How would you handle this?
My 2 1/2 year old dd has been giving me some trouble with breakfast. She usually is up before her brother and immediately wants breakfast. She requests what she wants, usually oatmeal. Problem is, once her brother is up a few minutes later, so will suddenly want what he's having and refuse to eat what I had made her and cry for quite a while.
I've tried to avoid this problem by trying to get her to wait until he wakes up because I know she's going to want what he's having, but she cries and wants food.
I am sick of wasting food and refused to make her the toast she wanted after I made her the oatmeal she originally requested. She cried for a while and finally is sitting to eat the oatmeal.
My question is: is that too harsh for a 2 year old? She's kind of young to understand about wasting food, but still, it's a shame to waste food.
Re: How would you handle this?
I've tried, but she insists on "Yum yum", her word for a meal. I'll keep trying though.
I'll have to try again because dang it, she wants what he wants...lol. Then I get to listen to him whining that "Ava always gets what I get!".
I like all of this. I would also consider having it ready at 630 and get her up if she isn't up so there is more of a chance that she'll finish (I would only do this if she always is up right around 630). OORR. I would tell her yes to the oatmeal as soon as she gets dressed. You can use a visual schdule, too.
IMO, not too harsh.
Can you hold her off with something small like some berries or a banana and then wait till your son wakes up?
If not, I would ask her is she wants to wait. If she doesn't then she can pick but then that is what she gets.
Oops, no I was asking if it's too much to ask her to eat what she originally asked for, not what she suddenly is claiming she wants because she wants what her brother wants. I wouldn't make her wait unless she could easily. When I've tried to hold her over with a bit of food or milk, she cries and demands oatmeal. I can keep trying though.
I might have to do this. She likes her oatmeal cold (yes, cold.... I make it with cold tap water...shudder), so I can try to feed her the rest later.
This wasn't a problem when they both ate the same stuff every morning, but now ds changes what he wants for breakfast every morning, so it's hard to guess
I don't feel like food is an issue, nor do I run a diner. They have like 4 things they chose from for breakfast. They eat what they're given usually. It's just that she's in a phase where she wants what her brother wants, so if he's not up yet and then chooses something different, she suddenly wants that.
Charlotte Ella 07.16.10
Emmeline Grace 03.27.13
I did post a few weeks ago about how my 4 year old suddenly found veggies he always loved to be yucky, but no, I don't make him a different meal other than having the kids have soy dogs when I make something spicy. I will make more kid friendly meals for the days we have my stepson, who is picky. But yeah, I don't think that was me.
I really try to avoid becoming a short order cook in my house. At the same time, I don't want to be totally inflexible, and I want to give the kids choices. This can be tough, especially when you have a toddler in the mix!
I agree with pp's that the best path is to offer the little one a healthy pre-breakfast snack, then let both kids decide on breakfast when they're both up and ready to eat.
You may want to talk to them and help them make a list (with pictures) of all the breakfast choices they can agree on, then allow them to take turns choosing breakfast from that list. Then both kids have the same meal. Or rotate through the list so everyone knows what's on the "menu" for breakfast that day. This takes some of the negotiating out of the morning. Then when you make your LO breakfast it's already going to be the same as whatever your son will have when he gets up.
I would probably limit the breakfast options - so bigger brother can't keep switching up what he wants.
So. .. 2-3 options are availabe for everyone, every day - you can switch them every day if you want - but you decide what the options are.
I'd also tell little sister she can have a snack before big bro wakes up if she wants - cheese, banana, slice of bread, etc. or she can have her breakfast when she wakes up. If she wants to do breakfast with him after he gets up, she can eat what he has if she's finished the earlier breakfast.
Dont give in to her. It just sets a precedent. If she insists on eating and picks oatmeal, she eats oatmeal. Not harsh. They understnad more than we give tthem credit for. OR you might try waking everyone up together so they all pick at the same time.
This exactly. If you pick it, you eat it. If you are still hungry when you are finished you may have something else. No snacks before the meal is ready. 2 year olds can understand this.
I actually don't mind giving them a choice at breakfast between 3 things we usually eat or at lunch between 2 choices (do you want soup or a sandwich?). My mom never really let me choose and I like them having some choice. Dinner is one where I make one meal and if it's too spicy, they can have a soy dog.
I think I'm going to go with making her stick with her choice. The last time I did it, she eventually ate it after fussing for awhile.
We do this, also. They can have a few cheese cubes or cracker or two, and some milk if they need something. But we always just give them whatever we're making.