No Breakfast?

[Momof4]

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.

[carla]

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

[playfelt]

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.

[mom-in-alberta]

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?

[carla]

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.

[Happycamper]

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.

[kidlove]

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)

[Mamma_Mia]

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)

[cfred]

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

[Momof4]

What's with all this crazy spam today in so many threads?