Preschoolers Not Eating Enough
Related Pages: Family Meals ... More advice about Children Not Eating
Archived Q&A and Reviews
| Questions |
|
3 year old picky eater
May 2004
Our 3 year old has been becoming even more of a picky eater than he already was. We try to let him eat the foods he likes within reason (has to have some balance, not too much sugar)and just try to offer other foods without forcing them, but his palate is becoming more narrow (ie he used to eat noodles with minced spinach on them but will now pick it off). We've tried to make a rule that he has to taste something that we're serving (he can spit it out if he doesn't like it) before we'll make him something different but that leads to refusal and power struggles with him shrieking that he's hungry but refusing to eat anything except crackers. I love the idea that he needs to taste a new food or the food on the table but not quite sure how far to take it. The times we've said that he can't have anything else to eat until he tastes something of what we're serving on the table has led to major meltdowns with a screaming hungry tired child and frustrated tired parents. Help! What are we doing wrong? Are we taking it too far or not far enough? frustrated
Been there... still there... our picky eater is almost 5. I've read all the books and articles, talked to his pediatrician, other parents, and it's still a problem.
He'd live off carbs if we let him - pirate booty, chips, bread, pasta, rice. So we try try try to stick with the healthier options only, telling him that's all that's available right now. Again and again I'm told ''if he's hungry, he'll eat'', but the thing is, he'll eat the pasta, leave the veggies, say he's done and then beg for food at bedtime, when he really IS hungry and therefore can't get to sleep because his stomach's growling. So, I try to feed him a healthy dinner almost within minutes of getting home after work, sometimes as early as 4:30, telling him he can SNACK later when mommy and daddy eat dinner.
His only video/tv viewing snack he can have is raw veggies (I know - you're not supposed to let kids eat while they watch because they don't pay attention to their hunger, but that's exactly what gets the food in his mouth), and I've started measuring portions of his snacks so it doesn't get out of hand, and letting him know just how much he can have per day.
Some days it works, some days it's tears and bad behavior. Not a lot of advice, I'm afraid, but just to let you know you're not alone, and hopefully you'll get further than we are. Just Another Mom
I just had to reply because my 3.5-year-old son just overnight turned into a picky eater. At the same time, however, my 7-year- old daughter has seemingly come out the other end of the picky tunnel. She now eats pretty much eats what we're eating, herbs, spices, sauces and all. I'm amazed. Starting at 3, she fell off all foods that weren't white (white rice, white bread, pasta with NO butter or anything on it...)I remember getting really upset because she'd go for a weekend eating only dry toast! And yet here she is; tall, healthy and always hungry. I'm trying to keep her example firmly in mind when my son turns up his nose at anything that isn't Dino Nuggets.
Also, a nutritionist once told me that most toddlers will get just what they need nutritionally over the course of a week, believe it or not. They're not going to get what you consider three squares a day, but if they eat a PB, some pasta, some apple juice and a bowl of grapes, they're covered. Summer's coming - Will he eat strawberries? Peaches? Can you pretend broccoli is a little tree for him to eat? Might get a bite into him that way. Edamame beans? Those are fun, and really nutritious.
Anyway, I hope my example helps - try not to freak out about it because as long as he's growing, he's really fine, and chances are he'll grow out of his pickiness some day in elementary school. Good luck! Julie
My kids are good eaters. It may just be luck or heredity but these are the general guidelines that we try to follow:
1. My husband and I are NOT picky and do not have a lot of food restrictions--we do try to eat very healthily.
2. Believe that your child will NOT starve or even go hungry that long. (You REALLY have to believe this.) Believe that if your kid is really hungry they'll eat anything.
3. What you put on the table at any particular meal is what is going to be eaten at that meal. I wouldn't dream of making anything special for someone to eat--I'm too lazy! If your kids doesn't like it they don't have to eat it. They don't have to eat anything at all but they can't have crackers or junk for snack later--they have to have real food and you get to decide what that real food is going to be and when it is going to be served.
4. Try not to have any junk in the house. Try to give only meal foods at snack time (especially when you're trying to re- establish good eating habits). I set my toddler son down at the table when he is hungry for dinner before the rest of us are seated and give him his vegetables first and he eats them up because he is hungry. I do NOT hand him a cracker while he waits for dinner.
5. I think the way a Kaiser handout puts it is--You get to decide WHAT and WHEN your child eats. They get to decide WHETHER and HOW MUCH to eat. (I may have gotten that slightly wrong but you get the gist.) That means you have to take yourself out of control of whether and how much your child eats (no forced tasting) but you really have to put yourself (and not your child) in control of what is eaten (no crackers for dinner) and when it is eaten (it isn't lunch time now. At lunch you'll have a peanut butter sandwich if you're hungry.)
6. Try to act like you are doing your child a big favor in allowing them to eat such wonderful food you've provided. They are NOT doing you a favor when they are eating.
I think once the whole issue is no longer about control then you can do little tricks like no dessert until you finish your milk. And I do limit the number of cookies they eat so I don't follow the kid controls how much to eat rule there. hope this helps
See my posting above regarding the 14 month old. Some of that may be helpful to you. If the only foods on the table are healthy, varied and lovingly prepared, eventually your child will try some of it. If we change what we offer to suit their narrow band-width of tastes, we, the adults, are endorsing them as healthful and nourishing, even if they aren't really. Nori
I just got through reading about this very topic in Ellyn Satter's excellent book, ''Child of Mine, Feeding with Love and Good Sense.'' (She's also written a book called ''How to get your kid to eat...but not too much''). She's a pretty well-respected child nutritionist, and her take is that the ''one bite'' rule causes exactly what you described -- power struggles.
She talks a lot about the division of responsibility -- the parent is responsible for what goes on the table and when, whereas the child is responsible for how much he/she eats, if at all. Getting a toddler/preschooler to try anything, especially food, is really hard, and you just have to let them do it on their own timetable. She says that you might have to introduce a particular food to them 15 to 20 times before they are willing to take a bite. (My 3yo son went from staring at green beans on his plate, to just licking them, to gobbling up a bunch of them at a Chinese restaurant over the course of about six months.) You should never force your child to eat anything.
She suggests NOT cooking special meals for your child, and always offering what everyone is having. He can eat as much or as little as he wants of any dish, or not at all. Keep one starch like bread or rice available, in case he rejects everything else. Don't worry, he won't starve. He won't be malnutritioned. He'll pick up a protein with breakfast, or a fruit with lunch or snack and OVERALL, have a balanced diet. His willingness to try new foods will slowly creep on him, but he'll surely start placing judgements on certain foods (veggies=bad, dessert=good), if you try to force, manipulate or bribe him.
Finally, she puts a lot of emphasis on making mealtimes pleasant and fun -- not completely focused on the food he won't eat, but on conversations, etc. - Hope this helps
Welcome to the club of picky eaters! I used to eat everything my mom put on the table for the family and my daughter doesn't. Well, then again, she probably observed early on that my husband and I fixed whatever we felt like at the moment and that it's often something different. While we always share the experience of sitting together at the dinner table, we won't necessarily share the same food. So, we ended up giving her a menu of easy fix choices and taught her once she made her choice, there was no changing her mind. (While I would never withold food from her - only food can cure a cranky hungry child - the consequences for changing her mind after her requested dinner was fixed would be so unattractive, that she learned right away).My daughter turned out to be a good, hearty eater, just very selective (specific bread, specific jam, specific pasta sauce...) We chose the reward principle to get her to try new foods. For each new food she put in her mouth, she would get one sweet tart. Since I never introduced more than 3 new foods per week, that never became a problem. But she discovered a few new things she liked. Also, her afterschool program only serves organic food and she tries things there she wouldn't try at home. Once in a while I check in and these items will become popular at home too. (Ever mushed a few rasberries into black beans? It's a big hit right now, topped with grated cheese). Anyway, I don't know if my daughter will ever take a liking to all the wonderful ethnic food around here and she still won't eat anything leafy, but she gets all her basic food groups in other ways. I just started looking at food as calcium, protein, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. I don't care so much what she picks, but she actually gets it all and she loves fruit. Fruit is the only dessert she knows. There is an allowance of three pieces of sweets per day (only after dinner and she learned not to ask for it any other time during the day because this is what her body is used to) and pieces may be ''lost'' for really bad behavior. When she was three she gave me such a bad tantrum over cookies I had bought that I told her I would stop buying cookies if that is what I have to deal with. And I did. Of course, we'll buy them as a special treat in a cafe, they are just not available at home. We also don't have sodas in the house. We like vitamin and calcium fortified juices, but it takes the whole family to have the same attitude about nutrition. You and your spouse are the role model for better or worse nutrition. Anonymous
4-year-old is set in his ways
My 4 year old is a very picky eater. After reading Feeding Your Child for Lifelong Health by Roberts and Heyman, I see many ways in that I have reinforced him in this habit over the years. He also permanently stops eating something if I make too big of a case about how good it is for you. The variety in his diet is more limited as he gets older.
I want to broaden his horizons, but he is quite set in his ways. I have recently stopped making a separate dinner for him, but he's quite unwilling to try new foods.
Has anyone had success with their picky eaters?
I too have a picky eater, and it is a pain in the neck. He is branching out a bit though, at age 8. We have a system to try to compromise. Tuesday is choose day; he gets to choose the dinner menu for the family (either together with, or alternating with, his younger brother). Friday is try day; he tries something new. Sometimes he has suggested what the try day food will be; he chose Indian food once, which we thought was a terrific idea. Leslie
My 5 year old is a picky eater. My 9 year old was a picky eater at different times.
My advice is don't worry and don't make a big deal about it. It can be very frustrating and we worry that they're not getting the nutrients they need (how nourishing is raisin bread and cheese?????) Remember they're a lot smaller than we are so their requirements are less. Fresh fruit will go a long way in the vitamin dept. Cheese does have protein and calcium though personally I don't feel lots of dairy is a very healthy idea. What I feel is important is to give them food thats pesticide and preservative free. I buy organic food and keep very limited sugar foods in the house. If your child has energy and looks healthy, probably he's probably doing OK. My pediatrician has reminded me many times that they won't starve. My 9 year old son still has somewhat of a limited diet but he'll eat salad. No fish or chicken or red meat (occasionally a hamburger). My little one will eat tofu but no vegies....I hope my experience helps ease your anxiety. It's a tough one. Good luck. June
Regarding advice for the picky eater: I recommend that you not make such a big deal over what you deem as 'healthy' food for your child. It invariably becomes a test of wills, your's over your child's. I became so obsessed over my first child's eating habits that I lost sight over the fact that he was just a child. He eventually became more rounded in his eating habits as a 22year old, but as a regular kid he very seldom ate much greenery, ate mostly sweets for breakfast, stuff like that. He's more open to different kinds of foods now since he's been away for college and seen what he can do with a limited amount of money. Also, his friends are a great influence on him, eating wise. I would suggest just letting him see what you are eating, don't prepare a separate meal for him, because you are just catering to his wishes. If he doesn't want to eat, he won't starve, he'll eat when he's ready (that's what my pediatrician finally told me).
I know this is not the reply you want to hear, but I feel compelled... I am a 37 picky eater. I have a very limited palate (no tomatoes, no eggs, nothing from the sea, few sauces, no ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, no cold meats, only mozzerela cheese and only if it's melted, etc etc etc) and you know what? I'm fine. I'm healthy. I'm strong. It's sometimes difficult when I get invited to people's houses for dinner and I end up feeling embarrased about not eating the fish stew, but people are pretty understanding. It's a good topic of conversation. Nothing my parents did or tried to do could have changed my eating habits. They tried softball approaches and hardball approches. In the end I think my mom just served what she was going to serve and if I didn't eat it, so be it. She also, however, capitalized on the few things I would eat (chicken) and found many ways of serving it. She also didn't sweat sending me to school with the same lunch every single day (pb & j on swedish hardbread). Keep trying to expand your kid's diet horizons, but don't worry if he just wants what he wants. He'll be ok. jill
I believe that parents should not cater to their picky eater by doing things like cooking them individual meals, throwing out food that they don't eat, etc. Many of my children's friends are picky eaters. I can't even begin to tell you how distressing it is for me to see them take one bite of something (eg a sandwich, slice of pizza) and then toss the rest. There were periods in my childhood (and many of my friends) when we didn't have a lot of money for groceries, and I can assure you that my siblings and I were not picky eaters. We were just grateful to have food, period. Today there are undoubtedly some kids living within a few miles of most of us who are going to bed hungry. I'm not advocating that we guilt-trip our kids, or treat them unkindly. Instead, let's gently teach our kids to not waste precious resources like food.
I have a picky eater. I don't think it is anything we have done---we have one picky eater and one child that will eat anything. ...And I think that it's dangerous to take credit for all your child will eat (just count your blessings) because that leads you down the path to thinking you are in control of your child (and guess what...!). I think children come to us as they are and it is our job to nurture, encourage, and love them for who they are. If your children have guests that are picky eaters, teach your own children to be good hosts by quietly accepting their friends and not making a big fuss over it. Let the picky eaters' parents worry about them. Believe me, they probably do! (Perhaps if the child were to be with you for a long period of time you might need to worry about nutrition, but in this case, let them worry about their tummies and you move on to bigger issues.)
I have a little girl who eats, or at least tries everything that is placed in front of her. We insist that she do that. We don't make her eat everything that's on her plate. Nor do we believe in wasting food in our family - that comes from values that are taught to us. I have the gut feeling that most UCB Parents subscribers were made by their parents to eat everything on their plates - or you don't leave the table. As we grow older, we hopefully learn from our own childhood and maybe get away from some of the things that happen to us - to make happier life for our own kids.
My daughter (3.5 years) has various dislikes of particular food but her preferences and opinions change. By now they seem to also have to do with what she sees what her friends like, dislike (eg. lunchbox sharing...). We generally just cook according to our plans (more nutritious and varied in times when we pay more attention and have a bit more time; more boring, quick and 'unhealthy' at other times). Our daughter can eat what she likes, we never make her eat things she doesn't like. We offer the food, sometimes make an effort to convince her to try at least, generally let her determine how and what food she wants on her plate. I would not cook seperately for her. This is what my mother did and I am told that I was a picky eater. My mother really sympathised with food dislikes and went at lenght to accommodate each child. On contrary, I don't really appreciate when my daughter is picky on food, but I accept it, try not to get too involved and let her do her own thing. After all, I know that the food we eat is good and that even if my daughter doesn't like some things, she is familiar with the general menu and taste of the food. Different thing when we eat out or at other people's houses - faced with some strange food I would sympathise with not wanting to eat. Ditto I agree with all the responses of please not force guests in your house to eat what you cook.
But I do believe that the parents' attitude counts a great deal. So I would disagree with one mail where it said that picky eater children just come as they are. I also think that parents influence their children on matters like waste of food, pleasure of cooking, hurry eating versus pleasure eating (as with many other things) just by the way they 'behave'. And I also sympathise with the problems stated in the first mail - of course it makes me feel bad when guests don't like the food I prepare. Maybe with little guests things are worst because on one hand one wants to 'mother' them and on the other they are not as polite as (some) adults handling this sensitive matter.
Picky eaters, nature or nurture? My parents used to tell the story of how they fed me (the firstborn) all kinds of food and never made an issue out of food, and as a kid I was omnivorous. They congratulated themselves on avoiding the pitfalls of picky eating. Then my younger brother came along, was treated exactly the same way, and ended up living on almost nothing but yellow food for years (spaghetti with butter, mashed potatoes, you get the idea). So much for self-congratulation.Now I've got two boys, ages 7 and 3.5, and history has repeated itself. The older one is incredibly adventurous in the variety of foods he will eat, the younger one eats well but only what he likes. So I vote for nature. For what its worth, our strategy (with both kids) has always been we choose what to serve, you serve how much to eat; no arguing. That's been pretty severely tested when the older one ocasionally decides the amount he wants is zero, and then either two hours later decides he's hungry and will have dinner now, or announces the next morning that he still doesn't want to eat anything. After fruitless fighting and arguing (you have to eat; your body needs food; real soccer players eat to become strong; not eating in order to be thin will not make you a faster runner; etc.), we've gone back to the original no-arguing plan, and lo and behold, his appetite always comes back strong.
Nightly food wars with 4-year-old
My 4 year old boy is a very poor eater. Dinner, in particular, is a real challenge as he doesn't like anything that I would characterize as a main course. No meat, fowl, fish, tofu, etc. The occasional chicken nugget, though I tried to make them homemade and struck out. All the foods that most kids love (pizza, peanut butter, hot dogs, cheese to name a few) he doesn't like. We do an awful lot of pasta (with butter only!) with one of the two veggies that he will sometimes eat. We've bought those frozen kids dinners and he wastes those too. Every night I come home, open my fridge and sigh like some miracle idea is going to leap out at me, but we end up with the same few things, which he may or may not eat. I end up screaming, threatening him with no computer or whatever if he doesn't eat at least some of it, and feel frustrated to say the least. This goes on virtually every night. I know food has become a power issue, and I know I've made mistakes, but in the meantime!! I would like to see him eat some healthy foods,and I would like some suggestions/ideas about the dinner hour. By the way, he's healthy but weighs about 33 pounds. Thanks in advance!
I am fortunate in having a 5 year old child with a great appetite-- he tries everything, especially if his parents are obviously enjoying it. Some small tips in making this work:
1. limit liquids just prior to sitting down for a meal. The tummy only holds so much.
2. figure out if he likes puree or crunch and be sure each meal has some of the texture he favors.
3. let him participate in preparing the food, including taste-testing. Running the blender, stirring, putting ingredients into the bowl/pan are favorites.
4. try to keep the competition for his appetite to a minimum (limit all simple carbs in the form of fruit juice (even if 100% pure), packaged cereals, crackers and chips, dried fruit, sweets, etc.)
5. As best you can (and it is often hard), support your child's choice in eating when he feels like it. More weight issues have arisen from being required to eat someone else's schedule (like at work, even).
6. have healthy snacks ready for his appetite: boiled egg, plain yogurt, steamed veggies, cooked meats, home-cooked soups, tortilla with pureed beans and cheese, and so on.
7. if he is in a childcare facility, be sure you know what he is eating during the day. You may find some answers there to his small appetite and will want to send all his food, including his snacks, to the facility.
8. Finally, I have read and heard that 4 is often a time when appetites are low. But if you have concerns, try Jin Shin. It has revived my son's appetite when I suspected something out of balance in his little body (Barbara Baiardi, 235-0616 or Leah Statman, 525-5080 are in the Berkeley area). Good luck!
First, does the child snack between meals? If the snacks are healthy, don't worry about eating at mealtimes per se. If not, eliminate them. The main point is to be sure the kid gets enough nutrition over the course of the day.
Second, give vitamins if you are concerned about nutrition. There is a kind that mimics Gummi Bears that my kids love. Sold at Andronicos and Life Extension Vitamins on Solano, probably lots of other places as well.
Third, what does your pediatrician say about the child's weight/height?
Fourth, let him go hungry. Obviously, no dessert without eating a reasonable dinner. I don't mean to be harsh, but it will definitely bring matters to a head. When he's hungry, his appetite will improve.
Please stop fighting with your son about food! My daughter also doesn't like meat or vegetables, lots of kids don't, so I serve her pasta, rice and all kinds of fruit, and give her a daily multi-vitamin. We never fight about food. Her pediatrician is somewhat mystified about where she gets protein and calcium (she also doesn't like milk products or beans or nuts), but she is very healthy. A person can be healthy without eating meat and vegetables.
Sounds familiar! My daughter became a very picky eater when she turned four. I consulted with her pediatrician who advised me to continue putting *healthy food* on her plate and eventually she might eat it (might take twenty times!) She also suggested that I make sure I give my daughter a children's multivitamin daily just for insurance.
Even though it's frustrating when my child won't eat the healthy food I give her, I don't worry so much anymore. I realized it's really not something that I have total control over. I once heard a pediatrician give the advice that: it's the parent's job to provide healthy food. It's the child's job to eat it. I have taken this advice to heart. The biggest mistake you can make is to try to force them to eat anything. It just becomes a power issue.
Sometimes I make her what she likes best pasta with butter and parmesan cheese, Campbell's chicken noodle soup over rice, or macaroni and cheese or pizza with cheese and olives...but other times she is given the same thing my husband and I eat. I don't think it's a good idea to just make them just what they like --else they will never learn to eat or appreciate the taste of anything else. Once I made an egg salad sandwich and my daughter said she didn't like it. I said, How do you know? You've never tired it. Take a bite! She did and she loved it. I guess that shows that you never know unless you try. She is becoming a better eater now that she's turned five. She actually likes broccoli! If you're patient your son's eating habits will in all likelihood eventually improve.
My last piece of advice: don't try too hard to please them - you'll just end up frustrated in the long run. I learned this the hard way - I felt like the short order cook every night until I decided I had had enough. Good Luck!
Your post sounds like my 4 year old daughter. She has never enjoyed much variety or quantity in her diet. As a mother I found myself putting way too much emotion into her rejection of the lovingly prepared meals I would throw out night after night. I finally let go of my anger over the situation and began to focus on foods she liked and didn't try to force her to eat anything she chose not to. Over time (about a year now) she will try just about anything but immediately spits out about 90% of new things if she doesn't like it. That's OK in our deal. She has actually found a couple of new foods that she likes using this method. I prepare those foods for her while always offering the food my husband and I are eating. The arrival of our second daughter helped this situation because she eats anything and everything. I raised them both exactly the same so it allowed me to release my guilt about somehow not 'teaching' my daughter good eating habits.
Our food list includes: chicken meatballs (recipe from The Healthy Baby Meal Planner book by Karmel) which freeze well, Annie's Pasta Shells and Cheese, thigh and leg chicken meat (I buy the cooked chickens at the grocery store), any type of pasta noodles (plain), peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (sometimes), pork tenderloin (when I prepare it for the whole family, I don't cook this just for her), boiled fresh shrimp, Van de Kamps crunchy fish sticks, strawberry yogurt, raw carrots (with the greens attached so she can pretend she's bugs bunny), apples, bananas and tangerines. For breakfast she eats an english muffin with peanut butter every morning. On weekends she'll eat pancakes and also likes turkey sausage (patties not links). Both of those things freeze well so extras can be saved and microwaved during the week. She is particular about brands of foods and doesn't like oranges even though she loves tangerines, likes dark meat chicken but not white meat. All of this tells me these type of kids are sensitive to flavors on some complex level that defies a mother's patience. Our list of foods are all easy to fix, it's too frustrating to spend time preparing foods that get thrown away so don't put yourself through it. I also buy all organic produce. I think kids respond positively to the fullness and quality of the flavor. I used to shun all prepared foods but broke down on that issue because of convenience. In general there's no junk food in our house.
I would not consider my daughter a poor eater, since she eats good quantities, but a picky eater. Also rejects all the typical stuff others crave: pizza, ice-cream, french fries/potato in any possible form. And she certainly does not eat whatever combinations the adults put on the table. There are a couple of things you can do: 1. Freeze a two weeks supply of a variety of dishes in toddler meal-size containers (for us that would be: pasta with red sauce, pasta with white sauce, tofu dogs cut in cubes with Heinz vegie beans and corn, fishsticks with peas) and serve whatever your son prefers from that menu. My daughter has always eaten what she requested. Breakfast is handled the same way. Do you want oatmeal, granola bar, toast with honey or jam, cereal or yoghurt? And she follows through. * Avoid the struggle at home by serving the warm meals at preschool via thermos. This is a good way for me to introduce one new meal per week, which gets rejected 90% of the time, but at least I don't have to hear the rejection of my good intentions. Of course, I always have a standard set of snack items as an alternative packed. Then serve a light cold self-selected dinner at home - he might end up with a few olives, a pickle, half a bagel with cream cheese and a few slices of apple. He may even show interest in nibbling one of your lettuce leaves covered with a yummy dressing. Sometimes my daughter repeats a breakfast item for dinner. Fine with me. However, I won't serve the big warm meal for breakfast. She had to accept that she has several choices within a certain set of foods and she goes along with it quite well. If she orders something and then doesn't eat it or orders more of something and doesn't touch it at all, I'd subtract a bedtime story on the grounds ! that we don't waste food. However, this does not apply if I make the mistake of serving her something she did not ask for/agree to or if she asked for more of something, ate some but couldn't finish it all. Since you want healthy foods: dessert in our house means choosing between different kinds of organic fruit (usually limited by her liking to apple slices, grapes, raspberries, strawberries and an occasional mandarine. She overdosed on bananas last year). Hope that helps avoiding the food wars.
Four-year-old Won't eat Breakfast
April 1999
Although my husband and I both believe that food should not be an issue for battles, apparently I'm not very good at putting this principle into practice! While my son (4 years old) is a picky eater in general, breakfast is a particularly difficult challenge, especially on school days when the mornings are often a rush. (He also loves lounging in bed and cuddling, so it's tough just getting him up!) DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR ME ???
Though this might seem horrible to some: my problems with my son's breakfast were solved when I started serving him breakfast in bed! (Cringe!) Yes, in bed. I had to leave early in the morning and his father was in charge of getting him to school. To often this meant his father slept until the last minute and then rushed around trying to get my son out of the house in time. It also meant my son was essentially unsupervised until his dad started running around 15 minutes before they had to leave. I started bringing him to our bed in the morning (totally asleep) turning the TV on to some 'educational' program and serving breakfast on a tray. My son would wake up and eat his breakfast at his leisure. After a short while he'd feel the pick me up from the food and he'd be in a great mood! He's 8 now and no longer has breakfast in bed. Sometimes (rarely) I have to carry him to the table he usually just drags himself there - once he's eaten his energy picks up and by the time I'm out of the shower he's dressed, combed, teeth are brushed and he's ready to go.
We have the same issue with our four year old. She suddenly turned off breakfast refusing her once loved dry cereals, eggs, bagels and the like. Its not a power struggle, she just says shes not hungry. But we find she has to eat or she gets horribly moody by mid- morning. We've had a lot of luck with smoothies (yogurt, frozen bananas and strawberries and some apple juice concentrate) and some success with leftovers of favorite dinners. On some days we've had to resort to PowerBars and fruit. I'm fairly certain that if we went towards more sugar, she'd follow but we don't want to go there yet. Good luck!
Take breakfast along--PB&J sandwich, fruit, dry cereal and milk to drink, etc.