We all know how important breakfast is for kids. It gives them energy for the day, helps to meet their nutrition needs and stops those hangry meltdowns.

But if you’re like me and have a little one who refuses to eat breakfast, you know that some kids just don’t care!

So, what can you do??

My experience with kids and breakfast….

My four-year-old is not a morning person.

He usually wakes up grumpy, even when he’s had a good sleep, and it’s literally anyone’s guess what his gripe with the world is going to be on any given day.

And one of the main causes of his grumpiness seems to be that he’s hungry (or hangry to be more specific!).

But, what should be an easy fix (i.e. food) is complicated by the fact that he has zero interest in breakfast.

It usually takes a good hour or two for him to actually start taking ANY interest in food, which is fine, except by that stage he’s already at daycare or swimming lessons or whatever else we have on that morning.

So, over time I’ve come up with a couple of little tricks to get him eating at least something. And by that, I mean at least something healthy (I’m sure he’d have no issue eating breakfast if I offered up chocolate cake…).

pancakes-for-kids — (Cute animal-themed pancakes not required)

Why is breakfast so important for kids?

I’m not generally of the opinion that breakfast is the be-all and end-all—I think for most adults, it’s fine to wait until you feel hungry to eat.

But when it comes to kids, the old saying ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’ is a lot more accurate.

Kids need plenty of nutrients to support their rapidly growing bodies, so every meal and snack is an opportunity to get these nutrients in.

In fact, kids who don’t eat breakfast have been found to have a lower diet quality compared to kids who do.

We also want to keep blood sugar levels steady so they can concentrate, have plenty of energy throughout the day, and be less likely to succumb to hangry meltdowns.

And, as many young children aren’t great eaters at dinnertime, by the time morning rolls around it may have been quite a long time since they ate anything substantial!

How to encourage kids to eat breakfast:

Deal with the ‘hangriness’ first
In my son’s case, my first step is to make sure he isn’t over-hungry (/hangry). If he is, then I can barely reason with him, let alone entice him to eat breakfast.

If he’s got to that point, I give him a small amount of dried fruit or something he’ll happily eat to get his blood sugars back up a little so we can start talking about breakfast. It usually takes about 5 minutes until I can see an obvious change in his mood.
Offer a choice
Toddlers and young children love to feel that they’re in control. And while we can’t give them full control over what’s on offer at breakfast (cue the chocolate cake!), letting them choose between a few options can make a big difference to their willingness to eat.

I’ve found the most fun way to do this with my son is to give him a breakfast menu to choose from (with a little help as he can’t read yet). He loves to pretend he’s at a restaurant giving his order to the chef (me).

Grab my free Breakfast Menu Printable here.
Try a Liquid Breakfast
Another handy way around the breakfast dilemma is to go for a liquid breakfast instead. A lot of kids will happily drink a smoothie first thing in the morning rather than actually eating something.

As far as I’m concerned, this is absolutely fine as a smoothie can easily contain the nutrients a good breakfast should have - carbohydrates, protein, calcium, and a little iron.
Get my Breakfast Smoothie Recipe here
I hope these tips help you if you’ve also got a non-breakfast lover. Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect!