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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To argue against Coco Pops?

52 replies

anonacfr · 15/03/2011 08:23

Context- DD (5) had norovirus last week and didn't eat for nearly 5 days.
She's been fine and eating well since Saturday. However DH claims she needs to be fattened up a bit. As a result he's bought her Coco Pops and has been giving her 2 bowls every morning.

I tried to tell him that I wasn't very happy with her having Coco Pops (on top of Nutella toast) EVERY morning (it's normally a holiday treat at her grandmother's house) bearing in mind she normally has plain Weetabix for breakfast but he argued that they were 'good for her' as they had loads of vitamins and fibre.

He then challenged me to post something on Mumsnet because he's convinced everyone will agree with him. Grin So AIBU?

OP posts:
squeakytoy · 15/03/2011 09:47

Butter is better for you than plastic based spreads. Everything in moderation.

florenceuk · 15/03/2011 09:50

My kids have them on holiday sometimes but we don't buy them at home. But I think for fattening up a bacon butty might be more effective! Personally I think those who predict doom and gloom are being a bit dramatic - if once the box is gone there is plain Weetabix only then she'll quite happily go back to Weetabix.

Mamaz0n · 15/03/2011 09:53

YANBU.

My kids came home from their dads a while back asking for "that stuff you put on to make it taset nice"

It took me ages to work out that they wanted sugar.

They don't have sugar on anything so to them it was like some magic ingredient that nanny had put on.

took days of tantrums to get them back to eating without

Original poster
anonacfr · 15/03/2011 09:54

Thing is she has been eating like a horse since Saturday and is back to a normal diet. She could happily go back to her usual breakfast, it's more DH thinking she needs a treat- there was no Nutella left this morning (thanks to me spooning the whole tub yesterday Grin) and she didn't say anything when I gave her plain butter toast.

Re the plain Weetabix, her choice not mine! I remember as a child I used to tip gallons of sugar on my Weetabix. But for some reason both DD and DS like it plain (possibly because their father's never thought of adding sugar yet...). I'm not going to complain!

OP posts:
Original poster
anonacfr · 15/03/2011 09:56

Just to add I'm not bothered about her having it occasionally, it's the every morning thing, not to mention DH's argument about Coco Pops being healthy and essential to fatten her up.

OP posts:
Pterosaur · 15/03/2011 11:28

For me, the only way to distinguish the Weetabix from the box is to add sugar, but my children have always eaten it without. It's just what you get used to.

jenniferturkington · 15/03/2011 11:33

My children happily go back to boring healthy cereals after they finish off a box of Cocopops- they just eat what there is.

PigValentine · 15/03/2011 11:35

I don't agree at all with everyone saying she will never go back to weetabix now. DS1 (nearly 5) always had plain weetabix and porrdge as a baby / toddler - he now has cocopops, frosties, etc but will more often than not choose plain weetabix or porridge over them, although they are freely available and he does enjoy them. He will happily eat plain bran flakes (I need loads of sultanas / raisings) and muesli (urk) as well. We have all the sweet sugary cereals because I eat nothing else Grin

JarethTheGoblinKing · 15/03/2011 11:40

How on earth can coco-pops be considered healthy? If he wants to her to have added vitamins etc then how about something like readybrek>

The sugar content of things like cocopops is ridiculous. DS gets a handful on top of his weetabix/readybrek if he's lucky! Grin

Desperateforthinnerthighs · 15/03/2011 11:40

Squeaky - I agreee butter prob is better but not the way DH slaps it on....cardiac ward by 13 I reckon!

AmazingBouncingFerret · 15/03/2011 12:17

Coco pops arnt healthy but there arnt poison either.
I lived on them when I was growing up. Infact family members still mention my addiction to coco pops now. My Christmas treat to myself would be to have a bowl in the morning and add a dollop of double cream aswell as the milk.

lukewarmmama · 15/03/2011 12:22

Yanbu. Coco pops are excellent low fat food - used to have them when on weightwatchers! Not good if he wants her to stay full for very long at all....

DanJARMouse · 15/03/2011 12:25

We have coco pops in the house most of the time, and yet we only buy a box probably every 2 months or so.

The kids just dont ask for them all the time, they love shreddies, rice crispies, weetabix (no sugar) etc so everything in moderation.

Your DH is wrong to think they are healthy, but if she is getting over a nasty illness, and its something she is keeping down, I would go with the flow until the box is finished.

BristolJim · 15/03/2011 12:27

Coco-pops rock. YABU and your OH sounds like a sage and wise man.

HipHopopotomus · 15/03/2011 12:28

I can't get over 2nd "Weetabix without sugar" Mum posting in 2 days >

sounds like your DP is just trying to treat her - as long as it's a one off box I wouldn't worry. Let him deal with the whining for 2nd box Smile

Acanthus · 15/03/2011 12:36

"excellent low fat food" !!

That's the whole problem with bloody weightwathchers, it teaches you to eat shit like this instead of proper food.

cheesesarnie · 15/03/2011 12:39

dh was buying my dc cocopops.i think theyre vile.luckily theyve gone off them!

FabbyChic · 15/03/2011 12:45

My children never ate breakfast, ever from the age of 5.

If they had cereal at all it would be something they liked not something I forced on them because it was healthy.

All this you have to eat this you have to eat that brigade really gets on my chesticles.

My kids are as healthy as anything, and it hasn't been through eating healthily, my eldest won't touch vegetables ever. He lives on chicken, eggs and milk.

lukewarmmama · 15/03/2011 15:54

Acanthus - it was slightly tongue in cheek! And I did say it's not going to actually fill you up.

Although I do, admittedly, eat a lot of shit.

jenniferturkington · 15/03/2011 16:45

fabbychic 'my kids are as healthy as anything and it's not fron eating healthily' wtf? and 'my eldest won't touch vegetables ever'- why are you boasting about this?
And agree about the rubbish that Weight watchers is spouting, sugar turns to fat if it is not burned off.

PrincessScrumpy · 15/03/2011 16:55

I love coco pops and am eating loads - it seems to be a pg thing for me. This does mean dd sometimes has them - usually on a Sunday morning. I do let her have porridge with a tiny sprinking of hot choc powder on top.

Mostly she has weetabix/ plain porridge/ plain pops - I think they would be better for filling dd up after sickness.

Having said that - I was a nightmare at eating breakfast and from 5 would only have nutella on toast. My parents let me and I survived - wasn't even a bit porky at school, more like a beanpole.

Asinine · 15/03/2011 17:00

Ds1 was hooked on weetabix no sugar to the point that he would not open his Christmas stocking presents age 3 until he had had it. We have it on video and I always thought it would make a great advert. Grin

Sidge · 15/03/2011 17:14

Coco Pops and Nutella??

You might as well give her a Mars Bar Grin

No harm in the short term but not something you really want to be offering daily. The problem with the sugar in them is that it's used very quickly so doesn't fill you up and can cause swinging blood sugar levels.

MrsGuyOfGisbourne · 15/03/2011 17:17

YANBU - if she really needs 'fattening up' Hmm how about cheese on toast, full fat milk on her plain weetabix?

valiumredhead · 15/03/2011 18:12

*"excellent low fat food" !!

That's the whole problem with bloody weightwathchers, it teaches you to eat shit like this instead of proper food.*

It said on the news recently that 'some chocolate based cereal' - then showed a pic of a box of coco pops Wink contain the same amount of sugar as 2 and a half doughnuts. I found that quite shocking. WW is low fat but high sugar ime.

Saying that, when kids are getting their appetite back I tend to get them anything within reason and go with 'once it's gone it's gone.'

Ds has a box in school holidays and when we go to IKEA for breakfast Grin

Ds is off at the moment getting over a non specific virus bug and has been really off his food for the last couple of days. We went to Tesco earlier and I said if there was anything he fancied he could get it. He chose some chocolate cookies. I just had one myself and very nice it was too