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One of my kids does not like to eat in the morning. He just doesn't. I can offer everything under the sun and maybe he'll take 2 bites. Later, at snack time he will eat a lot, and he does not mind waiting, but I get all sorts of comments.
Let it go or nag him to eat?
Who comments about this? If this is a dck, do the parents know he has no appetite in the morning? or did he eat at home before coming to you?
If this is your own child, then what you do is just fine. You know your kid best so as long as he eats shortly afterwards, at snack, then he should be fine.
I would say dont bother nagging, it will just be more stressful on you and he still probably wont budge anyways.
Can you delay serving breakfast for a bit longer. I am assuming this is your own child and there is no reason your child has to be up and fed before daycare kids arrive so let him work on his own timetable. At the same time be mindful of future needs like out the door to school at a certain time so he needs to learn to eat before that time. He may just be the type that doesn't eat breakfast and will need something substantial for morning recess once he starts school. What happens if you serve snack for breakfast he can pick away at such as dry cereal and a favourite fruit. Make breakfast something sweet like canned fruit so he gets a quick pick me up while he eats. Personally I have a large glass of chocolate milk (nesquick) when I get up and don't eat breakfast till kids are eating snack so I know where he is coming from. Can you fool his body into thinking it is snack by letting him play as soon as he gets up and then calling him to "snack" but serving the equivalent of breakfast. Also what about just giving him a smoothy type drink with a straw that covers the nutrition factor and since most are more thirsty than hungry he might accept it. If this is a daycare child I would assume he is getting some food at home before coming and it is time to make breakfast optional serving it only to those that are hungry or skipping it and making snack earlier and more substantial.
I should have been more clear, yes, this is in reference to my kid.
But when he was in daycare I would get comments about his eating habits? What is a polite way to address this?
Some kids just take longer to be fully awake in the morning before they are ready to eat. Not right or wrong just is. Just tell them he is served food when he is ready. I am assuming the comments were that he was coming to program without being fed. I have had that same discussion with parents before. I simply told them well then I guess you will need to get up earlier so he has to play and then get hungry so he can eat before coming. In a program the onus is on the parents to feed the child of if the child refuses for the child to wait till snack is offered. Doesn't mean I have to serve three helpings of snack to the child either though. What is your child doing instead of eating - sleeping in, playing, watching tv, stalling getting dressed for the day. That might give you a clue in the sense of child comes to the table and sits for the whole time whether they eat or not. There are no other activity options during mealtime. If an earlier wake up time and no distractions doesn't work then you may just have to resign yourself to his quirks and hope he is served extra at lunch to make up for it. You would be surprised how many kids will eat a granola bar in the car on the way over to my house that wouldn't eat breakfast before leaving home.
I wouldn't fret about it, but I would make him wait until snack time to eat, for sure. I would put breakfast in front of him, give him the opportunity, and otherwise put the food away until then.
Speaking as someone who rarely eats "breakfast", I can remember being like that as a kid. Now what I am not sure of is if I was always like that, or if I was like that for a while and my parents just never enforced/encouraged my eating.
Have you tried doing foods that aren't necessarily considered breakfast foods? Really, as long as it's nutritious, it doesn't matter what it is. I quite often (when I do eat in the morning) warm up last night's leftovers, or some such thing.
Probably a bad habit to start but what about a dish of dry cereal in front of the tv. They say we eat twice as much when we watch tv.
that I totally believe *reaches for popcorn*Quote:
Originally Posted by playfelt
Just like adults, not all kids are hungry first thing in the morning. I have friends that wont eat for 2 hours after being up and others that have to eat right away. My own kids are like that... my daughter wants to eat the second she is up, my son likes to wait an hour or so (longer on weekends) so... I say let em. They will let you know when they are hungry and if that means waiting til morning snack... whatever.
Count your stars I have a child like that all the time. Refuses to eat anything and everything! :(Quote:
Originally Posted by mamaof4
Some people are not breakfast eaters. You tend to learn which meals the children eat the most, some at breakfast, some at lunch and some at afternoon snack in my daycare. I have learned to serve small portions and offer seconds at all meals. All children go through phases where they won't eat anything and then all of a sudden you can't fill them up while they have a growth spurt.
If they are hungry they will eat. The important thing is to offer the food at every meal even if it is just a couple teaspoons of everything. That's what I do when I have a child who won't eat because that way I'm not angry about throwing all the food in the garbage. I went through that last year with one child.
why do you serve breakfast? we have open snack at our center. it is open from 7:30-9:30 in the morning. that way children can eat when they are hungry. it is always fresh fruit (apples, oranges) and sugar free cereal with milk. no breakfast struggles
Between allergies and infants/toddlers in the same place as preschoolers it is impossible to just leave food out. As home daycare providers we need to fee our own children breakfast as they wake up and the discussion started as to whether to get them up to eat before the other kids arrive, feed them when they were hungry or how to handle them.
No way would "open snack" work here!! I have had some kids who would literally eat the entire time food was out. I have had some that would eat at 7:30ish, then by 10:00 be screaming for more food.
We need it to be more structured than that, unfortunately! What about clean up? Do you just wipe the kids down one by one, as they eat and finish?
why would open snack not work. we have 91 kids in our daycare and we manage to do it. we put fresh fruit and cereal on the table and the children wash their hands and come eat. the toddler room staff has a bucket of very warm water wit face clothes in it and when the children are done they clean them up. the older children clean up the space they use and the staff wipe the space down with bleach and water. we only have one table open at a time so it 6 spaces. it works for us.
when my children went to a dayhome the dayhome provider fed all the children when they were hungry she did have a cut off time for morning snack. i think it was 10 she would just warn the kids that snack would be done and they all ate some time in the morning.
Personally i think open snack is nice because you avoid food battles and the kids learn to eat when they are hungry.
MOM0f4, I wouldn't be too concerned about what others say to do if it doesn't feel right or you feel pressure to conform in some way. Look beyond the here and now and know that it is just what your child is doing (or not doing) at this time in his development. I too have a child that would not eat first thing in morning but given time he figured it out for himself. All you can do is to continue to offer him food when it is appropriate for your schedule and set the example.
if he doesnt want to eat breakfast don't push it! I take about an hour or so myself in the am before I feel hungry enough to eat, otherwise the thought of eating first thing is "yucky", but once I am hungry a few hours later....I could eat a large breakfast. Maybe offer a breakfast, if he doesn't take...no biggy....offer a healthy snack a few hours later, nothing wrong with that. IMO some kids just dont like to eat first thing. (a vitamin and a glass of water will do for first thing) :)
I am not a breakfast eater....I need to wait a good hour or more after waking up to eat anything...I get naseous if I eat earlier.
So its no surprise to me that DD will only have a yogurt after waking up and will eat a big lunch (after a medium snack). My Inlaws thought I was lying or that I was too lazy to feed my child so one day after staying over they made everything for DD. Pancakes (she hates them) grilled chese, scrambled eggs, cereal...nothing. She'd take one bite and turn it away. As I sat with my coffee on the couch they finally turne to me and asked "Does she not eat breakfast?" I got up, went to the fridge, got out the yogurt, wen to my daughter and asked "XXXXX do you want this?" she ate it up and went to play. I KNOW MY KID!
I'd say if anyone makes comments, after my evil glare, I'd tell them he's not a morning person and takes a while to get hungry. (not.that.its.any.of .your.business) :D
If he's not hungry right off, there's no point in forcing it. The food has been offered, he's encouraged to eat. Short of that, there's not much you can do. I, myself, don't like to eat first thing in the morning as it makes me feel slow and gross. I've had kids like that too. I've totally gotten rid of morning snack and just serve breakfast a little later. That seems to work to cover both. Breakfast from 8am - 8:30am, lunch at 11:15am then snack at 3:30 pm. That schedule seems to work well :)
What's with all this crazy spam today in so many threads?