My daughter doesnt want to eat breakfast in the morning

amother

Linen

Mon, Jul 20 2015, 5:33 am

My 5 year old barely touches a bowl of cereal in the morning because she says she's not hungry that early. But she needs something in the morning to tide her over till lunch time. I figured maybe I should just give her a cup of chocolate milk in the morning before she leaves the house just to coat her stomach so she's not starving by lunch time. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Thanks

amother

Purple

Mon, Jul 20 2015, 5:42 am

I have a kid like that. I get it because she's like me. I don't get hungry until later in the day.

If you're home, then don't force her to eat when she's not hungry. That will set her up for bad habits later on in life. If you have to get her out the door to school/camp, then make sure she takes something with her to eat later. I send DD to school with healthy muffins for her morning snack, so she can eat something filling and nutritious when she finally gets hungry.

The chocolate milk is a pretty good idea. At the very least she'll be getting calcium. Would she have a yogurt or a piece of cheese? Those are less filling than cereal, but a great way to jumpstart the day with protein.

trixx

Mon, Jul 20 2015, 7:36 am

If you're sending food for her eat later, maybe alert counselor or teacher so she can remind dd to eat or give her a space or time for it. Otherwise there may not be an opportunity built into the schedule, dd may get distracted by friends or fun, or just not think to ask to be able to eat, and then dd will really be hungry come lunchtime. Speaking based on experience assisting in preschool classroom, it depends on the teacher, mine wouldn't have allowed eating outside of snack time (very old school).
Or if she goes by bus tell her that she can eat it on bus.

MiracleMama

Mon, Jul 20 2015, 7:39 am

It's rare for kids to starve themselves. She either doesn't like cereal (so ask her if there is something she would enjoy in the mornings) or just isn't hungry. A lot of people can't eat first thing in the morning. See if you can send her to school with a little snack or protein shake.

vet techy

Mon, Jul 20 2015, 8:20 am

I have kids like that. I guess they take after me, I can't eat in the morning.
What I do is make them at least drink some milk and I try to give them a healthy snack for the morning recess.
My 5 yr. old likes to take pizza or a sandwich with him so if he gets hungry he has something real to eat. I try to make healthy muffins but I don't always have the time.

Smile1234

Mon, Jul 20 2015, 9:07 am

I rarely ate breakfast when I was in school, and I lived till lunch (or snack time I guess) every day just fine. Cereal or something similar in a bag on the way to school is a nice idea though if she's interested.

sourstix

Mon, Jul 20 2015, 9:15 am

I used to have this problem with ds. he would take a bite and say hes not hungry. he just felt so much pressure that the bus is coming he couldnt relax enough to eat that piece of bread. I didnt realize that he didnt really care for the food I gave him. when he asked me one day for something diff. and he started eating much better. still not ok bec eating grilled cheese everymorning no matter what isnt my idea of balanced eating. but I would rather that then him not eating at all. he kind of picky. he does like the basic foods. but with breakfast he gets picky. so I let it fly for now. sometimes I make him taste other foods so he gets a new food in his reperatoire. but not in the morning, more supper time. today I will make him take two bites of veg soup. not more then he can something he likes afterwards. but as far as breakfast goes go to the store with her or make a few things in the morning. like eggs, farina , grilled cheese. give her enough time to eat, and make sure its there before she comes. when food is on the table by the time ds is there he will eat alot of things if it comes later. like cut up vegi, if its there he takes some if its comes after then he wont look. thats the way he is.

mha3484

Mon, Jul 20 2015, 1:34 pm

DS does this too but he does get time for snack before lunch. I do find that he is more likely to eat a baked good like a muffin or home made granola bar than cereal so I try to keep them around and pack them with as much nutrition as I can. If we are running on time I will make him eggs or oatmeal which he likes but he doesnt eat a huge portion.

FranticFrummie

Mon, Jul 20 2015, 6:47 pm

I am going to give you my super secret recipe for "Busy Mama Cookies". What kid doesn't want cookies for breakfast? The secret is to sneak as many healthy things in as you can get the batter to hold!

1 cup of HOT water
1 cup of oatmeal, instant or old fashioned, doesn't matter.
Mix together and let sit until just warm.

1 box of parve cake mix like Duncan Hines. (I like the spice cake)
3 large eggs
3 tbs oil
Mix with the oatmeal until there are no lumps of flour. It will be really thick and gloopy.

Add ins, as much as you want:
Pecans, slivered almonds, dried fruits of all kinds (I like a mix of blueberry, cherry, and chopped apricots - DD hates raisins), flax meal, toasted hemp seeds, protein powder, and any other healthy things you think would work. Don't be afraid to experiment.

The mixture should come out looking like a heavy fruitcake batter. Drop by spoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet or parchment paper, and bake at 350 until just done, but still soft to the touch (like cake).

These cookies will last at least a week, but I doubt they will stick around very long. They make great after school snacks, too.

amother

Salmon

Mon, Jul 20 2015, 7:45 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

Not OP but I really like this idea, but minus the Duncan Hines. Too many chemicals. What can I sub? Flour and what???

FranticFrummie

Mon, Jul 20 2015, 9:30 pm

amother wrote:

Not OP but I really like this idea, but minus the Duncan Hines. Too many chemicals. What can I sub? Flour and what???

Make your favorite home made cake recipe. Bonus points for using whole wheat flour.

Just don't add very much water, because most of the water is added to the oatmeal at the beginning of the recipe. Add a bit more water, a tablespoon at a time, if you feel the mix is too dry, but remember that the dough is supposed to be thick and sticky - but still too wet to roll out. Hope that makes sense!