16 mo doesn't want breakfast

[stheo]

Lately my 16 month old will not eat breakfast and if she does it is very little.... sometimes she wakes early and I feed her a watered down bottle(trying to wean this out) and I thought that might be it but even on days that she doesn't wake up she still wont eat breakfast. And thats after  12-13 hours of sleep ( good sleeper).. I figured that she would at least be hungry after that but no..... any suggestions why? she is also a picky eater... seems like the only thing she will eat is fish sticks, cottage cheese, and pizza, and cheese quesadilla's, and strawberries.. sometimes yogart and pototoes but not often.. when we went to the dr for her 15 mon appt she had lost a lb due to stomach virus so i guess thats why i am so worried but I think that she has gained her weight back so i shouldn't be worried that much.. anyone have suggestions?

[lisi's mum]

My dd isn't a breakfaster - I've tried and tried but, *sigh* so we've made a compromise. She'll happily drink milk, so when we get up I give her milk with malt extract in it which she refers to as her cocoa (can be bought in the whole food store, very healty but sweet). I always give her bread and butter or cereal while I eat breakfast which is usually ignored, then at around 9 or 10 I just shove a banana or some bread into her hand which she can eat on the go, usually in the stroller or whilst playing.

This staggered and no pressure approach seems to work and I keep reminding myself of two pearls of wisdom learnt here:

1: It's our job to provide healthy food for our LOs - it's their buisiness if they eat it or not
2: No healthy child has starved infront of a full plate

[tylersmommy]

I also live by Katie's 2 pearls of wisdom!

Your DD may just not a be a breakfast eater. Some kids take awhile to feel hungry first thing in the morning. And at this age especially, they have sooooo many other things they'd rather be doing than eating! I'd offer something while you're eating breakfast and if she doesn't eat it, oh well. Try a snack an hr or so later and see if she's hungry then. That might be when her appetite kicks in. Try not to worry too much...she'll eat when she's hungry!

[nona]

hi steph!!!

hope ya'll are doing ok otherwise. I don't have much advice to give as cade wants to eat about every 1.5 hrs or so. i was going to suggest waiting a while before you offer anything. i try NOT to feed cade breakfast as soon as he wakes so he won't be waking earlier and earlier for breakfast. also, as long as you offer and she eats at other times, i wouldn't worry about it.
 
another idea - will she drink a smoothie? milk mixed w/ strawberry yogurt & a banana and you can add some wheat germ, etc?  you could do a very watered down version at first and over time make it thicker. also, have you tried the gerber yogurt + juice drinks in the baby aisle? sometimes i give cade that for a snack or when he isn't eating a whole lot b/c of teething or a cold, etc.

[Deb_in_oz]

olivia is 3 yo and has never been a breakfast eater - even after last food and milk being 7-8pm the latest. 12 hrs later she just does not like to eat much - perhaps some milk and fruit by 7:30-8am (even if wakes between 6-7am).

just this past 2 weeks i started microwaving porridge for alex (4 1/2yo who eats her biggest meal at breakfast every day!!) and liv decided she wanted some. i prepared a small bowl as i have always done when she requests cereal (but just picks a few raisins or 2 spoonfuls usually) and she decided she liked it and since then i swear she has been eating a reasonable amount of porridge with milk, raisins and a drop of honey. just about cleaning out the bowl  She is THREE YEARS OLD so it is about time, but seriously maybe they just need to find something they like and go with that, or maybe they just grow out of it, but this is a SUDDEN development that makes me very happy after saying countless times "you can't just have milk/fruit you need OTHER food" 

but there are lots of us with kids who have (usually) no interest in breakfast.  we'll see how long this stage lasts - hopefully it is permanent and in the meantime i have been buying lots of oats!

[linfran]

Ds went through a stage of not liking breakfast but I figured as long as he had something to drink and ate the rest of the day it wasn't much to worry about. 

He turned 2 last month and now eats a bowl of cornflakes, a whole slice of toast and a cup of milk for breakfast...and then goes down to daycare and makes big eyes at the leaders to blag another bowl of Rice Krispies off them!