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Mapping Your Morning: How to Get Your Kids Into Eating Breakfast

Do you struggle with getting your children to eat breakfast in the morning? They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but sometimes it seems that many children missed the memo! However, this famous quote we’ve all heard a thousand times or more isn’t just an old wives’ tale. Many studies have confirmed that there are a number of health benefits to starting the day with a healthy and nutritious breakfast.

So if you’re looking for tips on how to get your kids excited about their first meal of the day below are four simple changes that could make the world of difference come breakfast time.

little girl eating pancake at breakfast table

How to Get Your Kids Into Eating Breakfast

Mix Up Your Morning Routine

Mornings can be an extremely busy time in many households.

Instead of wishing our toasters could be a little quicker, allowing a little bit more time to prepare and serve breakfast could be all it takes to get your children to eat more.

If your morning breakfast routine feels rushed then chances are that your kids will also feel rushed and not relaxed enough to feel that rumble in their stomachs.

Waking your children up earlier in the morning or switching up your routine so that breakfast comes after everyone is washed and dressed could be extremely beneficial to breakfast time.

Have A Breakfast Back Up Plan

One of the main reasons many children struggle to eat breakfast is that they simply don’t feel hungry.

Our metabolisms slow down when we’re sleeping and can sometimes take a while to speed back up again in the mornings.

If you feel like this could be the case with your children, consider keeping breakfast light and having several healthy backup options for them to choose from.

Smoothies can be a nutritious alternative to a solid breakfast and can often seem more appealing to children than cereal or avocado on toast.

The great thing about breakfast smoothies is that they can be made in a matter of minutes and perfect if you need to have breakfast on the go.

Funny kids breakfast porridge look like owl

Bring Some Fun to Breakfast Time

Having your children be more involved with preparing and serving breakfast can be an excellent way of making them excited and eager to eat in the morning.

Making breakfast food more appealing to children can be as easy as serving a fruit salad so it looks like a funny face or using their favorite plates and bowls.

Another way of making breakfast seem more appealing is to give your children more choices in what they would prefer to eat.

Maybe take them food shopping with you or sit with your children and think up some new child-friendly breakfast recipes that you could try out together, like these from Woman’s Day.

If your kids are fussy eaters then giving them the freedom to choose their favorite foods for breakfast could help open up new breakfast possibilities that you may not have thought about before.

dad pouring milk into kids cereal bowl

Lead By Example

This may seem like an obvious tip, yet it’s one that many parents tend to overlook when thinking about how to get their kids to eat breakfast in the mornings.

Our children learn by watching how we deal with situations, so if you tend to skip breakfast in the morning, chances are your children will also adopt this habit.

Allow ample time to sit down and enjoy breakfast with your children each morning.

Having a set morning routine that allows for this time will help your family to develop healthy eating habits, says Kids Health.

Taking the time to catch up and eat breakfast with your children will also make your mornings more enjoyable for everyone involved.

Adopting any of the ideas listed above should make breakfast time easier and more enjoyable.

Having your children eat a healthy, well-balanced breakfast each morning is one of the best ways of setting them up for a productive and successful day!

About Julee: Julee Morrison is an experienced author with 35 years of expertise in parenting and recipes. She is the author of four cookbooks: The Instant Pot College Cookbook, The How-To Cookbook for Teens, The Complete Cookbook for Teens, and The Complete College Cookbook. Julee is passionate about baking, crystals, reading, and family. Her writing has appeared in The LA Times (Bon Jovi Obsession Goes Global), Disney's Family Fun Magazine (August 2010, July 2009, September 2008), and My Family Gave Up Television (page 92, Disney Family Fun August 2010). Her great ideas have been featured in Disney's Family Fun (Page 80, September 2008) and the Write for Charity book From the Heart (May 2010). Julee's work has also been published in Weight Watchers Magazine, All You Magazine (Jan. 2011, February 2011, June 2013), Scholastic Parent and Child Magazine (Oct. 2011), Red River Family Magazine (Jan. 2011), BonAppetit.com, and more. Notably, her article "My Toddler Stood on Elvis' Grave and Scaled Over Boulders to Get to a Dinosaur" made AP News, and "The Sly Way I Cured My Child's Lying Habit" was featured on PopSugar. When she's not writing, Julee enjoys spending time with her family and exploring new baking recipes.
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