It is a fight every morning for my 5 year old to eat breakfast. We have even tried to let her only eat half of whatever she was eating and she still does not want to eat anything for breakfast. Should I just let her go to school once to show her she is going to get hungry.. or should we keep forcing her to eat something. She only goes half a day to Kindergarten and they do have snacks every day. I would just feel bad sending her to school without any breakfast :( She has a very healthy appetite.. and will eat lunch when she gets home. Any advice would be apprecitated :)
2007-02-01 03:29:43 · 32 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Grade-Schooler
I used to be like that when I was little. Don't worry too much about it. When she's hungry, she will eat. When she's not, she won't. Don't force her.
2007-02-01 04:02:54 · answer #1 · answered by TheYellowRose 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Definitly make her eat her breakfast before school, if you don't then shes not eating properly, and breakfast is most important. What I suggest if shes not extremely hungry, and they give her snacks at school anyways, just give her a slice of toast, or find something she likes, maybe some yogurt and a slice of toast, or some cereal, maybe get breakfast exciting and give her different things every day, I know a lot of people don't have time but if you do then make her a pancake, or an egg. If you can, sit with her and have breakfast as well, get up a little earlier so you have enough time to sit with her and just talk, enjoy the breakfast. Try making a breakfast schedule with her, decide on the weekend what she wants to eat for breakfast each morning, this way shes helping to decide and well shes deciding what she wants to eat, so she may eat it. Try not to make the same thing every day, give variety. Good Luck
2007-02-01 03:41:21 · answer #2 · answered by Proud Mother 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Maybe she truly isn't hungry, if you force her to eat, it will only cause issues with food later. You said they serve snacks at school and she eats a good lunch when she gets home, she might be getting enough of what she needs. Try giving her a multi-vitamin to make up for breakfast. Is there a breakfast program at her school, maybe shes just not that hungry first thing in the morning and eating when she gets to school would work out better for her. Good Luck!
2007-02-01 03:37:50 · answer #3 · answered by BlairBear 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Don't force her to eat; as someone else mentioned, this can lead to food issues later in life. She may be one of those people, like me, who needs to be awake quite awhile before having an appetite. With the schedule she has now, it's no problem since she gets a snack at kindergarten. But since that will change when she goes to "big-kid school", she will need to adapt at some point.
Try waking her up a little earlier, and the next time you go grocery shopping, ask her what she would like to have for breakfast. Before the shopping trip, talk to her about how and why breakfast is important. Kids can understand more than they get credit for, if we put it in language they can relate to. With my 5-year-old, we tell her what (healthy) foods make her "grow big and strong", and she is all about it. Maybe this tactic will work for you.
2007-02-01 03:48:03 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Maybe she doesn't like what you have to offer? Sit down with her and talk to her about the importance of eating breakfast (IE, keeps her healthy/strong, keeps her head from getting headaches, keeps her tummy happy, etc). Tell her you'll take her to the store and she can pick out stuff she would like to eat for breakfast. This may sound funny but cheese pizza with a glass of OJ and some fruit on the side would be a good breakfast! Does she like PB? Toast some bread and make a PB/honey/banana sandwich! Make her a smoothy with yogurt,fruit and a bit of ice. There are lots of things you can do that are better than just a yucky bowl of cereal. A quesadilla is also a good option (melted cheese in a tortilla)!
The rule in our house is "something different everyday" for breakfast and I've never had a problem with any of my three kids eating. The "something different" rule is because it helps to introduce them to different kinds of food so that they don't become fussy eaters..........it's worked.
Good luck!
mb
2007-02-01 03:45:08 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Maybe she just isn't hungry first thing in the morning. I don't normally eat until like 3 in the afternoon and I do just fine.
If you're worried about her try letting her pick what she wants. If she has more control over what she eats, she might not be quite as picky over it.
Try letting her go through the fruits and veggies section of the store and pick out a new fruit and a new veggie to try that week. Heck, even if she wants a bologna sandwich for breakfast, that's not so bad for her.
Good luck.
2007-02-01 05:18:16 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have the same problem. Hannah will only eat a very small amount int the morning then she is starving when she gets home from school. We told her she could not go to school unless she ate her breakfast and so now she will eat about 1/2 cup cereal. I figure she is ok lunch is only 3 hours away!
2007-02-01 04:07:28 · answer #7 · answered by elaeblue 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Talk to the teacher - how is his appetite at school? How is his behavior and his performance? Does he seem hungry during the day? Does he sleep, or not do the work? Does he take food from other kids?
If everything seems OK, I wouldn't force him to eat. Maybe give him a bite of your toast and jelly, or be sure that he eats well the night before. To me, this sounds like it's probably a phase he's going through. Once he hits a growth spurt, he'll eat everything in sight.
2007-02-01 03:37:12 · answer #8 · answered by Ralfcoder 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Maybe when you go to the grocery store you could let her pick out what she wants for breakfast. Some people just don't like breakfast, myself included. But, it is really important to eat something even if it is not the healthiest thing. If you get her started on something, then maybe you could add healthy foods as you go. Like start with Poptarts and then add a fruit like grapes or bananas. Hope this helps!
2007-02-01 07:21:57 · answer #9 · answered by Mom of teens 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Let her choose the breakfast food - make it fun like a pb&j pancake sandwich, a toaster waffle filled with raisins, a cut apple or other fresh fruit - many kids just need to have a little food control in order to eat a meal. If she picks the food she is much more likely to eat it. I had the same trouble with my daughter when she was 4 so I taught her to make pancakes (we used bisquick) and she loves eating her own cooking ever since! Just make it fun and she'll eat breakfast without a battle. Good Luck!
2007-02-01 03:38:30 · answer #10 · answered by Walking on Sunshine 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have the same problem with my 1st grade daughter. I just tell her that she has to eat before she goes to school. She will be able to think better if she eats. She has went to school with only eating a yogurt many times. but...at least it is something.
If she doesn't eat this year, next year she may not, and most 1st grade classes don't get a snack. so, if she gets used to not eating breakfast now, she will have to get used to it next year.
She won't starve, and going without for a couple of hours won't hurt her.
2007-02-01 04:06:08 · answer #11 · answered by Pamelab 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋