3 year olds grazing in the mornings

Just curious if other people find this, my girls have just started preschool last week, four mornings a week (PTing finished woohoo!). They are just shy of three years old. By the end of the month
they will have 2 1/2 hour mornings there. The school starts at 9:15. So that gives me two hours to get them well fed and dressed, etc. The problem is that they tend to graze in the mornings. They will eat a good lunch, afternoon snack, and good dinner so it's not an all day thing, but I find that in the mornings they just want bites of things all morning. They will get a small snack in preschool, likely around 10:30 or 11:00 I guess, but I'm concerned that it won't be enough and I'm finding it really tough to 'fill them up' at home before I get them there. I usually try a heavy breakfast, like eggs and bacon and toast, then give them something else in the car for the drive...however last week when they were done after one hour, they were really hungry when we got home! Any thoughts on working on this? Sometimes we give them a small start up, like milk and a bit of toast first thing, so maybe I should go straight into a big breakfast and have them eating at around 8ish?
Would love some perspectives on this Thank you!

 

IMO it's actually a good thing. We have the same issue here... they want to graze all morning. At school last year they were just fine with just a snack, and I expect it will be fine again this year... if anything, they'll eat more at lunch!

 

My girls are the same way. I did switch to getting them ready first and having breakfast about 30 minutes before we left...so just one big one. However, if they didn't eat much I knew snack was just another hour or so away. When they get home even though they just ate lunch around 11am I know they will be hungry...sometimes they just aren't hungry for lunch or like what I pack. So I have water, crackers and fruit ready! GL

 

they'll live and figure out what they need to eat and when! I say that b/c we had that issue before we started 8am preschool!! I never knew how I'd get them out of the house. But we do. And I just try to feed them as much as I can, but inevitably they don't eat a whole lot and at this preschool they don't get to eat their snack that I give them until 11:20a... anyway, they eat a lot then.

I didn't like the "grazing" that they'd started doing last month, and I tried to just offer food at the times I wanted instead of grazing. Like breakfast at 8a and then snack at 10a.

 

I agree with Maybell.
My two went through the grazing phase. On preschool days, I tried to pick quick & easy breakfasts that they would eat. My kids also get a snack at school, so I did not worry too much about how much they ate at breakfast.

 

I just put the food out and let them decide if they want to eat. Of course, I just do cold cereal or a nutrigrain bar. It's one of those natural consequence things for me. If they don't eat and get hungry before snack, they will decide to eat better the next day. Or if it doesn't other them, they don't let it bother you.

 

I wouldn't worry about it. My kids are the same way. They eat very little for breakfast, regardless of what I make. Then they eat a granola bar mid-morning and lunch at 12 or 12:30. They seem to be fine with it and eat LOTS at lunch and dinner.

 

Just wanted to commiserate.
We don't have any food allergies (yet known). It was suggested
that I try peanut butter and jelly folded in their morning eggo waffles.

Our commute to preschool is 40-60 minutes.
Thank goodness they get fed snack at school. I'm sure we aren't the only
ones who look like we don't feed them!

 

Thanks everyone. I tried giving them just a glass of milk first off, then a big breakfast around 8. Then I coerced them into eat about six more big bites each with threats of not being
allowed to go to preschool (probaby not the recommended strategy but who cares!). Anyway they ate well and were fine today, snacked in the car on the way home and it was no problem. Do twin moms
have more anxiety in general??? Or is it just me??? Thanks to everyone for their advice. This is why I LOVE LOVE LOVE this site.