To not know what a healthy cereal for my toddler would be?

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He's gets porridge every morning so don't suggest porridge please!

I need something to fill him on those evenings when he refuses dinner. I've not given him cereal before as I'm honestly so confused about what is relatively healthy and what isn't.

He's 20 months.

Can anyone help?

My DS refuses dinner when he's teething too (22 months) I give him scramble, toast, plain yoghurt and banana, that type if thing. I've not given cereal in the evening before (never occurred to me till now but will remember in future!), but my DS loves shreddies and weetabix

Weetabix
Oatibix
Cheerios
Shreddies

Coco-pops, Frosties or Fruit Loops.

When my 2yo refuses meals she gets her normal yogurt (that she has after every meal) and fruit.

I know some argue that offering alternatives means they will refuse more but I have a strong history of eating disorders in my family so I will not make meal times a control thing or battle ground.

She gets exactly the same thing offered up for every meal refused. Unless she's ill and them I'll generally do her pizza toast as I know she'll eat it no matter what!

Rude Health brand puffed oats, puffed wheat and puffed rice all have no added sugar.

Otherwise we have weetabix and shredded wheat in this house.

Cornflakes or Rice Crispies as a massive treat.

I'd give greek yoghurt and porridge oats instead of dinner though.

Go with Shredded Wheat, it's so disgusting that he'll probably soon want a proper meal instead

Avocado and cashew nut butter

Is toast (white bread) not just as evil as cereal?

Depends on why he is refusing dinner TBH. Is he refusing as he is just not hungry?? If so, then when mine were tiny they just had a bottle of milk, or a yoghurt, and then went through until morning.

If he is refusing due to the meal being too big (and they can be overwhelmed by the size of portions, especially if they have eaten well in the day), then maybe start just offering smaller portions, or go with snack type food of crackers, cubes of cheese, chopped fruit and slices of ham.

Contrary to popular belief, children don;t NEED a hot meal every day. It took me until DC5 to figure that one out, and many mealtime stresses....

I often just offered mine something on toast, or pitta pockets.

Don;t ever make meals a battle.....it just sets up everyone for years of food issues, and believe me, that is hell on everyone .

Oh, and cereal isn;t the food of the devil BTW. Nor is sugar. Everything in moderation is the key.

You deny a child any sugar, then by the time they go to their first party without you, they are likely to put their head into a bowl of skittles and inhale, and then you get back a whirling dervish in place of the sweet child you dropped off ...

Yes toast and cereal are evil. Thank god MN isn't the boss of me or my cupboards would be bare.

Don't fall into cereal now, having got to twenty months without it. You are right, most of it is gmo dross, sugared toxic cardboard.

Organic oatcakes with peanut butter? Does he like organic oatcakes?
Slow release energy, good source of fibre.

Nice with butter. Marmite.

If he already has porridge for breakfast, I wouldn't go with cereal.
I would go with a small plate of healthy bits and bobs if you need to give him something else -but nothing too interesting...

We have shredded wheat (which my 2 yo loves weirdly), Cheerios and Special K in our cereal cupboard. I have never given cereal as an alternative to dinner though. I have very occasionally offered toast if she is clearly a bit out of sorts of just obviously doesn't fancy what has been made which is not that normal. She is a good eater though so this is not something is have to tackle regularly.

If she doesn't eat much she can have a yogurt or some fruit but I don't push the issue. I would hate to be forced to eat something I didn't like or want.

If this is a very occasional thing I would let her have what she fancies within reason as long as it is reasonable. What about eggy bread? Or oatcakes with cheese?

The only cereal my dc have is porridge or shredded wheat. If you scrunch the shredded wheat up in the packet and then pour warm milk on it with a dollop of stewed fruit or yoghurt it's pretty good. Weetabix has sugar in it. I refuse to give dc anything remotely sugary for breakfast. (They're small - they LIKE porting and shredded wheat ;-)

Porridge. Not porting!

Oh yes, eggy bread sounds good too.... Yum!

I don't think there is such as a thing as 'healthy' cereal. Certainly though there are some that are better than others.
Apart from porridge, I'd say weetabix was a good one at that age. Not too sugar laden and perfectly age acceptable.
Same with shredded wheat and shreddies.

Ohhh, read the thread, properly Jelly!! Just noticed you meant what cereal should he have in an EVENING, not for breakfast. Duh.
In that case, why does it have to be cereal? That's not a good meal alternative (in my opinion.)
How about trying something like bagels with cream cheese, dippy eggs and soldiers, baked beans and potatoes?

DON'T try the Boots own brand baby hoops cereal- it tastes of cardboard, tried it on mine as a change because she always has toast, she tried one then refused the rest. Tried one too and I don't blame her.

Cereals my kids have on a regular basis:

Shreddies
Cheerios
Mini Shredded Wheat (either plain ones or honey nut)
Ready brek
Proper porridge
Dorset Cereals museli/granola

I don't add sugar to any cereal but I do add a tiny drizzle of honey to ready brek or porridge.

Things my kids get when they have refused dinner:

Nothing
Zilch
Diddly squat

Not cereal after dinner IMO.

But I think grape nuts are pretty sugar free. Taste like gravel mind.

I don't get it ? Won't eat tea & gets cereal ? Or do you mean a filling breakfast because he's hungry from NOT eating the night before ?

Ref getting a yogurt because of 'history of eating disorders' , hello ? How's offering yogurt working ?

In our house, eat your tea or nothing.

Porridge!
Healthy, easy to make and much cheaper than the sugary products.

Easy as 1-2-3

1 cup of ordinary oats - Quaker are good.
2 cups of milk
3 minutes in microwave

It tastes great as it is but if you must, just stir in a little sugar.

If ds doesn't eat his dinner he gets toast for supper.

At 20 months he's way too little to just be trying it on. No way could I put the poor little thing to bed hungry! That's awful!