4 year old battle to eat breakfast

[Wherethereshope]

DS is 4 and breakfasts are becoming a real issue, usually resulting in me repeatedly saying just eat it! Which he will do eventually.

I always offer a choice so he chooses what to have.. but never offer anything different after he's chosen. But the time wasting takes up loads of time!

Any tips? What do you give for breakfast?

If he doesn't want it he's probably not hungry. Can't he just have a glass of milk and a mid morning snack? It really won't harm him to skip breakfast (despite the advertising propaganda about it being the most important meal of the day!) And forcing himself to eat food his body is telling him he doesn't want us probably more harmful for a NT child to be honest.

How soon after waking up do you try and feed him?
Maybe he's not hungry. I can't eat as soon as I wake up and my DS is the same. The trick is either to get up earlier, or to eat breakfast later. On days when neither option works, I skip breakfast altogether and DS will just have milk and a cracker or handful of raspberries. (He's 10 now but was the same at 4!) I used to pop extra into his packed lunch in case he was hungry later.

Would he eat breakfast biscuits?
I would just lay out a choice of a couple of things, then clear them away without comment if he doesn't eat.

Nobody needs to start the day with a battle.

My instinct is this is a fussy phase rather than not being hungry etc. Over Christmas I've left it more relaxed and later but it's made no difference.

I'm sure he'd eat a biscuit but I was hoping to try other tips first.. mainly as I'm worried he'd only ever want biscuits then! He's always been a good eater so this had thrown me a bit, he'll happily eat fruit, maybe I stick with that and if he eats anything else it's a bonus. I worry he'll be hungry at nursery but may be that's the bit I need to stop

DS was the same. He’s just not hungry when he wakes up. I’m the same. He’s now 19 and still the same.

I was worried when he was younger and for a while he ate in the car on the way to school. A Babybel and some apple or some dry Cheerios.

For him to be ready to eat he’d have to be up quite early but by the time we got in the car he would be more ready.

I'd buy a timer, maybe a 15/20 minute one. Ask him what he wants / provide a something you're happy with him having and say it's a special clock and he has his breakfast to eat in this clock. Once the clock stops the food gets out in the bin (or saved for mid morning snack) don't make any fuss on him eating or not eating. Don't let it be a battle and vary his breakfasts and let him help make it.

Nice ideas 1940s.. I'll give that a go 😊

Just give fruit if that's all he wants. My DS still won't eat a proper breakfast and he's nearly 13. He's ravenous in the evenings but could go all day on a packet of crisps without trouble. I couldn't cope with that but everyone is different. Don't battle over meals!

Tell him you are setting some new rules. Serve whatever you want for breakfast, but try and include at least one piece of fruit, if you think he will eat that. If he gets down from the table, clear it away. Tell nursery he might need a bigger snack that morning. It's probably a phase he will grow out of in a month.

Brilliant, thankyou. Timer is on order.. I already feel less worried thinking it's not the end of the world if he's not eaten

My 2 year old is going through same thing as harsh as it sounds I used the force method and even that didn't work, Heath visitor said it's completely normal for kids around that age to go through this, maybe just leave him to eat don't make a fuss just give him the plate? Get him to help you make breakfast eg: I ask my daughter to get milk and pick her cereal and she will eat it then, I don't talk about her food at all and just have a normal conversation about what she likes or tv shows, HOPE THIS HELPS GOOD LUCK MUMMA ❤️

Hi any updates ? Have you seen an improvement food wise

You know this was posted 4 years ago right?