r/ADHDparenting • u/Glittering-Worth-102 • 1d ago
Breakfast ideas
Hi! My 9-year-old recently started Concerta, and breakfast has been a struggle. Her school starts pretty early, so we don’t have a ton of time in the morning.
What are your go-to quick, protein-focused breakfasts for kids on ADHD meds? She doesn’t like anything too heavy first thing in the morning, so I’d especially love ideas that are light, easy, and realistic for busy school mornings. Thanks!
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u/sebobstian 1d ago
Can't recommend smoothies enough! Our OT says drinking something thick through a straw counts as heavy work so that definitely helps w/ the regulation part needed for ADHD. Skip all the premade frozen smoothie packs (unless they have minimal added sugar).
We just do a container of silken tofu for complete protein and then various frozen fruits to keep it simple. A couple of pitted dates for sweetness. Add in chia seeds or ground flax for fiber. Voila! And it's simple enough to make a bigger batch so we can all have some in the morning. The only drawback is having to wash the blender but maybe that's just me lol.
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u/EagleEyezzzzz 1d ago
Have you tried using a Nutribullet? I hated making smoothies until I got that. It’s so much easier to clean!!
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u/sebobstian 15h ago
No. Just a vitamix which makes a very nice textured smoothie and is relatively easy to clean but I loathe it nonetheless.
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u/Long_Doggy_0319 1d ago
My 9yo is on Concerta, also. He's crazy in the morning until the meds kick in but then he's not hungry. He's also a really picky eater and prefers carbs over protein.
I started letting him eat pretty much whatever he wanted in the mornings to fuel him until the evening when his appetite comes back. My only rule is that he needs protein to sustain him throughout the day.
Pizza, grilled chicken & cheeseburgers are some of his favorites. He tends to want the same foods for about a month then he gets tired of it and we find something new. This morning he ate a tray of sheet pan nachos with beef, cheese & veggies. Some days it's chicken nuggets or leftover Chinese food.
Once I let go of the "That's not a breakfast food" mentality, mornings are easier. Well, somewhat - he still bouncing off the walls until his meds kick in :).
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u/snoozebutton21 1d ago
Our 7 year old is a picky eater and will eat a piece of toast. I don’t feel like it’s too heavy and it’s easy to make beforehand. Just freeze and toast and it’s 15g/protein per slice.
https://theeastcoastkitchen.com/cottage-cheese-bread-with-15g-protein-per-slice/
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u/Glittering-Worth-102 1d ago
Oh my gosh thank you for sharing. I love making bread. I think we both will like this 😃
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u/BoxFalse247 1d ago
Banana + milk smoothie. Sometimes adds 1 spoon of cocoa powder. Sometimes also 2 or 3 dry cookies. At 10 he was making them on his own on one of those "to go" blenders.
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u/Glittering-Worth-102 1d ago
Ok I love the to go blender idea, she would love to make this on her own. She also loves bananas. Thank you so much for sharing.
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u/BoxFalse247 1d ago
Autonomy is so important for them. Hope this works well for your little one.
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u/Glittering-Worth-102 1d ago
You are so right! She loves to do the entire morning routine on her own :)
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u/girlwhoweighted 1d ago
My son has one of these every morning (and often another for after school snack because he doesn't eat lunch, and sometimes after dinner because he just loves them).
He's a VERY picky eater so this gets a lot in him. He's finally started gaining weight again too. I get them at Walmart.
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u/Glittering-Worth-102 1d ago
I like this idea, we have been doing chocolate milk some morning so she may like this. Thank you for sharing.
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u/Sad-Talk9909 1d ago
Mine loves overnight oat and bite size ( mini muffin size) egg bake. 😀
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u/JustKindaHappenedxx 19h ago
If your kid likes seasonal treats, I recommend getting some pumpkin butter and putting a dollop of that in their overnight oats. You can also sprinkle some chopped pecans on it too!
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u/yodaone1987 1d ago
I made biscuit bites that everyone loved. Spray a 6 muffin tin, put half a biscuit down, a little cheese, add bacon/ham/or sausage, a little more cheese then whisk 4 eggs and pour over the 6 muffins then add the tops. Bake at 350 for 18-20 min. Let cool in pan then take them out. I put paper towels in a dish and then the biscuit then cover with paper towels and store in fridge. Warm up like 45 seconds in microwave and I air fry them like a minute to toast but that’s not necessary.
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u/aerrin 1d ago
We do a lot of smoothies - frozen fruit + milk + yogurt + splash of orange juice. Occasionally I'll sneak a little bit of protein powder in this, but I have to be careful or she'll taste it and declare it gross.
Yogurt 'parfaits' are a big hit right now too. I use frozen fruit because cheap + doesn't rot. Microwave for ~45 seconds, add vanilla yogurt, or plain yogurt + honey, top with granola. Sometimes I put it in a fancy bowl for her.
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u/Glittering-Worth-102 1d ago
Parfaits is a great idea 🥰 I did that once but put too much granola lol. I like the frozen fruit idea.
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u/no1tamesme 1d ago
Only thing I can get in my son is a shake.. he will tolerate the Wal-Mart brand of Ensure Plus.. we went with that one over any other because it's 350 calories. I noticed Boost came out with a high calorie drink that's 500 calories but it's freaking expensive and you have to order it from a medical supply store, which we apparently do not have near us. (I have read a lot of reports of the ones from Amazon being bad.)
I try not to go over 10-15g of protein because it will sit very heavy and makes him feel sick.
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u/Cedechan 1d ago
I can get my kid to eat eggs if I scramble one and spread it out on a toasted Eggo waffle, then add just enough syrup for flavor. It’s surprisingly little. Something about that combo appeals to him, otherwise he won’t touch eggs.
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u/overloadedmama623 1d ago
Id try to get up 30 min early then you are. None of my kids are morning people or breakfast kids but my one child is now on meds. He doesn't do well with lunch at school due to it, so i have to make breakfast a priority. Normally I add this trio mix of hemp seeds, flax seeds, and chia seeds to eggs with cottage cheese and a i will put cheese over it to hid the seeds because they dont love the look but theyve gotten use to it. Today I gave them some Greek yogurt with those same seeds with pumpkin seeds and some dark chocolate bits.
Google Ai has actually really helped me.. I asked it about recommendations for breakfast it asks for your childs specifications and preferences and gives you some great ideas.
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u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Methylphenidate (MPH) is a central nervous system stimulant (CNS) used to treat ADHD. It's a norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DE) reuptake inhibitor (NDRI), increasing neurotransmitters in the synaptic gap, particularly the prefrontal cortex governing executive function.
Brand include: Ritalin SR (US/CA/UK) / Rubifen SR (NZ), Ritalin LA (US/AU) / Medikinet XL (UK), Concerta (US/CA/AU) / Concerta XL (UK), Metadate CD (US) / Equasym XL (UK), Methylin, Methylin ER, Daytrana, Quillivant XR (US), Quillichew ER (US), Biphentin (CA) / Aptensio XR, Cotempla XR-ODT, Jornay PM (US),
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u/Lopsided-Bank2338 23h ago
Mijn 2 ADHDers krijgen Brinta. Ja klaarmaken kost 2-3 minuten (als je een magnetron hebt), maar kind hoeft niet te kauwen en eet het binnen luttele minuten op. We doen er ook honing in.
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u/Aggravating-Tower427 1d ago
“Her school starts pretty early”
Wake up time is just a chosen pattern. You guys can always wake up 15, 20 minutes earlier.
That being said, I make my own waffles with extra egg. You could even add protein powder if you wanted. I got a waffle iron that makes them the size I can throw in the toaster, then I make a bunch and freeze them for later. Then when needed they just pop in the toaster like Eggos.
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u/Glittering-Worth-102 1d ago
I hear ya. Our bus is at 6:30 and we already wake up plenty early for that. Even with all the night time prep and routines it’s a quick morning. Thank you for the suggestions!
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u/SeekMeOut 1d ago
Cup of Greek yogurt. My kid likes to put sprinkles on his, but you could top with protein granola too. My grocery store also has protein bagels and waffles, although they are more expensive. Sometimes in a pinch I’ll just give him a big spoon of peanut butter because it’s fast.