AIBU to let my son eat sugary breakfast cereal rather than go to school without eating breakfast?

[stickwithit]

Breakfast time is an ongoing problem with DS (4). He asks for sweet foods- anything from sugary non-cereal (e.g. coco pops, pancakes, pancakes). I do not give in, or make a fuss. I offer ?normal? cereal, toast, fruit, porridge, eggs, yoghurt.

He has had the type of food he asks for at breakfast time very rarely (e.g. pancakes when they were on an all inclusive breakfast table once, and coco pops at his Grandmas where he stays about once every six weeks).

More often than not he has no breakfast, as he does not want to eat what I offer. If this happens on a pre-school day (three days a week) he will not eat until snack time at preschool where they are offered one biscuit and unlimited fruit and vegetables. On any other day he generally gives in at about 11ish and has some fruit or maybe a boiled egg. This has been going on for over a year.

Other mealtimes are generally fine and battle free. He eats a wide variety of foods. If he says he doesn?t like or want something I don?t make much comment or offer an alternative and he usually eats it anyway!

He starts school in September and I am worried that if the situation continues he will arrive without eating which is obviously not OK.

I am considering backing down and allowing him to have a sugary cereal. I don?t like the idea as they seem like biscuits disguised as cereal to me, and I will have put my foot on the slippery slope to giving in which may lead to problems at other mealtimes. However, maybe I am being too evangelical about it and need to relax a little.

So AIBU to let him eat these nasty cereals rather than go to school on an empty stomach?

The any breakfast is better than no breakfast mantra relates to children's ability to concentrate and learn in school. I'm not sure why it being explained by a tv doctor makes any research less valid. I'm only repeating what I've seen (and learnt ) on tv, of course.

Just out of interest, why are pancakes a treat? They are only eggs, milk and flour. Or does he only like them with sugar?

(Mine love sugary cereals btw as do I, although I try to limit them)

OK, I can't find the original recipe but this one is close...

200g/8oz Self Raising Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Egg
300ml/1/2 pint milk
knob of butter, melted
optional - 150g fruit - Blueberries/raspberries/blackcurrants/raisins/cherries.

Mix together the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt.
Beat eggs with milk
Make a well in the centre of the flour mix then add the milk mix and whisk until smooth.
Beat in the melted butter.
Mix in the fruit if using.
Heat sunflower oil or butter in a large frying pan and drop large tablespoons of batter in to make pancakes. You should be able to get 3 or 4 at a time in a large frying pan.
Cook for 3 mins on a medium heat. Bubbles will appear on the surface when they're ready to turn, then flip and cook for 2-3 mins more.
Eat immediately or divide into servings in plastic food bags or boxes and store in the freezer. This will make it easier to take out just what you need as they'll stick together when frozen.
Either defrost in the fridge overnight or in the microwave if you're in a hurry.

You could serve with yoghurt, extra fruit, sliced banana or (once DS has gone to school) Golden Syrup for the adults

I think the other recipe used buttermilk - I'll keep looking for it.

Then he'll think that he can persuade you to do lots of other minor things. Keep going. Offer him raisins in his porridge, that's sweet.

It's obviously not doing him much harm.

That will make thick, scotch style pancakes by the way....

I have compromised on honey cheerios (which are loaded with sugar but are at least wholegrain) with a slice or two of wholemeal toast. Not great, but not too bad. I tend to have a wholemeal bagel and some fruit.

About 12 of them

Ooh, Bagels and Dairylea are one of my favourites. Must get some on the shopping list!

If other mealtimes are fine, and at breakfast he is refusing stuff he normally likes, then I would say he's just not very hungry. I can understand the concern about school on an empty stomach, but that is a few weeks away and things may change! I would carry on as you are for the time being - no point giving in now [hwink]

My DS didn't like cereal for ages, and still only has it now and then. Strangely, although I started him off on cereal by bribing him with giving him the chocolatey ones, he now prefers rice krispies, cornflakes and multi-grain shapes. (Although most cereals are actually v high in sugar even special K!)

His fave breakfasts are ham croissants, pain au chocolate rice cakes with ham, and scrambled egg on toast.

I always give him fruit either in orange juice, banana milkshake, or strawberries and cream as you can see, I'm not one to avoid sugar of a morning!

He's a meat boy so bacon, sausages or ham always go down well, although all those products also contain scary additives.

Just thought I'd share all that so that 1. you have some more ideas and 2. can comfort yourself in knowing you're not as bad as me!

I found the other recipe...

50g Plain Flour
25g Slef Raising Wholemeal Flour
Half teaspoon baking powder
1 Egg
75ml milk
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch Cinnamon

The method is pretty much the same although they don't bother with the separate mixes but just bung it all in a food processor and blend till smooth that's my kind of cooking :)

They suggest serving the pancakes with soft cheese, like Dairylea or cream cheese or Jam. You could add fruit to this mix just like the other recipe.

I bet bacon or sausge pancakes would work well too

TBH if you look at the back of a packet of cornflakes or even some of those muesli type cereals, you will be horrified by the amount of salt, fat and sugar there are in them. In many cases a small chocolate biscuit would be healthier.

I think having breakfast is a really important habit to get into, and he definitely needs to eat something before school. Some people are not morning people though and a sandwich or a piece of fruit on the way to school is as good as anything else. That extra half hour makes all the difference to how awake his brain is!

One of mine did that but we kept offering decent cereals and she actually likes them now. I would persist. If you give in there it may end up the same with other meals. We have junky ones for the odd treat.

DS (6) has cocopops, weetabix, toast or cheese on toast. He can also have fruit and yoghurt. I never give it a second thought which he chooses tbh. Its all about balance and moderation.

Sounds nice but self raising flour & baking powder for a pancake?

Mine quite often have cereal as I was brought up having it: multigrain hoops, weetabix, porridge. We also make big batches of american style pancakes as deathlymarshmallows said, freeze them and defrost in the microwave. Serve with fruit or a smoothie and it's far healthier than the cereal.

I do sympathise as DD2 went through a phase of only eating smoked salmon and scrambled eggs or a fresh fruit salad for breakfast - this was at 18m! Diva!

They're scotch pancakes so they're thick and risen rather than french style crepe pancakes.

For those you just need eggs, plain flour and milk

OP, could you get him to drink something instead? Milkshake, smoothie, a cup of hot chocolate with a piece of croissant dunked in could be good [mouth waters emoticon].

Otherwise, I second everyone else who says he may not be hungry, although rising at 7 and leaving at 8.45 leaves him 1 3/4 hours to work up a bit of an appetite. Some 4 year olds just don't seem to want to eat much. If he is otherwise healthy and not struggling at school with low eneregy levels and crankiness, I'd just leave it.

energy obvs

Cereals are just crap, frankly; full of sugar, highly processed and the only nutrients they contain are what they add in the factory.

Eating foods with a high glycaemic index (a measure of how quickly the food releases its sugar into the bloodstream) means that you get a rush release of sugar into the bloodstream, and a corresponding rush of insulin, to get the sugar into the cells. The blood sugar level then drops dramatically, leading to hypoglycaemic symptoms - hunger, loss of concentration, feeling crap and craving another quick energy fix - whilst the body works on stabilising the blood sugar levels again. Over the long term, this results in weight gain and, ultimately, a high risk of developing T2 diabetes, where the cells no longer respond properly to insulin.

Why get your child into the habit of going for a high GI energy fix in the morning that'll probably be set in place for a lifetime?

I've had endless battles with DD (8) in the mornings, as she doesn't want breakfast at all, and takes bloody ages to eat (with endless prompting) anything I give her. We've finally settled on a smoothie; strawberries, yoghurt and milk blended, with a pinch of fructose. I still have to nag her to keep drinking it, but at least it's something nutritious and low gi to give her sustained energy through the morning. Drinking something is easier than eating, I think, for a child who really isn't hungry.

Chocolate wheetos are for the weekends only.

In case my post sounded too virtuous, I'd like to add that left to my own devices, I would eat cake every morning for breakfast (and fairly often do). Otherwise, I don't eat anything, just lots of tea, and then eat a proper meal at around 11am.

I make buckwheat blini (pancakes) which are low GI and a lot more nutritious than white (or 'brown') flour.
I use this recipe, but use all buckwheat flour, no white. Takes an hour to ferment, but keeps in the fridge for days and cooks in minutes. Lovely with cream cheese or fruit puree.
www.deliaonline.com/recipes/main-ingredient/fish-and-seafood/salmon/buckwheat-blinis-with-smoked-salmon-creme-fraiche-and-dill.html

We tried a chart when we were going through this phase. We picked two days a week where he could choose whatever he wanted and had to 'earn' those days by eating the healthy breakfasts on the other days. Each time he ate the healthy breakfast he got a sticker on the chart.

Another way of doing it I guess would be to say that once he has three stickers for healthy breakfasts, then he can have what he wants. Then begin it again.

Good luck

Unless he was massively underweight I would stick to what you're doing. Although would he have toast with low sugar jam and plain youghurt with fruit mashed in? Do you put the fruit on his cereal cos mine will eat porridge/shredded wheat with fruit on it but find it a bit bland on its own.

A smoothie is also a good idea - you could put some yoghurt in as well for a bit of protein.

My 3 year old will happily munch 1 - or 2- bowls of sugar-free muesli, poss with fresh fruit, with a cup of milk. Sometimes he will get a spoon and help himself to some of my porridge too. He also is quite keen on toast with marmite or cream cheese. If no muesli, he will eat weetabix (plain), maybe with some fruit. If on offer, he is very fond of sausage/ bacon/ beans.

He does not know that chocolate flavoured cereals exist.

When he goes to nursery early enough (2 days a week) he will ask for some of their more sugary cereal at breakfast time as well. (second breakfast).

He tends to eat most food at breakfast, some lunch (often pudding) a bit at tea time, and at the moment falls asleep at 6pm quite often. Then he is ravenous again in the morning!