Slow toddler in the morning

[Anonymous]

Any tips for getting a slow toddler to hurry in the morning. My 3 year old takes forever to eat breakfast, get changed and out the door in the morning. I’ll give him breakfast and he’ll just sit there staring out the window. I try to engage him but he seems pretty zoned out. I feel like a crazy mother every morning try to get him to eat and feel like he is always being rushed. Any tips would be appreciated.

[Anonymous]

There is no magic tricks on the eating, sadly. I have found when my kids are dragging through our morning routine, that me being ready and able to completely focus on them helps a lot. So I get up before them and get dressed, brush my teeth etc. Then when I wake them up, I stay with them in their rooms helping them get dressed. Even though they can both dress themselves, the extra attention from mom helps smooth some bumps. And it makes it more likely there are some mornings they will be independent.

I have one kid who is starving in the morning, and one who is not. I have to prod one to eat, but it's not easy. I try to get him totally ready while he's sitting there spaced out. So even putting on his shoes. Then he can take bites up until the minute we leave the house.

If he's in preschool, there's a good chance he has another breakfast, or at least a morning snack, coming soon so try not to worry about a full breakfast too much.

[Anonymous]

Put clothes out the night before in his room to simplify choices and process. On Sunday we pick out 5 outfits to set for school days. Have one pair of shoes, backpack ready to go, do anything that reduces decision making time. Write a list with pictures of the tasks your child needs to accomplish every morning and hang it up. This helps them feel ownership over their routine. Very simple- go to the bathroom, brush teeth, get dressed, etc. I would try to shorten the time it takes to get everything else done so you don’t have to worry as much about speeding up the meal.

[Anonymous]

My kids sleep in their “tomorrow clothes” during the week. For the 3 yo it’s about speed. For the 6 yo it’s because just picking them out the night before wasn’t enough to avoid morning indecision about what to wear, but if it’s already on there’s not a second thought about it.

Things work better in house if the kids come downstairs when they wake up and then don’t go back upstairs. We put a medicine cabinet in the powder room and all their toiletries (tooth brushes, hair brushes, etc) are there.

We haven’t had to do it but I’ve also heard a visual timer for meals can be helpful. When the timer goes off, breakfast is done, even if there is food left. It makes sense to me. The kid is taking that much time because they can.

[Anonymous]

My kids wake up and fully dress (down to shoes) before leaving the bedroom. Then brush teeth and eat. If needed, eating can happen in the car. I know it’s better to brush teeth after eating, but I like to get the must-do items done ASAP, then anything else can take as long as it takes or just not happen if time runs out.

If they are getting enough sleep, just slow movers in the mornings, you can also try waking them 15 min earlier so they have time to linger and wake up slowly.

Someone needs to invent the toddler-equivalent of coffee (kidding!).

[Anonymous]

Are you allowing enough time in the morning for him to wake up and do the things he needs to do before you leave the house? My daughter needs a full hour in the morning. She likes to eat breakfast and then play for a while before getting ready. If we go straight from waking up to breakfast and then back upstairs to get dressed, brush teeth etc., she has a hard time. She just really needs that 20 minutes to play. Maybe your child is the same way?

[Anonymous]

My DD is like this. She's in ES now and it's just always been her personality. We've had the same basic morning routine since toddler days.

I have her go to bed early so she wakes up on her own - she's always had an earlier bedtime than her peers - and have some time to just lay in bed waking up. Like a PP, I get up early so that I am pretty much ready to go and can give her attention.

She eats scrambled eggs so I make several at once and reheat to save me time. She has to eat the protein before moving on to something sweet like oatmeal or cereal. A straw in her drink helps it go down faster. I sit with her but dont make her talk; I'll say things that dont need much response, like our plan for the morning and the afternoon. If we're having a tricky morning I'll play music or show her a YouTube video while she eats.