Mom-ninja. Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Do you wake your kids and have them eat breakfast at the same time each day? My oldest ds gets up around 8 on his own. My 5 yr old sleeps late. He gets up around 9. Neither of my kids are hungry when they get up. Both need some time to wake up, and they are not hungry until about half an hour to an hour after they get up. This means the 8 yr old wants breakfast around 8:30ish and the 5 yr old usually not until 10ish. I have to say it drives me batty to sit down, and start lessons with my 8 yr old only to have my 5 yr old declare that now he is hungry. So do I wake my 5 yr old up earlier so he's wanting to eat at 8:30? Do I let him get up when he's ready, and let him get breakfast on his own? I'm bound to get interuptions with that option. What do you do if your child says s/he is not hungry at meal time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I have an 8 yo and a 5 yo and recently started a morning wake up time with breakfast on the table. I get them up at 7 and I want to start lessons at 8 am. Since I have done this the day runs so much smoother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 In your situation, I would have food ready for the younger one to eat when he's ready, and then I would ask that he bring his dishes to the sink. Eventually your children's schedules will probably even out. This whole breakfast thing is a downer at my house, too. My children are much older than yours, but I finally had to let go of getting upset about not eating on a schedule but also not let meals interrupt our lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicianmom Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I vote for having the food ready so he can eat it when he wants it, and requiring him to do his own clean-up. When I was having the first trimester sickies, my 3-year-old learned how to get her own banana and yogurt in the morning. (We had the opposite problem of her being up WAY too early!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 We aim to start at 9am. My son is an early riser and eats breakfast so he is ready to go. My daughter will sleep/lounge aobut as late as possible and not eat breakfast. I tell her do whatever she wants but we start at 9am and there are no breakfast breaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen sn Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 If I make food and folks are not ready to eat it while it's hot, I am fine with that. I put it on a plate and leave it on the stove or counter until they want to have some. I don't eat when I first wake up either. I never force anyone to eat. If they are hungry later, that's fine. I just tell them where it is and they help themselves. (Of course your kids are young so you'd have to get it for them. But it's there and ready - so it's easy and you can get back to your lessons). And in regards to sleep. I seldom wake anyone who is still asleep. If dd stayed up late that night and sleeps in a little, I let her. Unless of course I want to get her to bed early the next night - in which case I will let her sleep in a little but will wake her up before she sleeps all day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I didn't wake my dds, but both got up around 8. If I had to make meals in shifts, things would be really ugly around my house. I'm wondering if your 5yo would learn to eat earlier if you served breakfast at the same time, and if he didn't eat then, he'd have to wait until lunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 but we are pretty simple breakfast eaters. My boys fix their own breakfasts 90% of the time. Lunch is similar. Once in a while I have a specific lunch plan, but I tend to let my boys eat those meals and snack as they see fit. As long as it's nutritious, it's all fine with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 My kids are older but right from the beginning when they were 7 and 9, they had to get up and start at the same time. Otherwise it woudlnt work for me. So, they get up at 7, and we start at 8.30. My older is a night owl who loves to sleep in . But, that doesnt work for me, so she only gets to sleep in weekends and holidays, and even then I often wake her because I find it irritating that she is sleeping while I am trying to organise housework or get into the day. She still loves me :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 It REALLY depends. I personally LIKE the idea of everyone eating when they are ready after getting up when was best for them. However, I couldn't possibly homeschool with such a large discrepancy in times. Well, maybe I COULD, but it would drive me batty. What about..... Could the older kiddo eat a snack when he's ready for something and breakfast just is at a set time, about 9:45 daily? You could work that into your homeschooling because it would be consistent. My kids were early risers. We ate early. We schooled early. It worked for them AND me. I LOVED it. By 10am, we're eating for the second time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 My soft rule is that all breakfast must be finished and cleaned up by 8:30 (though we're inching toward 9 these days). None of them really has a regular wake-up time, but they're all usually up and wandering around by 7:30. The big kids make their own breakfasts. You snooze, you loose is taken literally around here. Not that I'm evil. If they began sleeping in on a regular basis, I'd shift the time further (and celebrate!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I agree with having simple choices for breakfast that the 5-yr-old can handle on his own, or he can simply heat whatever was cooked earlier in the microwave. he can go along with this program, or move to an earlier schedule. I don't have any great issues with kids eating at separate times for breakfast or lunch, but personally I would gradually start waking the 5-yr-old earlier, until he was a bit closer to my schedule. That would strictly be personal preference on my part, because it would drive me nuts to have such a late start to the day. Especially if errands need to be run - - I can't imagine waiting till 10.30 or 11 to leave the house! And breakfast at 8.30 is hardly a brutally early schedule ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasharowan Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 We get up at staggered times. THe only time I wake someone for breakfast is if we're having hot breakfast, then I wake the oldest at his request. He likes hot food hot. This also staggers start times for school. Ds8 is usually first up, so I can work with him alone, then usually my daughter next, then oldest. Ds3 usually plays quietly in mornings or will work alongside me with colors or cutting. Afternoon is when he needs more attention, so this works all around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 By 10am, we're eating for the second time. Oh, second breakfast! My oldest loves second breakfast. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 During the school year, we mostly get up at 7 and start school about 8. My sons typically are not hungry first thing and I feel the same. So we don't always eat breakfast, or we grab something to eat a little later, while we're doing reading aloud. Lunch is typically our largest meal of the day. Because we often don't eat breakfast, we do feel the need to eat by noon! That's remained pretty hard and fast for us over the years.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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