Ok all you moms of young children, I have some good news for you. There will come a day, probably a weekend morning when your children will come in to your bed with you and you say to them "Ok - I'll make breakfast" and one or all of them will say "That's OK Mom - we made it ourselves!". It's a happy day, I assure you! With them fed, you might even be able to get a little more sleep. My children like to snuggle up together in my bed and we flip on some cartoons. They are happy and I usually doze off for at least another 30 minutes.
Now that my children are a little older, they can even make their own breakfast on school mornings (which is good, because they like to get up 2 hours before they have to leave and check their computer and tablet games. I have NO desire to be getting up at 5:00am!)
Children strive to be as independent as possible and making their own breakfast is one of the first steps in that direction. The only problem is that, at least when they are younger, their attempts to make their own breakfast could have you coming downstairs to a kitchen with cereal strewn all over the table and your pets licking the spilled milk up off the floor. With just a little pre-planning, you can avoid having to clean up a huge mess while they are learning (and you can get some extra shuteye).
One way to do this is to provide the children with ready-made cereal bowls. Before you go to bed, just portion out their favorite cereals (my children are particularly fond of Kellogg's Froot Loops and Corn Pops) in resealable bowls. In the morning, they just need to grab a spoon and some milk and they are ready to make their own breakfast. This is also a great way to control the portions if your children tend to be a little "overzealous" when it comes to pouring cereal. If your children are younger, you can even pour out just the right amount of milk in to cups (that have a lid), so you don't even have to worry about them trying to wrangle a big milk jug. Another idea is to buy milk in quart containers - much easier for small hands to use.
Now that my children are older (ages 12, 10 & 7), they really can go through the whole routine without me needing to do much of anything. The older ones help my youngest and they are usually done eating and the dishes are in the sink before my alarm even goes off for the first time! As a matter of fact, the only times I really have to get up and make breakfast is when I want to surprise them with a special hot breakfast (about twice a week). What are some of your tips for helping teach your children independence or for getting some more sleep in the morning? You can find more helpful tips from Team Kellogg's at Kelloggs.com/GreatStartsTips
Kellogg’s® believes that From Great Starts Come Great Things®. So we’re helping Moms start every day with a tip from the top athletes of Team Kellogg’s™ and Team USA dietitians. The thirty days leading up to the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games will each feature fun pieces of advice to help families fuel just like the athletes of Team Kellogg’s. To see all 30 tips, visit Kelloggs.com/GreatStartsTips.
Compensation was provided by Kellogg’s via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Kellogg’s.