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5.8 DS refusing to eat breakfast, but no snacks allowed at morning break.

108 replies

nappyaddict · 16/03/2012 10:38

Anyone else in the same boat?

He will sometimes eat fruit or yoghurt. If not he can sometimes be persuaded to drink a smoothie or glass of milk.

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teacherwith2kids · 27/03/2012 17:31

For a 5.8 year old to 'rule the roost' so much that he gets to say that he is not ready for breakfast an hour and a half after he has woken up is... not great.

Get him up, expect him to get dressed, washed and ready for school, then serve breakfast and sit down with him to eat it at, say, 7.15. No playing beforehand, no tv, no attention, just 'it's breakfast time now, come and sit at the table'.

He sits at the table either until he has eaten a decent breakfast or you have to leave, whichever is earlier. Reward the desired behaviour - if he eats. Ignore the unwanted behaviour - if he chooses not to eat. Express your disappointment with him that he is choosing not to learn his best at school because he is choosing not to eat if he has not donw so before you leave the house, then don't mention it again as that period of poor behaviour is over until the next day. Arrange with school for your teacher to reinforce this message if he's still not eating breakfast after the first week.

It is your job to use behaviour management at home to ensure that he eats breakfast. There is no issue for the school to deal with, because their policy is set on the basis that a child will arrive at school having eaten breakfast.

My reply to you would only be different if you were genuinely not in a position to give your child breakfast - at school we regularly give breakfast to children from families too chaotic [as in with alcohol / drugs / mental illness / domestic violence issues] or without the money to give their children breakfast.

nappyaddict · 27/03/2012 17:49

tantrums I don't know, it's worth a shot. We've done the whole don't give in, don't give him any attention, put his food on the table and if he doesnt eat it throw it away without any comment and dont offer anything til the next snack or meal time. He once went 4 days without eating and ended up in hospital so I'm keen not to repeat that.

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tantrumsandballoons · 27/03/2012 18:14

So does he not eat well in general? I mean, how is he for eating dinner in the evening?

faintpinkline · 27/03/2012 19:07

DD gets fruit and a little carton of milk every breaktime. We pay £5 a term for the milk

nappyaddict · 11/04/2012 01:09

tantrums He goes through phases of eating well and not eating well. At the moment we are in a not eating well phase but it varies with each meal time. It seems when he is really hungry and gone too long IMO without food he eats quite well.

He was really poorly when he was 2 and couldn't eat proper food for a while - everything had to be pureed due to his muscles not working properly. He developed bit of a phobia I think because when he was poorly everything he ate made him sick. He would frequently go up to 3 days without eating a thing. I was always quite relaxed about it at the time as it didn't seem to affect him. Then one time he went 4 days which he'd never done before and luckily hasn't done since but he got really weak and ended up on a drip (I think I mentioned it briefly above)

Anyway I can't remember who mentioned trying a cheese sandwich above but I did a subway style breakfast buffet. I think the novelty of having a sandwich for breakfast along with me pretending to me shop person, him pretending to be the shopper and having a variety of different sandwich toppings to choose from worked. Until the novelty wears off ....

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Tgger · 11/04/2012 14:51

Interesting thread. I just wondered how your DS himself feels re not having breakfast- how does he feel mid morning- is he lacking in energy and irritable? Or is he coping till lunch? Have you done the really simple reward chart thing with a lovely treat at the end?

Tgger · 11/04/2012 14:52

Can you get him up earlier and to bed earlier? Can see the not wanting to eat breakfast straight away thing. Normally our kids are up 7, eating breakfast at 7.45/8, leave house 8.15/8.30. They are 5 and 3 and both eat BIG breakfasts.

nappyaddict · 11/04/2012 15:54

He already gets up between 6 and 7. I don't really want him up before 6 when he doesn't get home til after 4.

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