Breakfast is torture time--I hate myself!

rowo

Wed, Sep 11 2013, 8:29 am

For a homemade oatmeal bar, melt equal parts honey, peanut butter and coconut oil, I think 1/4 cup of each.
Add in raw oats, I think 2 cups, the oats should hold together but not be too runny
Then add whatever 'add ins' you like, sunflower, pumpkin, chia or sesame seeds, raisins, shredded coconut, choc Chips, chopped nuts, quinoa flakes etc etc
Press into pan and refrigerate
Slice once it has hardened

I can't remember where I got the recipe from to give perfectly exact amounts, but I've played around with it and it still works - like leaving out peanut butter for school lunches.
My kids love choosing what to add in, maybe get your son involved too

eli7

Wed, Sep 11 2013, 8:39 am

Have you tried goat's milk products instead of cow's milk? The people in our family who have trouble with dairy do well with these and we can usually find a lot of options -- yogurt, milk, butter, all kinds of soft cheeses.

You might also try a hot cereal, like solet or ground brown rice (you grind uncooked brown rice in a baby food grinder or coffee or spice grinder and mix with water, cook for 15-20 minutes), with honey or jam. My kids really like this and it's very hearty, so even a little will make for a good breakfast.

Dolly Welsh

Wed, Sep 11 2013, 8:46 am

Right to all of the above.

Just for the record, I myself would never take less than half an hour for breakfast. It isn't civilized.

And you don't digest well. You have just been inert for hours, and your body isn't up yet to the complicated task of appreciating and processing food.

And breakfast is a big emotionally important together-time.

I am NOT in favor of complicated verbal communicating at breakfast however. Nobody can make sense at that hour, and arguments can start. Near silence, brief statements with smiles.

Perhaps a Mom should get up a little before everybody else, just to have a few minutes to herself, to note the weather, to glance at Hamodia, to get the water boiling for the oatmeal. And to have a little coffee, and sit in peace. Alone.

To peck DH off to work. But no talking. No remarks about errands he should do later, nothing.

THEN the kids get up, and Mom does her stuff; but she has had her coffee, and it's all right.

EVERYBODY is dehydrated when they wake up. Dehydrated people do not function well, and feel cranky and irritated.

Lemon juice in water, whether cold or hot, will fix that.

As for the slow eater, yes, Ensure is a great idea, and not nagging, ever. And not following around with food, ever.

lkwdlady

Wed, Sep 11 2013, 8:52 am

I think the problem is when parents give low muscle tone children cereal and milk for breakfast. It is so tedious for these children to take bite after bite - chew and swallow ... It can really take a long time! Then the cereal gets soggy and of course they don't want to finish.

I gave up on that a long time ago. I give my kids crackers and juice or a cookie and milk (some of my kids get rice milk). It's much easier for the kids to hold something firm in their hands to eat.

If you drive them (I've done that at times) then take "breakfast in a bag" - it's fun for them and keeps them busy in the car. Put in a few crackers, rice cakes or cookies, add a few raisins and give each child a box drink.

amother

Wed, Sep 11 2013, 9:22 am

I have the same problem with my special needs 3 year old daughter. She cant eat properly with a spoon and makes such a mess and eats from everyones plates and is always knocking over her bowl and everyone elses. I started giving her soft sandwiches. She loves them! It's not messy and she can eat it herself...

Mimisinger

Wed, Sep 11 2013, 10:06 am

Firstly, if you're going the smoothie route, make sure to get the big straws like from slurpies, otherwise it's going to take forever to drink.

Also, I used to pack in a ziplock GORP - granola, raisins, nuts, or some variation on the theme. (I also didn't use nuts because of allergies), but used cereal, craisins, etc. The kids like picking through the different choices. You could also add chocolate chips to up the caloric intake. And, you can give him soy milk in a box drink. Whatever he doesn't finish can be brought in the car.

gila-rina

Wed, Sep 11 2013, 10:13 am

morah wrote:

I agree with Marina. Do your hishtadlus- have breakfast out, make it easy to take on the go (smoothie, bar etc), but stop fighting. If it is not consumed by the time he gets to school, so be it. He will not starve. At his age, they still eat snack at around 10. He may even learn that it's no fun waiting till 10 to eat and start eating his breakfast properly.

I would normally agree with this sentiment, but in this case its a child with oral motor and underweight issues. OP, do you have a speech therapist for him? My son's therapist recommended using straws and even coffee stirrers for oral muscle development. Everyone is different, you need to talk to a professional about your specific case.So you should know, there are feeding specialists for these issues.
Good luck, wishing you to see only nachas from your kids in the future.

greenfire

Wed, Sep 11 2013, 10:22 am

breakfast is the most important meal of the day ... just like you cannot drive a car without gas - the body needs fuel

that being said - one needs to make the morning calm & unrushed in order to be able to relax enough to eat & no one to scream YOU'RE LATE

ah so what is good eats ... maybe a protein shake is the best way to go since he has trouble eating

otherwise I'm with a complete eggs & toast breakfast ... oatmeal is filling & healthy as well - but wares off quickly [add some sliced apples & raisins for variety] ... same with anything too starchy without protein - but whatever he will eat is good

yogurt & fruit along with granola

the problem as I see it is that once they leave the house, you never know if they eat anything till they come home for dinner

good luck !!!

amother

Wed, Sep 11 2013, 7:33 pm

eli7 wrote:

Do you know where I can buy the goat milk products in Brooklyn?

amother

Wed, Sep 11 2013, 7:34 pm

21young wrote:

My son is a terrible eater, and he's also pretty much off dairy due to congestion. His favorite breakfast is muffins - I make them healthy with almond or whole wheat flour and I sneak in fruits that he would never eat otherwise.

Would you be able to share some recipes please?

amother

Wed, Sep 11 2013, 7:37 pm

greenfire wrote:

All very valid points!

granolamom

Thu, Sep 12 2013, 6:56 pm

some of my kids are painfully slow eaters. it takes them almost a full HOUR to eat breakfast.
I've never been the type to make sure they eat or anything but I know they do not eat in school so I really would prefer them to fuel up properly in the morning at least.
I'm lucky though, my kids were always in the middle of the bell curve for weight so I never had to worry about them gaining enough and its much easier to be relaxed about it when they gain well anyway.
so, OP, I hear your problem.
smoothies are a great idea, if they will eat them. my slow eaters like yogurt through a spoon but if you have to avoid dairy, maybe try the soy or coconut milk yogurts?
I also bake whole grain muffins for them and personally have recently discovered LARA bars for myself, only two or three ingredients (dates, nuts, salt usually) and they are YUM with 220 cals and about 7 g protein. my slowpoke eater can eat two of those for breakfast sometimes in less than a half hr, but they do get expensive.
french toast is a big hit here, I cut the bread into 'fingers' so its practically bite-size. or mini pancakes.

no matter what though, I am ALWAYS in the kitchen cooking/serving breakfast for at least an hr every morning. I get up at 6:30 and the kids usually get up around 6:45. kids leave between 8 and 8:40 so we have time. my slowest eater's bus comes at 8:40 and he gets up first so I dont care if he sits and eats for an hr.

amother

Thu, Sep 12 2013, 7:33 pm

Thank you all so much for your kind words, encouragement and advice. It is very much appreciated. If anyone has any suggested recipes for the muffins, please try to share.

Granolamom, I do the French toast sometimes, can't do it too often cuz then it gets boring. The non-dairy yogurts have more sugar than anything else and not much nutrition. Part of the challenge of mealtime taking so long is that DS can not sit still. so he gets very distracted, goes out of the room, dawdles, yada yada and I think that's what makes me lose it.

Again, thank you to all.

FranticFrummie

Thu, Sep 12 2013, 7:34 pm

OP, add me to the list of parents with feeding woes!

DD is a picky, picky princess, and small for her age. Like me, she's usually just not hungry in the morning, so it's really hard to eat breakfast when your stomach isn't even awake yet.

My solution was to invent a breakfast "cookie". These keep really well, and kids absolutely LOVE having "cookies" for breakfast. They're not as crumbly as a muffin, and pack in a lot of protein.

1 box of cake mix, any flavor you like. We use vanilla or spice cake.
Make the recipe in a bigger bowl than you usually would.

Add finely chopped nuts, flax meal, wheat germ, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, protein powders, finely chopped dried fruits, and a large cup of old fashioned oats.

Your total add-ins should be almost the volume of the cake mix. Mix everything together, you will have a very stiff batter, like cookie batter. Let it sit on the counter or in the fridge for an hour or so, and then drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. I use parchment paper to keep the bottoms from browning too fast. Bake for about 8 minutes at 375 (medium oven) and test for doneness. They might take a bit longer, depending on your oven, and how moist your other ingredients are.

If you really want to be supermom, you can use your own cake recipe if you don't like using store bought box mixes. I don't have the koach for that, and I find that all the healthy stuff balances out the sugar pretty well. You can change up the add ins now and then for variety, so he doesn't get bored.

Try reducing the amount of water in the recipe, and using mashed ripe banana, peaches, applesauce, or any other soft fruit.

granolamom

Fri, Sep 13 2013, 6:32 am

amother wrote:

ah, I have a distractable one too. sometimes (if I have the time to sit) I will read to him while he eats. that keeps him in his seat. it doesnt guarantee that he eats though.

I'm wondering if your child isnt getting some benefit by being a pokey eater? sometimes kids like the predictable roles we play, maybe he's just used to the system of you chasing him and pushing food? I know he's small and nutritional intake is of prime importance but is it possible to try something new for two weeks? check his weight before and after to put your mind at ease, and then present a tiny amount of food (that you know he is able to eat without assistance) on a tiny plate (like a saucer) and WALK OUT OF THE ROOM. after 30 min, tell him breakfast time is over and clear it away.
I'd be real curious to see what he does with that.

chavs

Fri, Sep 13 2013, 7:15 am

wholemeal banana muffins:

2 medium bananas mashed
1 egg
½ cup (125ml) water
125ml vegetable oil
2 cups (250g) wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
2¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat an oven to 180 degrees C. Grease 18 muffin cups, or line with patty cups.
Mix together mashed bananas, egg, water, and oil in a large bowl. Mix in flour, baking soda, and baking powder until mostly smooth (you will still see lumps from the banana, but that's okay!). Gently fold the blueberries into the batter.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 15 minutes. Remove muffins from tins, and cool on a wire rack.

Other recipe for banana muffins:
http://oldworldgardenfarms.com.....lour/

The fun thing about making muffins is that you can add ingredients you think would be good for him or he'd like.

You can try googling carrot muffins too or zucchini muffins.

My son never liked things that were3 hard to chew so granola like things were out.

How about oatmeal?

Can you take him with you shopping and choose a cereal or breakfast food together?