A simple way to stop the breakfast fiasco

    Breakfast time in my house was a nightmare.  "What do you want for breakfast?"  "I don't know, let me look..."  Five minutes later my highly distractable son would be someplace other than the kitchen table, not eating breakfast.  "Okay, here just eat a granola bar because we are running out of time."  "No!  I don't want a granola bar."  "Then what do you want?"  "I don't know, let me look..."  Repeat this cycle until we were both frustrated, and he was eating who knows what, if anything.  

    Does this sound like your house?  Do you wish you could serve healthier breakfasts, but you don't know how to get your family to eat them?  Are you tired of serving cold Pop Tarts while walking to the bus stop?

Breakfast Cards

    There is a solution and it is super simple!  Breakfast cards!  I can't take credit for this idea, I read it someplace a couple months ago, and I thought it was a great idea. 

    Here's what you do.  Write down all the breakfast options you want your child to choose from on index cards.  Create two categories for these cards, and color code them.  The categories I use are; Grains/main dish (Green) and Sides/fruit (Yellow). Every morning I take a quick glance through the cards, removing the things we don't have, and I give the stack of cards to my son.  He then chooses one card from each category, and I make what he chooses.  No matter how crazy it might be to me; waffle and a piece of cheese, breakfast taco and oranges, muffin and peanut butter, I try to uphold his request.

    Why does this stop the fighting?  Because now he has a structured choice.  He has always had a choice, but those options were overwhelming.  Too many choices and he couldn't make a decision.  Plus it is a decision I can be happy about, because I've already set up the parameters of what he can and can't have.  There have been some days where he is so distracted that he can't focus long enough to pick 2 cards.  Some prompting from mom can normally bring him back around.  There are also days where he decides he wants 4 side items, which happened this morning.  I simply remind him he HAS to pick a green card too because those are the most important.  When he picks the main dish, I let him choose 2 of his 4 sides.  A little give and take.  

    How does this make serving healthy breakfasts easier?  Because you control what is on the cards, and which cards to give.  Write down things like; whole grain waffles, oatmeal, 7 grain muffins, apples, pears, applesauce, yogurt parfaits....you get the idea.  On specials days you can include those special items.  

    These cards have been a life saver to me.  We've been using them for a month and a half, and they make school day mornings bearable for us.  I don't use them every day, but most days.  Some mornings I'll feel really motivated and I will cook something without him asking for it.  When I do, I still let him choose the side item that he wants, so he still has a choice.  My son went from eating pop tarts every morning to now eating breakfast tacos and oranges.  I hope this momma hack is something you find inspirational and can easily be put into practice with your family.  

Here are the things I've written on my cards if you need some ideas:
GREEN- Grains/main dish
eggs, breakfast taco, cornbread, bagel,waffle, toast, crackers, cereal, biscuits/rolls, muffins, pancakes, smoothies.  
YELLOW- Side items
peanut butter, raisins, cheese, bacon, apple, yogurt, frozen berries, jelly, banana, oranges, pears, applesauce.