Supernanny
Research shows that eating breakfast improves concentration and means you are less likely to be overweight! Despite this, millions of families in Britain regularly go without it.
Super Nanny Jo Frost tells us why she's joining the campaign to make sure we don't miss the most important meal of the day.
Why did you get involved in the Kelloggs Wake up to Breakfast campaign?
It is something I truly believe in. I think it's really important to give valid information to parents about the benefits of encouraging their children to eat breakfast. Research shows that 1 in 6 kids skip breakfast....that's 27 million people not eating in the morning!
Why is it important for children to eat breakfast?
It needs to be recognised that children perform better when they have eaten breakfast. If you think about, a child sleeps for 8 hours at least, then if they miss breakfast that's another 3 or 4 hours before they can eat anything. 13 hours is a long long time to go without food.
Also more and more children are travelling to school for over 45 minutes each day so this is even more reason to make sure they have eaten. Most academic classes are done in the morning-Maths and English- and it has been said for a long time that there is significant improvement in a child's performance at school if they have eaten breakfast. As a nanny i see the way children begin to flag in the run up to lunch time so i know food definitely has a big impact on a child's mental state.
How will you be supporting the campaign?
I will be working alongside Kelloggs and a few other celebrities to promote the campaign. I will be giving tips that will appear on cereal boxes so people can read them in the morning. I'm also looking forward to getting involved with promoting the Kelloggs Breakfast Clubs.
What are they all about?
It needs to be recognised that children perform better when they have eaten breakfast. If you think about, a child sleeps for 8 hours at least, then if they miss breakfast that's another 3 or 4 hours before they can eat anything. 13 hours is a long long time to go without food.
Also more and more children are travelling to school for over 45 minutes each day so this is even more reason to make sure they have eaten. Most academic classes are done in the morning-Maths and English- and it has been said for a long time that there is significant improvement in a child's performance at school if they have eaten breakfast. As a nanny i see the way children begin to flag in the run up to lunch time so i know food definitely has a big impact on a child's mental state.
What should parents do if their child simply refuses to eat in the morning?
Firstly this shouldn't be something that a child is told over night- eating breakfast is something that should be encouraged from when a child first eats solids at 5 or 6 months. Also a bed time routine is also important for family dynamics to run like clockwork. If a child is sleeping in late because of a late night then breakfast will be rushed. It is important that breakfast is a time where a family can sit around a table and talk about the day ahead.
There are also plenty of ways to encourage children to enjoy eating breakfast. Get them involved in making it. Kids love to pour the milk or butter the toast. When i was working as a nanny we used to have cocktail mornings. We would get a few different boxes of cereal and the kids could mix them up as they wanted. This was great when they always asked for the chocolate cereal because i would allow them to have a small handful along with a more healthy cereal. It's all about creating healthy smart choices for children.
Away from Kelloggs, you are in America at the moment. How is that going?
Brilliantly. I've just finished filming a new series of Supernanny. This is the 4th season out here and I'm really loving it.
Any plans for a new series over here?
Definitely. Supernanny will be back on TV later this month. Also I've written a book which will be coming out at the end of August. It's called 'Jo Frost's Confident Baby Care' and its a great simple guide to parenting from newborn to 12 months. It's full of advice to allow parents to feel confident in what they are doing. At the end of the day I am a childcare expert so this is me showing people that I do know what I'm talking about and I don't just help parents with children with behavioural problems. The book is really easy to read and full of advice. It's like having a living Jo in your house.
Interview by Caz Moss
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