To be shocked by this government dietary advice for babies and children?

Oh give over ffs 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 fuck me.

Some odd takes here - milk is awful for teeth, porridge oats are more expensive that breakfast cereals? Need an overdraft to buy cereals nowadays. The cheaper versions might be higher in sugar/salt also.

I have a 6mo who just started food recently and I've given her baby rice. It's literally just powdered rice. I did sort of baby led weaning with my first and did the same, get them to practice moving food around her mouth with something really safe like this before moving on to other foods.

Ham is a known carcinogen. I've got less of an issue with Rice Krispies and juice than ham.

YANBU. I was not given food like that growing up, I only drank water (I hated milk) and was only allowed juice or cola on special occasions, ditto high sugar breakfast cereal. That was a holiday treat, normally I had granary bread or branflakes, or fruit and yoghurt. It's part of the reason I have never ever had a weight problem, I think.

Just as an aside, it is recommended to give diluted juice etc by medical professionals as having a sick toddler who will only drink water is a nightmare for getting actual medicine and nutrients into them…they advise if a toddler takes juice it helps with rehydration as contains nutrients and sugar that water alone doesn’t . They mean pure fruit juice diluted not squash. I have lots of family in paediatric medical roles and they all have expressed frustration at the whole “only give them water” train of thought as they really struggle to get sick kids to take oral medicines and things like dioralyte as they don’t like the taste.

Completely factually incorrect.

A diet has to be taken as a whole. Many foods are technically UPFs but are fine to eat - very few foods are NOT processed in the modern world - this will include milk, cheese, bread, even lettuce!

But there is a scale. Weetabix for example is quite high up on the scale of ultra-processed and yet is a healthy choice - I suggest people focus on the list of ingredients - the more ingredients, the more likelihood of the food item being ultra-processed in an unhealthy way.

When they get to school with the free breakfast, what do you think they will be getting

NHS (or in this case, HSC) advice has to be realistic, though. Let's face it, those of us posting on MN likely didn't get our weaning advice from an NHS leaflet, we read books and MN threads and websites and yes, those tell you no juice whatsoever and how to avoid UPFs etc etc. But I'm a Home-Start volunteer and I can tell you that there are many, many parents out there who aren't doing that kind of research (for a wide variety of reasons). So for other people, this leaflet could make the difference between them giving their kids squash or diluted fresh orange juice. Between Frosties or Rice Krispies. If the advice was too extreme, it would be ignored entirely. Is it an ideal menu for weaning? No. But is it better than what a lot of kids are fed? Yes. It's a balance.

The UK consumes significantly more ultra processed foods than most other European countries - it's baked into our food culture now.

However, I read the attachments and I don't see too much wrong with them. That's a varied menu and sound advice re sugar. I agree juice/squash isn't needed, but otherwise, I think the menu is pretty balanced and realistic?

Exactly this.
But this kind of thread is catnip to the orthorexics.
I have brought my kids up with an everything in moderation, nothing in excess approach.

Bread tends to be dark more nutritional breads here, not white sliced, and porridge can be made with milk so provides plenty of milk.

One glass of 150ml juice a day is one of your five a day but should be limited to this, which they have. Cereals and cereal products (as in grains) are an important source of protein and carbohydrate in the UK. So long as free/added sugars are limited I don’t see the issue with these choices. Children need energy and therefore carbs.

The thing is, we have to be careful not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Anyone working in a school, particularly in deprived areas, knows that no breakfast at all, or very high sugar breakfasts (eg breakfast bars), or ‘grab bits from yesterday’s cold McD’s takeaway), are really really common. Cooking may well be impossible for time, capability or logistical reasons (shared kitchens, no money for gas, no kitchen at all, insecure food storage for high value protein options, very limited shopping options)

Giving a ‘good enough’ option that is accessible to everyone, and palatable to those whose exposure to varied tastes is limited, will on average be helpful. The fact that those who are already interested in nutrition, who have time and access to cooking facilities etc, will want to do something ‘even better’ is fine - they do not need to ‘adjust down’.

Peanut butter on brown toast and a banana is better than cereal. And a glass of water or milk takes no longer time to pour than juice.

I always find threads like this funny because mumsnet love competitive under eating and who can eat the least UPFs. I weaned my first child the ‘right’ way and at age 9 he’s the fussiest person in our house. The second who I weaned ‘wrong’ eats everything and anything and chooses fruit and veg over most foods. Milk is awful for teeth too.

Porridge is definitely cheaper than cereal where I am, and a little goes a lot further than cereal - 100ml of oats plus 200ml of liquid is enough porridge for an adult let alone a child whereas 100ml of cereal won't fill anyone up.

I mean, bread / toast can be really low in nutritional value depending on quality. Regular sliced pan is nutritionally poor tho no harm occasionally.

Rice Krispies / cornflakes will ensure milk intake, likely more so than porridge.

Every choice has pro / cons

But surely there is water in food?

Of course there are better breakfast but government advice needs to appeal to the majority.

Yes, it’s shit advice. Basically encouraging UPFs from the get go.
My DD never touched baby rice. Whole foods from the start, mashed banana, cooked apple, homemade foods. Porridge for something more substantive.

And this is why you shouldn’t go to the NHS and state bodies looking for nutrition advice. They’ve probably had an organisation like Heinz pay to be included.

(Not that my children don't eat cereal sometimes but I wish I had never introduced it, and I mostly encourage them to have toast or porridge in the morning, youngest often has rye bread with cheese and gherkins)

I get the message re. teeth brushing. At least 30 minute gap here.

I'm curious though as people keep referring to packet cereals as expensive - a box of rice krispies is 95p (the supermarket version). Porridge oats are more expensive (especially with toppings), bagels & cream cheese definitely more expensive. I'll take the UPF argument but they're not more expensive!

A child who lived on this diet would absolutely thrive. There's nothing whatsoever wrong with juice at mealtimes as long as the rest of the diet is balanced and healthy.

The other drink my dentist was utterly scathing about was milk alternatives for kids... said it was wrecking teeth. Added sugar being an issue but also lack of calcium.