Breakfast supplement

[birdlover99]

So my 3 year old just started pre-k and she is not a breakfast person so every morning before school it’s a struggle to get her to eat something and I feel like she should have something in her belly before going to school. My coworker suggested pediasure and I did some research and decided to go with Origin kids which is basically the same thing but without all of the added sugar and dyes. She won’t drink anything that is not regular milk, chocolate milk or water so I’m thinking of doing the chocolate flavored shake and just telling her it’s chocolate milk. I’m just not sure if this is the best idea for a breakfast. Does anyone have any other suggestions? I would greatly appreciate it if you passed on some ideas I’m at a loss.

 

[jimoski]

@birdlover99 I'm not personally a fan of hiding things in food but you know your kid best. Something we like to do is breakfast smoothies. You can make them fresh but you can also freeze leftovers in ice cube trays and then put those in reusable pouches to eat on the go. We always put fruit and a protein source in them. Our kid helps us make them which makes her even more excited to eat them.

I also used to make myself breakfast muffins and keep them in the freezer and just defrost as needed. My favourite are a spinach & feta cheese but you can get all kinds of recipes (cornbread based ones are also fire). For me, I find it hard to eat right after I wake up but eating on the way to work/school is much easier. Your kiddo might be the same.

 

[birdlover99]

@jimoski Thanks so much for the ideas. I wish I could do smoothies but she won’t drink anything that is not regular milk, chocolate milk or water

 

[jonahthesign]

@birdlover99 What about chocolate milk with chocolate protein powder in it?

 

[macym]

@birdlover99 What about smoothies frozen into popsicles? They come in all sorts of fun shapes and then you can pack them full of nutrients - chia for iron, coconut oil for fat, etc.

 

[grandpa4]

@birdlover99 When do they wake up and when does school start? Does school offer any kind of a morning snack time?

We're in the same boat and I've just resigned to not having my kid each much breakfast. If he's not hungry, I don't want to force or trick him into eating so that he's good at honoring his natural hunger cues. Today he woke up around 6:30, are one single apricot at 7:00, school started at 8:00 and they had snack time at 9:15.

 

[birdlover99]

@grandpa4 So she usually wakes up at 6am school starts at 8am and they have a snack at 9:30am

 

[mariamelody]

@birdlover99 I make chia pudding and fill reusable pouches with it. Or a combo of applesauce and yogurt with nutmeg.

 

[hestilllovespenguin]

@birdlover99 Amazing Grass for kids is a chocolate flavored greens drink. You can mix it into milk or your choosing. It’s pretty tasty!

 

[warriorforchrist]

@birdlover99 I use the once upon a farm pouches for my daughter on her way to daycare e

 

[jonahthesign]

@warriorforchrist The overnight oats ones actually have some protein and fiber in them.

 

[jaenalyn]

@birdlover99 My kids are not big breakfast eaters either but luckily their schools do morning snack or early lunch.

I do yogurt pouches and Perfect Bars, sometimes in the car on the way. Being strapped in means they’ve got nothing else to do but actually focus on eating.

But yeah, we can’t do a sit down breakfast. A in the hand and running around breakfast goes better for mornings.

 

[cadie]

@birdlover99 I make homemade pouches (I make a bunch at once and freeze) with whole milk Greek yogurt, fruit, and a little milk and honey to thin and sweeten it. A lot of times before preschool that’s what my 3.5yo and 18mo have for breakfast (and they also get a mid-morning snack). That with the cup of milk they have first thing in the morning I feel pretty good about calories/protein/etc.

 

[katrina2017]

@birdlover99 My son will also not eat much for breakfast, sometimes a bowl of cheerios, sometimes not. He has been drinking one of the origin kids premade chocolate protein drinks every morning before school for the last month mainly because I just gave birth and we are to exhausted to really do anything more at this point. He loves it and finishes his much more hearty snack in school though so for now we are ok with it but we do keep it away on weekends and hopefully once things settle down with a newborn at home we can try something else.

 

[jdsmith5274]

@birdlover99 If she skipps breakfast, when does she eat next at preK? When does she get hungry in the morning usually?

Kids are sometimes on their own system, and fasting periods are usually very very good for people. My son is unfortunate in that his biological clock tells him to eat in the morning and right up until about 4:30. It's taken 7 years of his life to rewire to our habit of eating dinner as a family and he now enjoys dinner. But when he was younger and I was worried about him getting hungry before bed if he skipped dinner, I discovered that literally one bite of something with protein in it was enough to hold him over until breakfast the next day.

 

[birdlover99]

@jdsmith5274 She has a snack at 9:30am in school