursery with something new in hope that one day he may decide to try it. Just one last question... what vitamins do you recommend. I'm giving him the NHS vitamin drops...but are there any others that come recommended?

OP posts:

Original poster

Seashell83 · 08/09/2023 13:25

*What are the nursery breakfast options, out of curiosity?

*toast, cheese cubes, shredded wheat (similar to weetabix but DS doesn't touch it), natural yoghurt, fruit, puffed rice

OP posts:

Tinybrother · 08/09/2023 13:29

Right, half of those could easily be higher in sugar than weetabix. But never mind. I really don’t think you have an issue - it’s absolutely fine for children to eat the same reasonably healthy breakfast every day for years and years, you haven’t done anything wrong.

caban · 08/09/2023 14:05

What are they offering instead?

Original poster

Seashell83 · 08/09/2023 14:34

Exactly Tinybrother - the excuse of weetabix being high in sugar is a load of cr4p in my opinion as all the other options like fruit are equally high. But hey, I think I'll stop feeling so bad now (thank you everyone) and just feed my bub before he goes to nursery.

OP posts:

Kwasi · 10/09/2023 17:45

Kids like routine. Adults like routine. Give hime Weetabix before you leave the house.

My son has the exact same breakfast, lunch and dinner most days. I have the exact same breakfast and lunch every single day. He is offered new foods all the time but likes what he likes.

Mummyneeds · 10/09/2023 18:46

I honestly wouldn’t worry at all. Apparently I spent most of my childhood eating breadsticks and only breadsticks…I was extremely fussy. As an adult I eat absolutely anything now (barring salmon and mushrooms) and am a healthy weight with a healthy, varied diet and no health issues. He’ll be fine just on the breakfast weetabix 😃

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