It's even natural for teens to be unable to fall asleep until 11 p. or midnight. They then wake up later in the morning, a schedule that often doesn't match what's set by schools. Most sleep-deprived kids would rather snooze an extra 15 minutes then get up for a bowl of cereal.

In addition, when kids don't get enough sleep, they may wake up too tired or too nauseous to eat. Any effort to make breakfast nutritious is better than no breakfast at all.

Here are some ways you can make breakfast a healthy part of your child's day. Make sure your child gets to bed early enough to get up in time to eat breakfast.

Sleep is a crucial ingredient in children's overall health, no matter their age. Ideally, the whole family can sit down together for breakfast. Research suggests that families that eat together tend to eat healthier. It also gives parents the chance to act as role models in terms of nutrition and eating behaviors.

That said, a leisurely breakfast with your kids each morning probably isn't realistic for most families. It is realistic though to make sure you carve out enough time to allow your child to eat without pressure. This is especially important for infants and toddlers.

Be sure to leave enough time in your morning for both assisted- and self-feeding. You don't need to be limited by labels to decide what's good to serve for a morning meal.

Think protein, think fruits and vegetables, and think creatively. For instance, if your child doesn't like the typical breakfast foods like eggs, toast, or cereal, try these options:. Frozen banana: Dip a banana in yogurt.

Roll it in crushed cereal and freeze. Peanut butter breakfast: Spread peanut butter on whole-wheat crackers, apple slices, a tortilla or jicama slices. Leftovers: Serve what's left of last night's meal. Good choices include chicken or whole-wheat spaghetti. In other words, plan ahead.

This can go a long way toward having a wider range of healthy foods on hand. A sit-down breakfast made up of the four basic food groups is best. But if that doesn't work, having quick breakfast foods available for your child to grab and eat on the way to school is the next best thing. Good options include:.

Though your teen may love them, skip coffee and energy drinks. The craving for a quick pick-me-up is certainly understandable.

But caffeine raises blood pressure and heart rate in teens. Milk is an ideal beverage for a child or teen to drink at breakfast because it contains protein and other nutrients. The protein will help prevent your child or teen from feeling hungry later.

Be sure to check out what breakfast options your child's school or childcare provider offers. Most schools have breakfast available. And studies show that eating breakfast at school has many advantages.

For example, kids perform even better on standardized tests than those who skip it or eat breakfast at home. This may be because they're eating closer to test time.

Kids who eat breakfast at school also have improved attendance, behavior and academic performance. They're tardy less often and their math scores are higher. Be sure to read cereal nutrition labels. Prioritize whole grain cereals, which are higher in micronutrients than refined grains.

Sweetened cereal often has a lot of added sugar. Look for cereals with less than 10 to 12 grams of sugar. They should also have at least 3 grams of fiber per serving.

Try adding sliced bananas, peaches, blueberries or strawberries to sweeten it up. The benefits of breakfast for students Experts agree that getting kids to eat breakfast is important. Breakfast has been associated with many benefits, including:.

Weight gain and obesity are a major public health concern. According to the U. Obesity can lead to serious health problems such as diabetes, breathing issues, joint problems and heart disease.

A review of studies in the journal Nutrients found that children and adolescents who don't eat breakfast are more likely to be or become overweight or obese. This may be partly because many kids who skip breakfast tend to eat unhealthy foods later in the day.

Eating breakfast gets your child's metabolism going. This means their body starts to burn calories. Breakfast also makes it less likely that they'll overeat later in the day because they're hungry from not eating breakfast.

Studies show that eating breakfast positively affects school performance. They have better concentration and more energy. Kids who eat breakfast the morning before a standardized test have significantly higher scores in math, spelling and reading than those who don't.

Eating breakfast improves kids' performance on vocabulary tests, math problems and challenging mental tasks. It also helps them deal better with frustration.

Kids who skip breakfast seem to be more likely to develop metabolic conditions such as high blood sugar, increased blood sugar, abnormal cholesterol levels and extra fat in the waist.

These conditions increase the risk of diabetes, stroke and heart disease. Children who eat breakfast are in better health overall.

This may be due to the types of food that are typically eaten. Because those who ate at home were more likely to do so with family members, the researchers wrote that social and family needs may factor into the results.

There is more to it than just consuming calories, according to the researchers. The researchers wrote that they could not establish whether the relationships they observed imply cause and effect and underscored the need for future studies. Lopez-Gil JF, et al. Front Nutr. Healio News Primary Care Nutrition and Fitness.

By Emma Bascom. Fact checked by Shenaz Bagha. Read more. August 29, Add topic to email alerts. Receive an email when new articles are posted on. Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on.

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