My child won't eat breakfast before school. What can I do?

If your child won't eat breakfast before school, you are far from alone. In the 2023 US Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 72.6% of high school students missed breakfast at least once in a week, and Thai studies of university students found about a third to a half skipping it. The usual reasons are practical: early starts, little time and nothing ready to eat. So start with the morning routine: an earlier bedtime, food prepared the night before, and something your child can carry and eat on the way. Aim for foods from more than one food group, and keep milk plain rather than flavoured.

How common is skipping breakfast before school?

Skipping breakfast is common among young people, though published Thai figures for school-age children are scarce.

What surveys found

Limits of these numbers

The two Thai studies looked at university students, not schoolchildren, at one university each, and they measured different things: the Mahidol survey asked about usual habits online in 2020, during a period of online classes when daily routines had changed, while the southern study asked about a single day's meals, so its 49% shows who skipped breakfast that day rather than as a habit. The US survey describes American teenagers. Together they show that skipping breakfast is a common habit among young people, not how many Thai schoolchildren skip it.

Why won't my child eat breakfast before school?

The reasons are mostly about time and the household routine, not about the child alone.

Mornings are short

Ramathibodi Hospital's @Rama magazine notes that Thai children have to get up early for school, and that the time parents have to prepare breakfast shrinks as the morning goes on uniforms, socks, shoes and getting out of the door.

Relying on snacks and quick buys

The same magazine notes that however little time there is, many parents still prepare something for their children, even if that means relying on snacks or breakfast from a convenience store, because it is the most convenient option.

Late bedtimes

A child who goes to bed late may be hard to wake on time, and breakfast can be the first thing to go. The US CDC recommends 9 to 12 hours of sleep per 24 hours for children aged 6 to 12, and 8 to 10 hours for teenagers aged 13 to 17.

Teenagers make more of their own choices

Older children have more say over their mornings and may buy food themselves, so it helps to agree a plan with them rather than for them.

What should a school breakfast include?

There is no single right breakfast. The aim is a meal with foods from more than one food group, as part of a day that covers all of them.

Think in food groups

England's NHS Eatwell Guide applies to children from the age of 2. It groups food into fruit and vegetables; starchy foods such as rice and bread; beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other protein; and dairy or alternatives. The guide says you do not need to achieve this balance with every meal, but try to get it right over a day or even a week.

Familiar Thai breakfasts already cover several groups:

• Rice or noodles with protein: rice porridge (jok) with minced pork and an egg, khao tom, rice with a fried or boiled egg and a vegetable dish
• Bread with protein: an egg or tuna sandwich, toast with an egg
• Fruit: a banana, an orange, a few pieces of papaya or guava
• Milk: a box or glass of plain milk or unsweetened soy milk

How much does a teenager eat in a day?

A Ramathibodi Hospital article on food for teenagers, based on material from Siriraj Hospital's nutrition department, gives daily amounts for ages 12 to 20 at about 1,800 to 2,000 kcal a day:

Breakfast is one of three meals, so it only needs to supply part of this. The same article advises choosing plain milk or plain yoghurt rather than flavoured milk, which adds sugar, and choosing fruit that is not very sweet.

How can we make breakfast happen on busy school mornings?

Since time is the main barrier, the easiest steps are about moving tasks out of the morning.

Prepare the night before

The @Rama magazine suggests preparing parts of breakfast in the evening, keeping them in the fridge, and putting them together in the morning in a few minutes. Its example is a wholewheat sandwich roll with lettuce, tomato and sausage or ham, which can be swapped for chicken breast or tuna, served with milk.

Boiled eggs or cut fruit can also be got ready the evening before.

Pack breakfast to eat on the way

If there is no time to eat at home, the same magazine suggests packing breakfast so your child can eat it at school or in the car. In Thailand's heat, keep an eye on time: the CDC advises not leaving perishable food out for more than 2 hours, or more than 1 hour when it is hotter than 32°C (90°F), as it often is in a car.

Move bedtime earlier

Work back from the time your child needs to leave, allow time to eat, and then count back the hours of sleep the CDC recommends for their age. Moving bedtime even a little earlier can give back the minutes breakfast needs. If exam stress keeps an older child up at night, see Too stressed to sleep before exams? How can you relax?

Give older children a plan for buying breakfast

If your teenager buys breakfast at school or on the way, agree on a few choices together: a rice dish with an egg and some vegetables, rice porridge with an egg, or a sandwich, plus plain milk or a piece of fruit instead of a sweet drink.

If busy mornings are part of a wider tiredness that keeps building up, see Worn out from parenting and it keeps piling up. What helps?

When should I talk to a doctor about my child's eating?

Skipping breakfast on busy days is common. Talk to your child's doctor if you notice any of the signs that England's NHS lists for someone who may not be getting enough from their diet:

• weight going down without trying, or clothes becoming looser over time
• little interest in food and drink over a long period
• feeling tired all the time or weaker than usual
• in children, not putting on weight at the expected rate

Bring a note of what your child usually eats over a few days, and when they go to bed and get up.