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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Not to let my DD eat cereal?

472 replies

Peridotty · 05/10/2021 19:44

My 16 month old goes to nursery 5 days a week. We pay for her breakfast, lunch and snack (included in the fee). However, I don’t like the thought of her eating cereal so we provide the breakfast and the snack. I don’t think it’s very healthy, even though it’s a wholewheat type cereal. I give her porridge made of steel cut oats instead with some applesauce. Would you be ok with feeding your kids cereal?

OP posts:
Allinadayswork80 · 06/10/2021 19:38

@Clocktopus

Mind you, this is MN where cereal is the equivalent of shit in a box and if you give your DC a ham sandwich with grapes for lunch you'll have someone tell you grapes are basically sugar-filled diabetes timebombs and their lunch would be healthier without them.
🤣🤣🤣 Brilliant!
LisaD76 · 06/10/2021 19:40

If I hadn’t eaten cereals I would have been very ill when younger….. hormone problems led to me basically living on cereal with the occasional Fray bentos pie thrown in followed by cake and custard, and at some point junk food as a treat, I literally gagged on anything else. Considering my jumbo bowls of cereal instead of a balanced dinner I never once had a problem with a lack of vitamins and minerals, I was tested every few weeks for about 6 months and was always perfectly healthy. I am of course grateful to be able to eat a much greater variety of foods now, but it has taken many years. I have pcos and at the time was very very underweight but the cereal kept me going till I was past the worst, at 45 I do worry about future diabetes (it’s in my family and obviously more prone due to pcos) but my bmi is good and I’m fairly healthy, so there are worse things to feed your kids really, all the squash reared won’t drink water types are a lot worse off than those who eat low sugar full grain cereals.

Chickoletta · 06/10/2021 19:50

WTF is a steel cut oat?

HikingforScenery · 06/10/2021 20:06

[quote Timeforwinterclothes]@Peridotty I'm a dental professional and tutor. With my PFB I was so careful, but she had multiple allergies and it was difficult to feed her. Second DC was a nightmare. So fussy and would only drink Ribena for years. This was before they made sugar free. Third baby only drank hot chocolate when my milk ran out. I was rigorous about tooth cleaning and didn't let them rinse the fluoride off after brushing. Guess what? They are all adults now and have never had any tooth decay. [/quote]
I wonder the effect of genetics on this?
Some people brush their teeth twice, avoid sugar etc and can still end up riddled with dental issues

kazlau · 06/10/2021 20:38

As long as it’s not a sweetened cereal (which I doubt they’d serve) cereal is absolutely fine. You’re making more work for yourself than you need to. But it is your choice.

ForsterMcLennan · 06/10/2021 20:48

People - applesauce is fruit. It’s one of the baby’s five a day. Porridge oats are non processed. I’m enjoying the defensive, blame the PFB thing just because the OP has chosen not to give her baby junk. I would never gjve my kids processed cereal (that’s what we’re talking about) for breakfast because it’s largely empty crap. All this nonsense about “my kids have grown into strapping lads blah blah blah” - it is junk, pure and simple.

takenforgrantednana · 06/10/2021 20:58

@ForsterMcLennan

People - applesauce is fruit. It’s one of the baby’s five a day. Porridge oats are non processed. I’m enjoying the defensive, blame the PFB thing just because the OP has chosen not to give her baby junk. I would never gjve my kids processed cereal (that’s what we’re talking about) for breakfast because it’s largely empty crap. All this nonsense about “my kids have grown into strapping lads blah blah blah” - it is junk, pure and simple.
and the simple answer is to put her oats into a bowl with lid and to take to with her you can even cook it at home and have it so it comes out of the microwave just as your about to leave, so it will still be nicely warm for eating once shes there, as for the rest of us that wouldnt be bothered about our kids eating cereal, really it not your business, yours is to make sure your child has her food. but dont be surprised if she manages to try someone elses food as they all will do at some point, its called sharing!
Yourstupidityexhaustsme · 06/10/2021 20:59

@Chickoletta

WTF is a steel cut oat?
posh porridge
TheJade · 06/10/2021 21:15

Most Cereal is utter shite. I let my kids heat it on holiday etc but that’s it. Call me right but I don’t care, it’s not proper fuel for a body 👊🏼😁 xx

ElizabethBoland · 06/10/2021 21:25

This is such a blatant troll it’s unreal, yeah no sugar but apple sauce. Christ what a fish

Seniorandjunior · 06/10/2021 21:34

foodsciencebabe on Instagram, a food scientist is excellent for sifting through the bullshit of various foods, nutritional value, added ingredients and some simply wrong headlines that are thrown around. Often aimed at parents. She herself says she bought into the ‘natural is better’ and the fewer ingredients the better etc, when her LO was a baby. Well worth a browse. It really opened my eyes, and I thought I was fairly knowledgeable. Have a look.
I wouldn’t worry OP. Sounds like you LO is well nourished.

Shallwegoforawalk · 06/10/2021 21:35

@CoalCraft

What is "applesauce" (one word?) anyway? I've always assumed it was literally apples mashed into a paste, in which case it really isn't that healthy.

Fruit in general isn't good for you - it's more sugary than most of the "unhealthy" staples.

Jesus fucking Christ. Fruit is bad is it? Hmm oh get an avocado smeared grip.

I work with women in difficult circumstances who would be so happy if they could even afford to give their kids a piece of fresh fruit per day rather than one tin of canned fruit per week from the food bank shared between them all.

MN is absolutely insane sometimes.

MasterchefMeansRiceKrispiesFor · 06/10/2021 21:59

I think you might be making life a bit harder for yourself- how about sending your little one in with a belly full of protein, fat and/or fruit and then letting them eat what everyone else is? For us that means little has yogurt and fruit, ham and cheese or eggs if I’ve made them for us here then whatever comes at nursery. I know he’s eating more than just carb. He’s also not that hungry then so eats less. Maybe it’s just us but we always joked about nursery and breakfast club being 2nd breakfast.

Sudoku88 · 06/10/2021 22:17

You can go to the ends of the earth to give your kids a really good diet. Lots of really nutritious home cooked food etc etc…then you’ll probably find when then hit their teenage years, or even before, they’ll eat lots of crap, sweets chocolate and junk irrespective of how much you have advised and drummed into them about eating healthily.
Cereal is perfectly fine as long as it’s not coated in sugar

ApolloandDaphne · 06/10/2021 22:22

@MintyGreenDream

1st child.Steel cut oats. 2nd child.Rice krispies. 3rd child.Coco pops. 4th child.Biffa Bin surprise.
I only had three DC so we peaked at coco pops!
threatmatrix · 06/10/2021 22:40

Porridge is so much better for than crappy cereal. I always look on it as the easy way out.

threatmatrix · 06/10/2021 22:41

Yes all kids will fi this but you’ve given them a healthy start which will stand them in good stead.

threatmatrix · 06/10/2021 22:41

Do this.

Pinkfluff76 · 06/10/2021 22:56

I’m totally with you OP. My kids don’t eat cereal as it’s horrendously bad no matter if they are marketed as healthy. Those people on here who think it’s ok are deluding themselves. Even without added sugar the carbs turn to sugar in your body. It’s a joke that most people eat this shit for breakfast every day. Well done to you for actually caring about youth child’s health.

dryasaboner · 06/10/2021 23:05

@Pinkfluff76

I’m totally with you OP. My kids don’t eat cereal as it’s horrendously bad no matter if they are marketed as healthy. Those people on here who think it’s ok are deluding themselves. Even without added sugar the carbs turn to sugar in your body. It’s a joke that most people eat this shit for breakfast every day. Well done to you for actually caring about youth child’s health.
Lol carbs are converted into energy. Kids need them. Please surrender your okay school nutrition diploma
dryasaboner · 06/10/2021 23:06

*play school

TheKeatingFive · 06/10/2021 23:08

it’s horrendously bad no matter if they are marketed as healthy. Those people on here who think it’s ok are deluding themselves.

It's WEETABIX. Not crack.

HTH

parentinghelp1 · 06/10/2021 23:08

@Pinkfluff76

I’m totally with you OP. My kids don’t eat cereal as it’s horrendously bad no matter if they are marketed as healthy. Those people on here who think it’s ok are deluding themselves. Even without added sugar the carbs turn to sugar in your body. It’s a joke that most people eat this shit for breakfast every day. Well done to you for actually caring about youth child’s health.
Agree! I don't eat them for my breakfast so sure as shit wouldn't be feeding that crap to my kids.
Clocktopus · 06/10/2021 23:09

Kids need carbs for energy and growth.

Weetabix contains 1.6g sugar per two biscuits, that's hardly "horrendously bad". It's a wholewheat cereal biscuit mot fucking meth.

Get s grip.

Clocktopus · 06/10/2021 23:09

*not