If your kids are young and eat breakfast at different times …

[JIN MOUSA]

... how do you manage the rest of your morning? 

 

My kids usually wake up on their own between 6:30 and 7:30, and I serve breakfast at 8:00. DS3 is ready for breakfast as soon as he’s up, so that works for him. DD6 seems like she would prefer to wait until 9:00 or even later to eat her breakfast. I haven’t noticed a strong pattern with DD4 yet. So far, I’ve worked on all of us doing the same thing at roughly the same time - everyone eats breakfast, then everyone gets ready, etc. I don’t have a problem continuing to do that on mornings where we have somewhere to be at a specific time, which is infrequently. However, I’d like to be able to work with my kids’ personalities and preferences. I just don’t know what that looks like. 

 

I’m the one that drives our day, making sure we get to the important stuff, and if I don’t have a general plan of what’s getting done when, things don’t get done. My brain is having a hard time working out how breakfast (and presumably getting ready? and starting school?) at different times would work.

 

Looking ahead to next school year (starting in just a few weeks for us), in the morning we’ll have about 45 minutes of shared subjects between DD6 and DD4 (and DS3, if he wants to join), then each girl will have about 30 minutes of one-on-one work in the morning. 

 

Fixing breakfast at different times isn’t really my concern. I make a big pot of oatmeal on the weekend, and my kids like to eat it cold (why?!?!?), and they’re great about getting the things to the table. My part in getting breakfast each morning is literally less than 3 minutes. 

 

I’m realizing I’m in this transition from very young kids to at least one not-quite-so-young kid and working on adjusting. I’m sure this’ll be the last time though … right???

 

And feel free to point me to previous threads on this - I tried searching, but had a hard time finding how this works for young-ish children.

[tdbates78]

My girls eat at different times, and I eat at a different time than them, if at all :) We are just not big, formal breakfast eaters here. Breakfast is usually something small and easy (cereal, oatmeal, pancakes that I make, freeze and then reheat, or fruit like a banana) that doesn't take a lot of thought. One of mine typically eats before school starts, the other not until we take our break. A set schedule wouldn't work for our family, and I wouldn't try to force a child to eat at a set time if they weren't hungry. 

 

Mine like their oatmeal lukewarm and very goopy and sticky...double blech! :p

[JudoMom]

I vaguely remember telling mine they needed to be done eating by a certain time (probably 9 or so?) so we could start school.

 

If you have a break, you can let your late eater know they can eat then.

[happypamama]

We have found that enforcing an 8 pm bedtime for littles is hard. When they all go to bed around 9-9:30, the older ones wake up early, while the littles sleep in a bit, which lets older ones get some work done before it gets noisy. My 12yo really likes to get up early with his alarm and work a bunch before the little guys get up. So this is my tentative plan for next year. (15yo varies. Sometimes she doesn't appear until noon.)

 

12yo wakes himself, anywhere from 6-7 depending on his mood. (He sometimes takes a late morning or afternoon nap.) He cooks some eggs or DH does for him if he's up before dh leaves or he grabs a yogurt.

 

7:30 -- I come down. I make a more substantial breakfast like oatmeal or make eggs for 12yo if he didn't already have them, and I cook my own breakfast (eggs). 12yo takes that as his cue to get dressed and do his chores.

 

8:00ish -- 12yo eats and goes back to work on his own. I tidy kitchen, do laundry, shower if I didn't earlier, etc.

 

8:30ish -- I feed smallboys and send them to get dressed and do their chores. I spend some time working one on one with 12yo. He wants to get his work done early, so he wants me to work with him early. Smallboys play if they've done everything.

 

9:30ish -- I finish with 12yo and gather smallboys for any group work. Then one on one work with smallboys, maybe rotating which one is first with me. Third grader should have a little independent work to do while I work with his little brothers.

 

Snack around 10:30 or 11. Lunch around 1 or 1:30. Afternoons for working with 15yo or anyone who still needs me. One afternoon for labs.

Edited June 11, 2017 by happypamama

[Peaceful Isle]

My kids make their own breakfast and they need to be done by nine. That's about it. :)

 

Even if they say they are not hungry, I make them get something small, because I know in a hour, our school will be interrupted by hunger and I don't want that happening. They don't always like it or me, lol, but that's okay.

[fralala]

This staggered schedule has actually been extremely beneficial to my ability to have 1:1 time with each child-- I start lessons with each kid as soon as they've finished breakfast (or over breakfast because even if it's not completely mindful, we seem to do well with munching and learning) and they can take a break (or be done) by the time the next kid comes to the table. One thing that has been key for us is that as laying out clothes the night before for the little ones, and as soon as they wake up they change out of their pajamas before even coming to the kitchen. Once they get a little older, they also get a hairbrush, washcloth, and toothbrush with their clothes so they can brush their hair and wash their faces before coming to breakfast. That way we don't have to delay lessons for personal hygiene. (I am not a stickler about grooming. While my pediatrician assured me this was a good thing and she is always pleased to see a 3 year old with her shirt on backward, my mother in law does not agree!)

[nixpix5]

My kids make their own breakfast and they need to be done by nine. That's about it. :)

 

Even if they say they are not hungry, I make them get something small, because I know in a hour, our school will be interrupted by hunger and I don't want that happening. They don't always like it or me, lol, but that's okay.

This is exactly what we do too. They can make it and eat at any time but by 9am everyone needs to be fed and have teeth brushed and ready to start school.

[Coco_Clark]

Yep mine have to make their own and be finished by 8:30. We have "set" breakfast plans for the day written on the white board- bagels and cream cheese, yogurt and granola, muffins made the night before and some fruit, overnight oatmeal, eggs and toast (bigger kids scramble eggs for themselves and a younger kid), frozen waffles made early and rewarmed, frozen breakfast burritos made early and rewarmed, etc.

[Ausmumof3]

We tend to be a on your own time breakfasts family. It's getting a bit frustrating because of the mess and the kids just don't clean up well. I am thinking of instituting a breakfast window. Breakfast is available from 6-8.30 am. After that only fruit is available. At least then I can easily get the kitchen into good shape before starting school.

[J-rap]

I vaguely remember telling mine they needed to be done eating by a certain time (probably 9 or so?) so we could start school.

 

If you have a break, you can let your late eater know they can eat then.

 

This is what we did too.  They just had to be done and ready for school by 9:00.

[airforcefamily]

We have eight kids and I don't serve breakfast. Pretty much ever. Maybe a couple times a year, for special occasions. When someone is hungry they get themselves food. When someone young enough to need help getting food is hungry I or and older child helps them. If they choose not to eat that's ok but they're not taking a breakfast break once we start on other things.

[frogger]

I have one child who does school work best if we can get it done as early as possible so we do his toughest longest subject before breakfast, I read to them while they eat, and then we finish up by lunch.

 

I don't know if you could get some one on one time with the olders while the little one eats and then maybe get that one on one time with the little while the older ones eat but it's a thought. Maybe you could teach him to eat, put his bowl in the sink, wash hands, and do a puzzle or something while you work with the older one. The older ones could then eat and rinse dishes, unload dishwasher or whatever their morning routine is while you help the 3 year old wash up and maybe get a story or other mommy time in before you get busy with school for the older ones.

[JIN MOUSA]

Thanks for all the ideas y'all!

[busymama7]

Well i guess I'm the oddball. Our large family does not function well without structured meal times. It really hasn't been a problem. Everyone eats together at the same time and then it's cleaned up together so we can move on. Staggering of eating would make me batty and you know the saying...(if mama ain't happy 😉)

 

I've never had anyone act or say that they would rather eat at a different time. They just never have. If I'm running late in the am and they are starving they might grab a banana or toast. But they don't fill themselves up as they know a good meal is coming.

 

We do not eat cold cereal or anything prepackaged for breakfast. I make breakfast every day. This way they eat up and don't get hungry during school.(usually). If they do a small quick snack is fine but then we all eat lunch and clean that up at the same time too :)

 

I have all healthy, normal weight, active kids. This has not harmed them. Sometimes I think we can make life much harder than it needs to be. its really ok to keep it simple. Kids thrive on structure too! Have you ever seen the book Bringing up Bebe? It's about French kids and their eating habits. It's eye opening. It might be about more than that but the food thing really stuck out to me.

Edited June 14, 2017 by busymama7