To think that I nursery should not really offer Coco Pops for breakfast.

[SuzysZoo]

That's it really. At first nursery they had to offer healthy and sugar free cereals. New nursery and they have coco pops I just found out today. I am a bit surprised as I thought it had to be all healthy eating etc. Does anyone know? The kids love their new nursery - no wonder! They are 3 if that is relevant....

sashh wrong thread?

(Which thread were you meant to be on btw, looks interesting!)

Who rattled your cage Ryle

usual post came across as arsey, was not intended that way (though I suspect you couldn't care less )

I disagree Inneedofbrandy - when we were growing up there was far less convenience food available compared with today. Convenience and processed food have the hidden sugars and other nasties in.

There were far fewer fat children in the 70's than now - my point was why give toddlers the taste for a sugar-laden breakfast so young, when there are healthier options available.

My children may have pancakes with maple syrup on the weekend or whatever else I decide to whip up, but I would expect a pre school to provide healthy options only. It's a school, a centre of care and education; it needs to provide the highest level of both care and education. Cocopops do not cut it. Porridge does. Fruit and toast would be okay too.

YANBU. That's so unhealthy, and not just because of the sugar. Coco Pops will only provide very short-term energy and hardly any serious nutrition. And if they have Coco Pops at nursery, they might start refusing healthier breakfasts at home.

Really? How much sugar used to be in baked bean? One instance is pot noodles they can't make the original recipe for pot noodles as that would break the guidelines on how much additives and shit used to be in them. ( I'm not saying there good now but they are better) school dinners for another no there not great now they are a hell of a lot more healthier then the norm 20 years ago.

We are a lot more informed and educated over healthy eating then we were. We as a whole know the benefits of good nutrition and what foods have what benefits ie fish oils omega 3 ect and the average parents in the 70s didn't, in fact it was more likely the dad got the best meat the chops the steak and the dc had the cheap sausages.

they are fortifed with vitamins and whatnot it is cocopops not really THAT unhealthy is it does the nursery offer other things what does your child eat when they are not in nursery ? and these non sugar cerals have sugar hidden ,

It's weird that products aimed at children are so sugar-laden. As someone said earlier, as children in the 60s we sweetened our own food to our tastes. As you got older you sweetened less. Why do manufacturers not trust parents any more? Are they all shareholders in Tate & Lyle? I can't believe that the Department of Food (if there is one) allows this level of sweetening of child targeted food to go on and it's not just cereals - any food aimed at children will be sweetened e.g. tinned spaghetti, baked beans, yoghurty stuff.

With regard to the nursery, if they promote themselves as a healthy eating establishment then YANBU, otherwise as long as they provide alternatives that you could request I think it's ok.

Sorry jack, I was in a bad mood last night, dc were on first sleepover and I was missing them, even though they would have been asleep anyway. I had no right to go stomping round the threads taking my grumpiness out on innocent people though. Sorry again.

You are being a bit precious I think, sorry. :)

is coco pops the only cereal on offer?

Why do you think obesity is reaching epidemic levels then? I watched 'The men who made us fat' when it was on BBC3 a while back. It was a real eye-opener about food production now, as compared to the 70's.

Ryle

Agree with Sabrina. A bit of sugar never hurt anybody, but eating this kind of processed sugary crap for breakfast everyday isn't a good habit to get into.

I would say portion size and no exercise (heating also plays a part) Most family's have 2 cars and don't walk anywhere. I saw a mum driving her dc round trick or treating, kids don't play out as much and roam free. Portion size and snacks all the time. It's not just children that have got bigger it's adults to and to put it down to just hidden sugar is silly. There was so much more hidden sugar in the 70s they didn't have ingredient lists and food labels and laws of how much sugar and salt could go into our food.

We're talking about coco pops but yet sugar sandwiches were the treat breakfast like coco pops is now.

I was obviously deprived as a child as I never had sugar sandwiches

Portion size is a huge part of it - I agree with you there. But nothing will convince me that giving toddlers a sugar laden breakfast is a good idea.

We aim for everything in moderation.

My kids have a range of cereal, coco pops included.

They have toast, weetabix, eggs & soldiers, cocopops, pancakes, rice crispies, etc

I wouldn't like cocopops every day, but 2 or 3 times a week is fine by me

coco pops are shit. Not a good idea to offer in a nursery.

Rice Crispies are loads better. Fruit and yoghurt are better still. Porridge is best.

Do you know how much sugar you really give your children? How much sugar there is in food you wouldn't guess had sugar in? Coco pops is the least of it and is better then some, don't make the mistake thinking because it's chocolate it's the worst offender.

Ready meals came out in the 50s and microwaves were widely in homes early 70s I dread to think of the crap in those. Or angel delight or jelly or freys pies or soda streams. It was normal for children to drink pop all day, it wasn't all Enid blyton with lashings of cream at high tea.

Well, DS has very little processed crap at all, so yes I do know how much sugar he has.

He has chocolate, he has sugary crap cereal at the weekends what he doesn't have is pasta sauce from a packet that's so sweet I can't eat it. Blegh.

My son's nursery give rice krispies and toast with marmite for their breakfast every day. I'm not sure I would be happy with coco pops as don't see it has much nutritional content.
DP always buys them (despite my protests) for the weekend and DS has developed a taste for the chocolate milk they leave behind

everything in moderation I guess, but if it's every day YANBU

If your children got porridge at nursery would you be happy? Or would you ask what porridge it was? I have just looked at 'Oats so Simple' ingredients. Normal pack has 1% sugar, the syrup version has 23% and the varieties aimed at children have 15% sugar. Grrr. So unless it is made from scratch you won't actually know if there's any sugar in it. Just eat healthily at home is the answer.

This wouldn't bother me. Growing up I had no restrictions on cereal, crisps and chocolate yet I have fine teeth, I'm not overweight and I don't binge on them now.

My son won't have restrictions either

I am really not a lentil weaving, organic only humous eating type - but it does piss me off on threads like this when people say 'its only coco pops, its not poison etc'.

This stuff is SHIT. Obesity is the biggest health epidemic that the nation is currently facing and a huge part of it is sugar. Sugar has been put into everything for the sole reason that it is addictive and therefore once the marketing people have got the little kids addicted it ensures that those kids will buy their sugary crap for the rest of their lives. And become life threateningly obese in the process.

It is a fucking scandal actually.

I have no issue at all with kids having crisps, chocolate, sweets or whatever as a treat - after all depriving them completely is what will make them pig out later on. But the problem comes when these shitty foods are not a treat but are seen as 'normal' food.

Sorry I can't really work myself up onto thinking offering coco pops as one option for breakfast into a "fucking scandal"

of course usual cares. She cares right from the bottom of her heart.

I OTOH couldn't care less.