Supernanny tackles breakfast bothers

My baby is five months old and I have another on the way, but I'm keen to get into good habits and eat as a family, even if it just means Molly sits in her high chair with us. Ideally, this would be done around a dining table, but we have a small living room and no dining room space to have a permanent table.

Can you suggest any other way we could eat in a civilised way as a family or am I just going to have to grin and bear it and maybe put my sofas on castors?

Jo Frost: I love your enthusiasm to do this correctly from the beginning. I would suggest putting Molly in a high chair and sit at the little fold-away table so that when you are feeding Molly, you can also sit at your table and eat your meal as well. It's important to be sitting down as you're feeding her and not standing up like you're on the go. When she becomes older, look into how you can shift the furniture in your room to make space for a small table.

And if that really is impossible because your space is confined, start off with little plastic tables that she can sit at when she's a toddler so you can still implement good table manners. As she becomes older, you can all sit at folding tables in the same space with no television on.

The only difference is that you all have different tables but it won't affect the message. But don't worry yourself with this for now; you have a young baby and another on the way. Your priority is to remain healthy, and consistent.

My little boy is two and is an excellent eater. He gets very excited about food and insists on trying everything.

Until recently, he went to the child minder, where he was given breakfast. This meant we got up, gave him some milk and knew he would eat a huge bowl of porridge there. We have been on a kind of holiday since June and have got into the habit of playing a little bit before having breakfast. When we give him breakfast first thing, he eats very little, but is then hungry an hour later.

He will soon be back with a new child minder and will not get breakfast there; only a snack of biscuits, crackers, or fruit at 10am. Then he starts at a new nursery in January, which does not provide breakfast.

Can you advise me on how to change the routine to encourage him to eat earlier in the morning?

Jo Frost: The inconsistency of your son's routine right now is creating the instability at breakfast. You've been flexible with your routine because of your holiday and that is why he doesn't want an early breakfast.

So I'd suggest giving it to him about half an hour later. Then, when he starts back at his child minder, give him fruit and a few rice crackers to take.

He's so young he will adapt rather quickly. This situation has only arisen because of your long holiday.

At lunch and dinner he has a well-balanced food plan, which is consistent and means he is eating a healthy, balanced diet every day. Porridge, muesli and yoghurt are all good, so it's fantastic that he likes these too. You could also give him some toast, or a small handful of cereal that he might want to sprinkle into yoghurt.

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