How to Get Your Child to Eat Breakfast

September 07, 2008

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How to Get Your Child to Eat Breakfast

by Mary Silva, M.S., R.D.
reviewed by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P.

How well your school-age child does in the classroom involves more than just good teachers and a backpack full of supplies. It also depends on whether he starts the school day with a healthy breakfast. A number of studies now show that breakfast helps a child perform better at school.

Research has found that children who eat breakfast have better levels of concentration and problem-solving abilities and a more positive attitude about school. Children who miss their morning meal often are irritable, tired, restless, and easily distracted. Furthermore, children who skip breakfast can have impaired memory and verbal skills.

Morning-meal benefits--and obstacles
Children who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight and appear to have a decreased risk of heart disease. Youngsters who sit down to a meal before school aren't overly hungry by lunchtime, so they can keep their minds on schoolwork rather than their empty stomachs and are inclined to eat fewer high-fat foods during the rest of the day.

The foods eaten at breakfast can be the same ones that are eaten any other time of the day. What's most important is that the types of food help to sustain energy levels at a constant rate. The American Dietetic Association recommends a balance of different types of food including carbohydrates, protein, and fat, rather than simply sweet ones (such as sugared cereal and fruit juice), to ensure that energy levels are maintained over a fairly long period of time.

Although parents recognize the benefits of a healthy breakfast, they often face a number of situations that prevent their child from going off to school well nourished, ready to meet the challenges of the classroom. Here are a few ways to overcome these obstacles.

'I'm not hungry'

Offer a healthy milkshake. Just add fruit to milk and some ice, and blend until smooth.

Pack a cereal bar, sandwich, burrito, or bagel. He can eat it on the way to school or save it until he gets there, when he has more of an appetite.

Too little time

Help organize your child the night before by selecting clothing and/or packing the backpack.

Save time by working together. Plan to share the breakfast preparation; even young children can help in some way.

Set the table for breakfast before going to bed, or let your child choose what she'd like for breakfast the next morning.

The night before, put different possible cereal toppings (such as sliced fruit, nuts, raisins, cinnamon and sugar, or wheat germ) in a muffin tin, then place the selection on the table with the cereal in the morning.

Let your child participate in the school breakfast program. The meals served there typically are nutritious, and your child gets to enjoy eating in the company of other children.

'It's boring'

Break up the breakfast routine by serving nontraditional foods, such as macaroni and cheese. Or make smiley faces on frozen waffles using sliced fruit.

Put yogurt in a squeeze bottle so that your child can decorate his pancakes or waffles with it.

Celebrate birthdays or special days at breakfast with the special foods you would normally serve later in the day.

Celebrate different cultures by learning about what people of other countries eat for breakfast and trying that.


RELATED INFORMATION

			The Food Guide Pyramid for Kids
			Healthy Eating
			Mealtime Behavior

Created June 18, 2001
Reviewed August 26, 2004

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