Another breakfast question, haha

[mom-in-alberta]

I was wondering what you all do? Currently I have kids start arriving shortly after 7:30 am. My children are almost always still sleeping, unless it's during the school year, when the older 2 are up and out the door by that time. So I let them wake up on their own (usually around 8 or a little after) and they eat breakfast and get dressed, etc.
Is it rude that they are eating in front of d/c kids? The expectation is that all d/c kids have been fed before they come to my house. It doesn't seem to bother any of them, except for one little guy. He just wants all food-all the time, though. Going to the grocery store is no fun, all he does is point and grab and beg for every little thing.
What do you think?

[sunnydays]

That's why I serve breakfast to my dck's! My two eat around the time they arrive and I don't feel right not giving food to the others, especially if they ask. If they have already eaten at home, I'll just give them some cheerios or something to munch on. There is no way to explain to a 1 1/2 year old why my kids are eating but they are not allowed.

[playfelt]

No it is not rude to feed your own children when they wake up. Just repeat to the daycare children that they had breakfast when they woke up and now you kids are doing the same. That is the perk of home care - our own kids get to sleep in. It is important that children learn that just because food is available that they don't have to have some to eat. What I would probably do is hold my own kids a bit longer and then serve an early snack so everyone is getting something but some are getting breakfast and some snack. That way your own kids aren't eating twice before lunch either. I normally serve morning snack around 8:30. There will be some kids that will grumble and some parents that will whine and grumble too which you can just say well you pay me and I will feed them breakfast too just remember it won't happen till close to 8:30 so they will be really hungry.

As for the fact the others don't seem to mind they are obviously not hungry. They probably like the fact they are getting first pick of the toys for the day instead. As for the I gottta eat constantly boy it is good for him to see food and be told it isn't your time to eat right now.

I often serve snack to the youngest going down for naps before the others get theirs or serve lunch to the ones I have to feed as soon as they get up from nap while I am still cooking for the others so mine are also used to not everyone eating at the same times and even a bit of not all eating the same thing based on finger/spoon skills.

[BCParent]

All my daycare kids come fed. When mine wake up, they eat as they wish. I have a gate up in the hallway between daycare and the kitchen so the little ones aren't standing right in there watching mine eat...lol...but I do not feel bad or obligated to re-feed anyone just because mine are having their breakfast. Snack is within 2 hours of everyone arriving and they aren't really hungry - they just want to eat for the sake of eating because someone else is. There was a time it bothered me but not anymore.

[mom-in-alberta]

Thanks for your input!!
I am not too worried about it, and will likely not change anything as of yet. I have to admit that my thinking was; that is one of the reasons that I do home daycare. So that I DON'T have to drag my kids out of bed and shovel food into them on a tight timeframe.

[playfelt]

My rules were I didn't care what time my kids got up unless it was before me. But they had to dress before coming out of their rooms, eat breakfast in the kitchen at the table and eat before they were allowed to play so those that didnt' want to eat fine but their options were to hang out at the kitchen table anyways or go back to their room.