Daughter Won't Eat Breakfast Before School

My 5-year-old wouldn't eat breakfast either. I started giving him Carnation Instant Breakfasts and that did the trick! Good luck!

my brothers and I weren't big breakfast eaters either...my mom would make us lipton soup, or grilled cheese sandwiches or something we liked....and we'd eat that for breakfast before school.
she figured breakfast didn't have to be something normally found on a breakfast menu, as long as we were eating SOMETHING. I'm sure there is something she likes that is food and nutritious that she eats during other parts of the day...see if she'll eat it for "breakfast".

Hi A.
Were not breakfast eaters either.

1/2 lb organic spinach
blended till smooth w/ 1 c water (add more as needed)
add 1/2-1 c frozen blueberries to fix color
about 10 frozen strawberries
1/2 banana
2 scoops protein powder
1/2 c yogurt
blend smooth, serves 2

I've since got a used vitamix blender. And can juice whole foods. I now add a few baby carrots,and cored apple to the smoothies.
Good luck! A. H

Carnation instant breakfast shakes Buy the variety pack and she can see which ones she likes the best (I like them all)

I use Carnation instant breakfast. It is at Meijer and even at Sam's club! My daughter is 8, same thing..won't eat breakfast! Until this came along!
Good Luck.

I really like Carnation Instant Breakfast drink. Its very nutritionist, with twice the protein of an egg, twice the calcium of yogurt and it provides 21 essential vitamins and minerals per serving and is very filling. My son drank it for months after his surgery and it really helped in the healing process.. Doctors seem to recommend it… and then there is also ensure but you may want to read a little more about that drink but I hear it is also very healthy and filling.

My kids love a blueberry/banana smoothie! Vanilla yogurt, frozen blueberries, a banana, ground flax seeds and a good protein powder. I feel very good giving it to them!

Wow, lots of responses about Carnation instant. I have a couple of thoughts and questions I didn't see comments on.

Are you looking for a shake that has no artificial ingredients? Do you want the shake to be an optimal balance of protein to carbs?

I do have access to shakes, ordered online that will meet those criteria and yours of being full of vitamins so that your little girl's brain will be well fed for her task of learning. Does that sound like it could be a fit for you?

warmly, M.

I sent you a private message with info on all Natural Shakes they have nothing but good things in them. She may be too excited to eat or a little afraid too.
K.

I still hate breakfast! Have you tried the children's yogurt drinks? Or blending some yogurt, milk and fruit in the blender and making her a shake?

Transitions Lifestyle System has an excellent shake mix that is loaded with vitamins and low-glycemic (not loaded with sugar). I love the chocolate. I have friends who love the vanilla and add fruit.

You can look at it on my web site, or I can send you information if you give me your e-mail address. I am a distributor and coach. www.marketamerica.com/thevoiceoftruth
(click on Transitions and then you will see the shakes and more!)

S.

Hi A.,
My 5 year old is like me, doesn't eat first thing in the morning, but I found Carnation Instant Breakfast to be very easy and delicious. It comes in powder that you mix with 1 cup of milk or in a bottle that you just have to shake up.
Give it a try and good Luck.
God Bless, C.

You don't need a shake mix. Just put some vanilla yogurt, some plain kefir, a banana, a bit of peanut butter if she likes it, in the blender. Or skip the peanut butter and put just any combination of fruit (fresh or frozen) in the blender. I make them for my 3 year old son all the time. He loves them.

My pediatrician recommends Carnation Instant Breakfast. My kids love it!

www.thosecrazybeans.blogspot.com

My daughter is also difficult to get to eat in the morning. She's up for hours before she is actually hungry. We are only doing preschool this year, so it won't be terrible, but I also worry about her. I don't want her to "crash" or be irritable because the hunger catches up with her. We are getting ready to try smoothies and breakfast cookies. I thought the idea of a cookie in the morning might work! There are a ton of recipes on-line for both! Hope this helps!

I make my daughter strawberry, bananna smoothies. I add either vanilla ice cream or yogurt and flax seed oil,sometimes I add a splash of orange juice. She loves them.

I know exactly how she feels, I rarely want to eat anything before noon. It just sounds like completely gross lol
I have a slim fast shake every morning.
I buy the high protein powder (yellow can), mix with milk, a little freeze dried coffee and ice, viola! Instant mocha!
If it's a little later in the day in leiu of ice (and coffee) I use frozen fruit. Gives it a wonderful creamy consistancy. You can also add benefiber for a little boost, it doesn't change anything about the shakes taste.
It's high in protein and vitamins without being crazy in sugar. I've looked at pediasure etc, can't believe the sugar content.
Best of luck!

Hi! I know exactly how you feel.....have the same issue with my 16 yr. old daughter! I am planning on making some homemade fiber/fruit/protein bars and I also "Googled" nutritious breakfast shake and came up with this result:
http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/cat/1680/. Check it out, there are a lot of really yummy looking shake recipes that are easy AND cheap....perfect for busy, frugal mom's like us!

Good luck...hope your school year goes well! ;)

Deb~ Mom of four, 25-16..... only the youngest left at home.

when I was pregnant they had me drink carnation instant breakfast. It can be put in milk and drank hot or cold. I actually had it as a milk-shake with milk and icecream at night time to put on more weight during my pregnancy.(and it was good for both baby and I) It is loaded with vitamins! :) I as an adult thought it tasted great, I am sure your daughter will love it too!

You've gotten a lot of good suggestions already, and we do make breakfast smoothies here which would be the most economical solution. A magic bullet blender with the individual cups lets them make an individual shake and it takes seconds, literally. We love ours, I leave the base on the counter all the time. A little protien powder can also boost the nutrition too.

One other suggestion I do for the first week of school, is pick up some slim-fast shakes already in the can. My boys love them (they have fiber, protien, and vitamins) and they can just pop the top and drink. Once they are gone we go to smoothies.

I drink Herbalife Shakes for Breakfast, and I know they have kids shakes too. I like the cookies and Cream! My daughter likes the chocolate. There might be a distributor in your area, or let me know and I will ask my distributor.

A.; carnation instant breakfasts are good and yummy, you can find them in the cereal aisle at walmarts, or other stores, they are about 5 dollars a box and you can get different flavors, vanilla and choc, and strawberry , just add the packet to your glass of milk, its good and filling, in that section may be other shakes, as well, they are usually found on the top shelf and in a small section, also toaster strudels are really yummy too, also try to have available pop tarts, if your worried about alot os sugar get the ones without icing, pop those in the toaster and go, i like to put a bit of butter on them, either way have a wonderful school year, D. s

There's a Sneaky Chef smoothie recipe: http://food.ivillage.com/recipefinder/display/0,,cbfdprrs.... I haven't tried it but it sounds yummy!

Then there's the muffins. You say she's not into breakfast-y foods but these might change her mind: http://www.thesneakychef.com/free_recipe_peanut_butter_an...

If you have a local library you can check out The Sneaky Chef cookbooks.

Good luck!

I also have to recommend the sneaky chef books--she has a lot of creative breakfast foods for picky eaters. If you have a good quality blender, I would also recommend making your own smoothies. A banana, some strawberries and some low-fat yogurt with some orange juice is quite delicious and a wonderful breakfast for anyone. In my family, I utilize the smoothie technique to get my girls to drink down a variety of fruits (and vegetables--i'm very sneaky) on a daily basis. Frozen fruit makes great smoothies and keeps you from having to pitch spoiled fresh fruits. You do need a good blender thats for sure. But you are right in that breakfast is so important. I'm sure the shakes are better than nothing just keep an eye out for sugar, preservatives, and artificial flavorings. Good luck!

I have the same issue in my house with my 11 year old daughter. I have found that she LOVES Smoothies...so I am now going to make smoothies a few times a week for breakfast. We make banana/chocolate (very little chocolate!) smoothies....here is our recipe if you are interested:

1 banana
2 cups Dannon Lite n Fit Vanilla Yogurt
2 cups skim milk
a big handful of ice
a squeeze of reduced sugar Hershey syrup (or Ovaltine works too) Just enough to add a touch of chocolate flavor.

sometimes I throw in a few frozen strawberries (out of the bag)....

YUMMY!! Enjoy & good luck.

I was the same way as a kid. I had a hard time getting up in the morning and I always felt like I was going to throw up (and did so on many mornings). When I was going into the 6th grade, I was finally put in the hospital. They couldn't find anything wrong with me after running many tests so they sent me to a child physciatrist. He said I was normal too. They finally decided that it was sinus drainage. I learned to live with it. When I was in my 30's, we finally figured out the problem. I have severe restless leg syndrome. I know I've had it since I was a kid. It just didn't keep me awake every night until I was in my 30's. And, it wasn't until I was in my 40's that I found a medication that works for me. Now, looking back, it is all very clear to me. Even though I didn't stay awake, I never hit REMS in my sleep. I didn't get restful sleep my whole life. We had no idea. I was sick a lot. I had a hard time healing from things and mornings were torture for me-even just getting a smell of breakfast would make me sick. Just a thought, but maybe you might want to make sure she is getting restful sleep. I wish someone would have talked to us about this when I was a kid. Now that I am sleeping, I've never been healthier!

L.

Hi A.,

Around here we love the Carnation Instant Breakfast. You can put it into the blender with a little bit of milk and some ice cream to make a great shake. You might also check with her school and see if they offer any kind of breakfast, too. Sometimes seeing her friends getting breakfast may encourage her to get some, too. All three of my boys look forward to breakfast at school. That's how I got them out the door this morning on time! (hee hee hee)

Good luck - S.