Help!Do any of you all have a problem getting your kids to eat breakfast? I know it isn’t the meds because he hasn’t taken them yet,but it has been a struggle for years now about getting my son to eat in the morning. He just stomps around the kitchen, opening and closing doors, while complaining that there is nothing to eat, he isn’t hungry or thirsty.He is not too thin but is below the 50%ile for his age and height.He eats ok at dinner, but I have a pretty good idea he doesn’t eat at lunch either. His school has an ala carte menu,he frequently eats popeyes chicken fries and juice.Our school lunches are complements of the military exchange system. He won’t drink instant breakfast, something I tried when he wasn’t getting enough calories to replace regular choc. milk. The only thing I can get him to do is drink chocolate milk that comes in little boxes like juices. Boy, it was so much easier when the elementary school he used to attend served breakfast at school. He would get right up,get ready for school without prompting, he never missed the bus.Part of it was the social aspect of seeing his friends before class when they could actually visit. Wish they had it here. I have also offered non traditional foods, pizza, ham sandwich, you name it(I draw the line at ramen noodles though), although who knows, I might surprise him and make it next time he asks.Any advice is appreciated.Thanks!
Re: non-breakfast eaters
Sounds like he likes to be mobile while eating? Try standup food like breakfast bars? Power bars? Energy bars? The ones with protein and nutrients, not the chocolate fatty ones that are more like candy. Costco sells them by the box.
Re: non-breakfast eaters
I had the same trouble with my two ADD sons. I pushed every food that was considered “healthy” when they were little. It seemed like they never ate a balanced diet. My sons’ doctor just asked me when I told him of my worries. Is he growing? Is he around the same percentile for weight gain year after year? Is he showing any signs of illness besides the usual childhood ones? If not, he is getting enough of the foods that he needs. Some kids eat early in the day, some eat later in the evening. As long as there are no medical problems, don’t make a big issue of it. Let him eat when he is hungry. It helps when the only foods in the house tend to be healthy foods. His choices in the evening then, aren’t going to be the junk foods.
Anything goes as long as its accompanied by small glass of m
I fought this w/all 3 my boys and this was the most effective answer. I cringe at the left over birthday cake days or fruit rollups. But I simply couldnt take the battle anymore and its a compromise we can live with!
Re: Anything goes as long as its accompanied by small glass
Honestly, sometimes I wouldn’t care if it was cake, most of the time it’s nothing at all if he can manage it, I wouldn’t worry except that I don’t want him to get sick at his stomache or a headache from having his meds on an empty stomache. Then I end up getting him from school.
Today was a little easier, there were only 2 toaster strudels left and his little brother wanted one so C had to have the other one so J wouldn’t get 2.They are so competitve sometimes it is unreal. Even a hair stylist we saw once made that comment to me when they were much younger.
I have tried taking him to the store with me to pick out stuff he was willing to eat in the morning, I may try it again.I don’t have too much trouble with dinner time he eats like a horse at night. I know I shouldn’t make too big a deal about the food because of eating disorders, I try not to most of the time. The idea about going to the store may work cause it will give him some control and choices. Wish me luck!
Re: Anything goes as long as its accompanied by small glass
I swear your kids sound just like mine! Out of curiousity how far apart in ages are they? Mine are only 15 months apart.Maybe you could only have two poptarts,two toaster streduls etc. everyday?
Re: Anything goes as long as its accompanied by small glass
They are 2 yrs 5mos. apart, they are about 2 inches difference in ht and about 3 pounds apart. Even the doc asked me one time,’ where are the twins?’ when I had come in on an errand. Which of course the oldest hates to be compared in any way shape or form to the youngest. Ain’t it fun?
Re: Brkfst foods
Greetings all,
My dd also won’t eat brkfst though I can usually force a granola bar or a protein power bar on her. My ds loves brkfst sandwiches so we hunt down all the $.99 coupons we can and alternate between Hardees/McD/BurgerK. It’s cheaper than buying them at the store! By-the way, I wouldn’t hesitate to serve ramen noodles!
Blessings, momo
Re: Brkfst foods
My youngest son didn’t want to eat in the am, either, until we started on the Concerta last fall. I started giving him his meds while he was still in bed, then gave him about 15 minutes to “wake up” a little. This works really well for him. I also ask him what he wants while he is laying there..so he has to think it over. For a while, he wanted to skip breakfast all together, he would rather sleep those extra few minutes, but he found he got such a stomach ache by 9:30-10 am. SO, I just started asking him every day whether his breakfast stuck with him longer in the morning. Like-“does that toaster strudel work for you, or would you like to try something else?” It makes it a lot easier when they feel you aren’t trying to “cram” something down their throats, that they have some say in what they eat. We went through a lot of food combinations before he came up with PB toast and cereal or fruit…way fewer presweetened things. It was kinda like a science experiment for him! He was his own guinea pig! LOL
BTW, my oldest son is 23, 6’5” tall and LOVES ramen noodles! As a matter of fact, he nearly lived on them his senior year of high school! I love them myself for a quick meal-I throw a handfull of frozen vegetables like broccolli, cauliflower and carrots right in the boiling noodles-just cause I like them so much!
Re: Brkfst foods
I put this on the teaching adhd bb, I get to rambling sometimes. Anyway, Tuesday my youngest decided to copy his brother and neither wanted breakfast. I said ‘ok, just drink your milk with your meds and don’t go to the nurse if you get a headache or stomachache cause she’ll just send you back to class when you tell her you didn’t eat breakfast, and anyway I’m not coming to get you.’ Wednesday, my youngest made himself a bowl of cereal w/out a word and my oldest had juice and hot chocolate. Well today my youngest had cereal again and my oldest asked me to make him a bowl of oatmeal.I guess they were hungry!! LOL
Thanks for the blessings y’all, I needed them. So far this week is much calmer.
Y’all take care.
Re: Brkfst foods
It’s a lot easier when you put some responsibility back on THEM for their choices! Nothing like a good choice to make a mother’s day! LOL
Have you read that book yet? RAISING CAIN by Drs Kindlon and Thompson. Check it out! We mothers of boys need all the help we can get! It’s a fun challenge! This book is NOT about raising boys! It is ABOUT boys!
Have you ever heard of this “Feingold diet”? It can be a hottopic over on Parentsoup [my “home”!] I haven’t tried it, but some say it is a Godsend to their kiddos! Not pushing anything here! Just asking! LOL
Good to hear your boys are making some good choices!
hugs, Deanna
I too have two boys who are not the least bit hungry when they wake up. They also have trouble getting to sleep at night. My developmental pediatrician suggested giving them their meds even before they get out of bed in the A.M. Thought he was crazy,thought they wouldn’t even be hungry at all if I did this.Told me that sometimes adders can not attend to morning routines if meds are not on board. This has worked for one,not the other. Might try it.The thing is, either way they were not hungry,helped my youngest get things done and reason with him about the need to eat something! Now what he usually does,when he makes his lunch,he makes a second sandwich and eats one . Tuna fish this morning. Hey,it’s got protein? My other son,will eat a poptart,if I put it in his hand,again only after his meds.