Breakfast and preschoolers... esp those with small eaters...

What are you all giving for breakfast to your 3 and 4 year olds?

How long does it take for them to eat breakfast?

When do you call it quits?

Do you just say forget it and take them to school after a period or do you keep them home if they don't eat?

Re: Breakfast and preschoolers... esp those with small eaters...

Eddie is a light breakfast eater, most of the time, I give him something that if he hasnt eaten it by the time we have to go, he can take it with him. He usually has a nutrigrain bar, a banana, french toast sticks, something like that.

I would not keep him home if he didnt eat.

Re: Breakfast and preschoolers... esp those with small eaters...

i've got a light, and picky eater! ds usually has cherios, some banana, waffle, toast, bagel, and milk for breakfast. (not all of these things at the same time.) if he doesn't finish it all, i ask him if he is done, or if he'd like to take something with him. this am for example: he hadn't eaten his toast, so i told him to bring it. by the time we got to school he had finished it.

i would never keep him home for not eating. snack time at school is around 9:45, so i know he will be eating something at some point.

Re: Breakfast and preschoolers... esp those with small eaters...

Oh Christine, I seriously almost posted about this yesterday b/c I was at my wits end with DS! I would love to hear responses to this as well. DS goes to school every day and in the afternoons so by the time he is home it is 3 so I REALLY need him to eat in the morning a decent meal!

He's not a small eater in general - when he eats he will eat a decent healthy meal but, some days it is EXTREMELY difficult to get him to sit down to eat. Some days he eats like a champ and all is well but, other days and, in fact this whole week so far he has been a nightmare! I hate it b/c it starts the day off on such a stressful foot.

I usually give him a lot of fruit (depends on what we have for the day) and a yogurt and, then, either eggs (rarely b/c he doesn't love them), waffles or pancakes or cereal. Recently, on school days I can only get the fruit and maybe a yogurt in him - some bad days - only a yogurt.

This is how it goes here - DS wakes up, pees, comes down stairs. I ask him "ready for breakfast?" always says no - I want to play with my trains or toys etc. first. Then I try again every 15 min or so until we are out of time. Then I say you have to eat now or you will be late for school. I always have to bribe him or literally drag him to sit at the table. I feed DD in her high chair while he eats. I try and put on music and talk about the day etc. to keep him engaged - somedays he will eat other days he just sits there and whines - I want to play, i want to get my cars, I want to read stories I want to be done, etc etc. etc. Then he gets up and starts wandering around. It makes me NUTS. Some days he tells me "no, you feed me" and, honestly I would but, I have to feed DD at the same time so it is just not possible.

To answer your last question, I just give up. At a certain time, we get ready to leave and whatever fruit he doesn't eat gets saved for lunch and everything else gets chucked.

This whole week we have been 10 min late to school b/c of this. I hate sending him in without him eating And, then, he is like all wound up from me nudging him that he won't cooperate with getting his shoes, coat etc. on.

Re: Breakfast and preschoolers... esp those with small eaters...

The bus is here for DS at 8:10AM.
He is sitting down for breakfast at 7:30.
By 7:55 I ask him if he's done and he will say 'yes".
He's a very slow breakfast eater.
This AM he asked for Cheerios. He literally had 2 at a time on his spoon.
About 10 or so mins. later, I asked him if he wanted a banana...he happily gobbled that up!

Sometimes he's happy with just a banana or a cereal bar. He LOVES pancakes & waffles.
When he asks for cheerios (or any cereal)..UuuuggH LOL.

Re: Breakfast and preschoolers... esp those with small eaters...

During the week I have on hand what I know they'll eat, cereal, oatmeal, bacon, pancakes. I wait for the weekend to try new ideas. They earn small privleges for finishing and at a decent pace. They get nothing to drink while eating. A biggie is having chocolate milk in the car.

Re: Breakfast and preschoolers... esp those with small eaters...

See she is not a big eater so that doesn't help. Some days she will ask for oatmeal and will eat one bite and drink 1/2 of a small yogurt shake (like 2 ounces) and say done. Other days she will eat the whole thing but it takes 1 hour to get the oatmeal in.

Some days she will only eat the inside part (no crust) of some whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter - but that is a fight - but it is what she asks for.

She doesn't like waffles, doesn't like eggs (only hard boil ones and she will eat those SOME days) - but literally only some days so I never know.

She eats cheerios and apples, pears or oranges for snacks - but won't eat it for breakfast.

I notice her attention span is not good and she tends to have tantrums when she does NOT eat - which is why I feel it is important she have a good breakfast.

I was asking some of the moms what they do and they said well they just let their kids go without eating - and I guess I figured that wasn't a good thing.

She will eat most days - but after an hour of saying K eat your breakfast now- it gets ridiculous. She sits at the table for 90% of that time - so it isn't like she is running around she just isn't eating. DH said maybe we should keep her home when she won't eat - but I think that is a bad precedent to start. But she takes so long that we are running around trying to get her on the potty and dressed to get out the door to get to school. I don't want to wake her earlier (she gets up around 7-715- and we leave at 845) b/c she needs the sleep.

Re: Breakfast and preschoolers... esp those with small eaters...

For DD who is almost 3.5 eats one of the following:
-whole wheat waffle with strawberry jam or syrup
-small bowl of cereal with almond milk
-mini bagel with either strawberry jam or peanut butter

If she doesn't finish her breakfast then I can usually get her to eat a banana or a yogurt.

For DS who is 4.5:
-2 whole wheat waffles one with butter one with cream cheese
-mini bagel with same as waffles and a banana usually
-cereal with milk

I need to leave the house by 9:15 and they like to eat as soon as they get up so they are usually eating by 7:30 the latest. When they are in school they do not eat snack or lunch until 11:45 and I know they are hungry.
I have sent them in with out breakfast (DS) and would inform the teacher and he will usually bug them for lunch and say he is hungry. They will remind him that he needs to eat breakfast and it will stop. He knows the teacher will not give into him. He did this at 3 also and it worked then.

Re: Breakfast and preschoolers... esp those with small eaters...

He gets oatmeal for breakfast and half the time he doesn't eat all of it before we have to leave. I don't keep him home. I figure he will eat a good lunch.

Re: Breakfast and preschoolers... esp those with small eaters...

DD eats slow. It takes her a good 1/2 hour to eat Some things that usually get eaten faster before school are mini bagels, mini waffles, and go gurts.

I send her to school whether she ate or not. she usually eats atleast a little and I know she will eat snack at school a few hrs later. I dont think its a good idea to keep her home if she doesnt eat.

DD doesnt like anything on her bagels or waffles. just dry. have you tried that?

Re: Breakfast and preschoolers... esp those with small eaters...

Posted by dawnygirl25

DD eats slow. It takes her a good 1/2 hour to eat Some things that usually get eaten faster before school are mini bagels, mini waffles, and go gurts.

I send her to school whether she ate or not. she usually eats atleast a little and I know she will eat snack at school a few hrs later. I dont think its a good idea to keep her home if she doesnt eat.

DD doesnt like anything on her bagels or waffles. just dry. have you tried that?