Q&A – Breakfast
The Feeding Your Kids Foundation operates an international program to teach parents how to feed their children healthier and teach their children to have a healthier attitude toward food. It is entirely free to parents everywhere in the world. The program will help you, day by day over time, to build the skills you and your child need. Here are a few questions that are covered step by step in the program:
Q&A - How Can I Get My Child to Eat a Healthy Breakfast?
Getting children to eat healthy breakfasts starts with making it routine, balanced, and achievable within your morning schedule. Breakfast significantly impacts your child’s metabolism, attention span in school, and eating patterns throughout the day. Children who eat healthier breakfasts tend to eat better overall, perform better academically, and are more likely to participate in physical activities.
Feeding your children healthier is a gradual process of changing habits – both yours and theirs – rather than an overnight transformation.
What Should I Do If My Child Skips Breakfast?
Start with drinkable breakfast options. Drinking is easier than eating early in the morning, especially for children who don’t feel hungry when they first wake up.
Simple smoothie recipe:
- 1 cup fruits (fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt or milk
- Optional: 1 spoonful honey or maple syrup (not for children under 1 year)
- Blend and adjust consistency with ice or more liquid
Preparation tip: Set up your blender and ingredients the night before. In the morning, this takes just one minute to assemble and blend.
When children are involved in choosing fruits or naming their smoothie creation (“Magic Potion” or “Breakfast for Champions”), they’re more likely to drink it.
How Do I Make Breakfast More Balanced and Nutritious?
Include protein with carbohydrates. A breakfast with protein provides staying power for 3-4 hours until lunch, while carbohydrates alone lead to energy crashes and cravings for more sweet foods by mid-morning.
Protein options for breakfast:
- Eggs (scrambled, boiled, or in omelets)
- Greek yogurt
- Nut butters (peanut, almond, cashew)
- Cheese
- Milk in smoothies
- Small sausages or leftover meat
Quick balanced combinations:
- Oatmeal with nuts and fruit
- Whole grain toast with nut butter and banana slices
- Yogurt with granola and berries
- Smoothie with protein powder or nut butter
How Do I Transition My Child from Sugary Cereal?
Mix cereals gradually. Start by combining their favorite sugary cereal with a whole grain, lower-sugar option. Begin with mostly familiar cereal and gradually increase the healthier option until the sugary cereal becomes just a topping.
When choosing better cereals, look for:
- 6 grams of sugar or less per serving
- 3 grams of fiber or more per serving
- Whole grains as first ingredient
- No artificial colors or sweeteners
- Less than 150mg sodium per serving
Add fresh elements: Top any cereal with fresh fruit, cinnamon, or nuts. Even if your child takes only one bite of the fresh addition, their breakfast becomes more nutritious.
What Are Quick Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Busy Mornings?
The 80%-10%-10% planning approach: Plan for routine breakfasts (80% of days), emergency quick options (10%), and special effort breakfasts (10%).
Routine breakfast options:
- Overnight oats prepared in batches
- Hard-boiled eggs made in advance
- Smoothie ingredients prepped in freezer bags
- Whole grain toast with various toppings
Emergency breakfast options:
- Bananas with nut butter
- Greek yogurt cups with nuts
- Whole grain frozen waffles with fruit
- Cheese and whole grain crackers
Make-ahead strategies:
- Prepare larger batches of pancakes or muffins on weekends
- Set the breakfast table the night before
Keep a “breakfast basket” of non-perishable items ready
Should I Force My Child to Finish Their Breakfast?
Your job is to offer good food at regular times – your child’s job is to decide how much to eat. Pressure tactics, bribing, and forcing food teaches children nothing about nutrition and can damage their natural hunger cues.
Instead, try these approaches:
- Offer small portions initially (they can ask for more)
- Eat breakfast together to model the behavior
- Allow them to serve themselves from offered options
- Don’t negotiate or offer alternatives if they refuse what’s available
Remember: Children have an innate ability to regulate their hunger and know how much they need to eat. Erratic eating behavior is normal, and eating patterns play out over weeks and months, not individual meals.
How Do I Handle Morning Time Constraints?
The night-before strategy works best. Most breakfast preparation can happen the evening before:
- Set out bowls, cups, and utensils
- Prepare smoothie ingredients
- Hard-boil eggs for the week
- Mix dry ingredients for pancakes or muffins
Family breakfast routine: Even sitting together for 5-10 minutes makes a significant difference. You don’t need to eat a full meal – having a glass of water and half a boiled egg while your child eats reinforces the routine and provides modeling.
What About Children Who Say They’re Not Hungry in the Morning?
This is common and often related to:
- Natural body rhythms (some children take time to wake up)
- Eating too close to bedtime the night before
- Drinking too much milk or juice before bed
Solutions:
- Start with very small portions or liquid options
- Gradually move dinner earlier if possible
- Ensure adequate sleep (tired children often aren’t hungry)
- Be patient – appetite typically increases once breakfast becomes routine
Common Breakfast Mistakes to Avoid
Avoid processed “breakfast foods” marketed to children. Cereals marketed to kids contain 85% more sugar, 65% less fiber, and 60% more sodium than adult cereals.
Avoid the “anything is better than nothing” trap. Pop-tarts, donuts, and sugar-heavy pastries provide quick energy but lead to crashes and poor eating patterns throughout the day.
Don’t become a short-order cook. Offering multiple alternatives when a child refuses breakfast teaches them that refusing food leads to preferred options.
How Long Does It Take to Establish New Breakfast Habits?
Expect 2-3 weeks for new routines to feel natural. The first time trying a new breakfast preparation (like eggs or pancakes) is always the most difficult. By the third time, you’ll have the timing and adjustments figured out.
Signs of success:
- Less morning resistance to eating
- Child begins asking “What’s for breakfast?”
- Better energy levels throughout the morning
- Improved lunch eating (less grazing, more appetite for meals)
Establishing healthy breakfast habits creates a foundation for better eating throughout the day and helps children develop positive relationships with food that last into adulthood.