Breakfast refuser

[PrettyCandles]

4yo ds isn't much of a breakfast person. He rarely wants more than a drink and maybe a mouthful or two of cereal or bread. It's not been a problem until now, because he could always stoke up at midmorning snack. But he starts school in September, and a piece of fruit midmorning is not going to keep him going until lunch.

What am I going to do? I don't want to force him to eat if he hasn't any appetite.

You can't force him - so either he'll manage on midmorning fruit, or decide to eat breakfast.

But maybe he'd manage a bit more bread on the way to school once he's woken up a bit more ?

I don't like breakfast. Makes me feel sick. I've never had a problem going through to lunch.
Dp thought it was dreadful to miss breakfast so I was made to have it for years. So for lunch I'd have one biscuit and a drink. Gave them a different thing to worry about.

Prettycandles my DD is just the same and I'm getting more and more worried. She used to be ok and would eat a small bowl of cereal or some toast but now most days she won't eat anything and I'm getting very concerned. Its not just breakfast, she is the same with lunch and tea. She is VERY skinny and weighs just 2 stone 9 which doesn't sound very much to me. Am going to see the health visitor on Thursday to see what she suggests.

Have you tried cereal bars, maybe he will eat on way to school? Tried DD a few days ago, she liked on day 1 but today she doesn't like them

Given that most of the academic stuff is done in the morning, when the children are expected to be more focused and well-behaved, I worry about the fact that ds's behaviour goes completely to pot when he is hungry.

In fact, that's my only worry for ds at school: that the staff may see his energy as disruptive, and not recognise the difference when his behaviour degrades due to hunger.

My DD is a proper breakfast refuser. She doesn't seem to like eating at all, apart from sweets and crisps.
I have found that letting her decide what she's going to have, and occasionally making it herself helps a lot.
This morning, she had some cheerios and a crumpet. Yesterday she had a boiled egg and toast and some juice. Other days she will refuse if I haven't given her a 30 minute pause between rising and dressing and eating.

Also maybe look at how late he is eating at night - if he has dinner late do earlier if you can and don't do any 'supper' - avoid large quantities of milky drinks etc.

I'm not a breakfast lover but since being on a diet and not eating anything after an early dinner i'm finding breakfast more palatable.

Check what snacks they give - in reception DD got fruit and breadsticks/pita etc given am and pm.

Now that's an interesting point. In the summer holidays we do tend to eat supper later, and right now he is even less likely to eat breakfast than normal.

What about trying him with a smoothie for breakfast or a yogurt? In my school you can provide a mid morning snack of fruit or other healthy snack so could top up his energy levels with a flapjack or cereal bar?

My son can take or leave breakfast but does eat the fruit provided by the school most days, that with a cereal bar/flapjack in to his bag sees him thru till lunch!

Also have a word with his teacher and ask if she can mention at carpet time how important eating breakfast is for energy and power levels..this really helped with us :)

My ds is like this. I tried everything - providing a wide range of cereals, yoghurts - even cooking bacon or pancakes before school - but he just can't face food until he's been up for a good few hours. I used to give him a snack for break but most of teh time he didn't eat thta either and woudl wait till lunch time. He has been fine and starts High SChool next week.

saw the HV this morning about DD's eating/weight. She wasn't overly concerned and said to try to make sure meal times to not become a battle (it is getting that way, she had me in tears earlier in the week)

HV suggested trying things like smoothies and fruit and said to not keep giving her crisps/sweets/biscuits in between meals if she didn't eat her meal. I tried this a few days ago when she refused breakfast and felt really mean but she did eat ALL her lunch.

Bought some smoothies this morning and some activa yogurt drinks and she loved those which is good news. Am so pleased that she has put on 1lb in the last 3 or 4 days.

The solution to most eating problems in LOs often is 'back off, chill out, and don't give snacks'.

I have one dc with whom I have to apply that maxim - incredibly fussy, he seems to live on air most of the time, he is beyond slender! Yet he is fit and healthy and a fast, keen hill-walker.

Another who is the complete opposite, eagerly eats most things and in large quantities. School dinners often leave her hungry, and I send her off every day with her pockets full of extra snacks. Yet she, too, is slender and fit.

Ds2 swings from one extreme to the other - the only consistent thing is that he not keen on breakfast.

hopefully DD seems to have taken on board what the HV said about healthy snacks and last night kept saying she needed healthy snacks and not biscuits and crisps! She is now sitting watching milkshake eating a bowl of grapes