Not to let my DD eat cereal?

[Peridotty]

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?

Cereal is ok. Wholegrains actually have health benefits, like your oats (oats don't have to be steel cut to provide the benefits.)

There's also no disadvantage to cereals as part of a balanced diet, and they keep someone's brain fueled.

I was about to say you were being a bit earnest but now see you are in the US.

Shreddies have recently brought out a new version called the "Simple One" which is sweetened only with fruit. My toddler enjoys them no differently to the original box I bought previously.

There was the one time he wolfed down the frosted version I accidentally gave him... (I had a variety pack and believe their recent rebranding has involved switching the colours of the boxes!) Anyway, nothing bad happened. Still a healthy little guy who'd pick a bowl of fruit over a piece of cake!

I mean, the sugary ones aren't ideal, but NACALT.

I think it’s great you want to teach your child healthy eating but honestly I wouldn’t worry about it. The nursery staff are a lot more qualified on what is and isn’t a healthy breakfast and all the other children eat it too so it must be ok.

If you’re really concerned you could phone around some local nurseries and see if they provide healthier options but honestly if your LO is happy then I would stay there.

[quote Peridotty]@HouseOfFire I am not feeding her muffins. The nursery has a few items for breakfast. Sometimes cereal and sometimes muffins.[/quote]
oh! apologies!! I thought you were giving them to her!

Yes I’m British but living in the US. I’m very suspicious of the foods here especially processed foods including cereal. I was brought up on U.K. cereal which is fine. I don’t want to touch US cereals though.

Applesauce has a whole lot more sugar in it than rice krispies or weetabix!

i did this too. i can't bear cereal as a meal, all that is setting you up for is a blood sugar crash in a couple of hours. so i always give my kids eggs and toast in the morning. then they'd go to pre school and maybe pick at the cereal served for their 'breakfast'. you don't get any power from cereal, in my house it's more of a snack, served in a little ramekin.

Also just seen you're in the US, so can understand your concerns more! I love perusing the cereal aisle of a US supermarket but not for the health factor...

I thought you might be in US with the mention of steel cut oats. A lot of my favourite recipes use them but I’ve never seen them here in Uk.

I was very much in the YABU camp, but as you are in the US I’ve changed my mind. But if you are shopping in Wholefoods, so they do any low sugar/ no added sugar cereals you could buy and drop off at nursery so she’s still eating the same easy thing, but just your version?

I bet the American versions of cereals have a higher sugar content. Most US foods taste sweet to us when we visit.

Putting apple sauce in her porridge is adding a lot of sugar. The sugar in puréed fruit is used by the body in exactly the same way as refined sugar. You are avoiding processed foods which is good but she’d be better off with an egg.

Definitely an acute case of pfb syndrome!

We all had our moments op.

But yea you kinda need to get over yourself and be more realistic.

The point re the porridge is it IS also processed you're not feeding her raw oats straight off the ears of the grass it grows on!

Almost all food is processed to some degree with the exception of fresh meat, fish, fruit and veg.

Bread, milk, applesauce...

Blueberry muffins are huge cakes for crying out loud! Far more sugary and fatty and processed than a healthy wholegrain cereal with milk!

My understanding (never having been there but have family there) is that both food and childcare standards and regulation in USA is far more lax than here.

My aunt and uncle often despair at what my cousins and now my cousins dc consider "healthy" foods based on USA standards as they're not healthy by Uk standards and the portion sizes when eating out/takeaways are apparently insane!

So maybe this translates to the way the nursery op uses operates?

Certainly no nursery or even childminder or nanny I've ever known (I've worked in childcare) would consider muffins healthy or appropriate as a regular breakfast for little ones, it would also go against the nutrition guidelines here for childcare professionals.

@Peridotty

Yes I’m British but living in the US. I’m very suspicious of the foods here especially processed foods including cereal. I was brought up on U.K. cereal which is fine. I don’t want to touch US cereals though.

You REALLY should have said that in your OP.

As everyone who is replying is thinking UK cereals like shreddies, shredded wheat, cornflakes, rice crispies.

You are thinking day-glo Froot Loops and Lucky Charms.

Thank you. I will stop giving her applesauce from now on. Americans eat A TON of applesauce. I had never even tried it before we came here but it’s a very popular snack food here. I haven’t seen steel cut oats in the U.K.

But butter or actual literal shit in a box would be fine with MNers as baby food, come on now -- it's low carb stuff!! Nirvana.

I voted YABU because I didn't know you were in the US. That changes things completely and I agree with you now but I can't be bothered to change my vote.

@KingsleyShacklebolt the nursery isnt giving the super sugary type cereals. They give wholewheat cereals called ‘Wheat Chex’. Never had them before but I’m suspicious of them.

Depends. Weetabix, Cheerios, shredded wheat etc fine. Coco pops / Frosties etc not fine.

No, I don't feed my kids cereal on a daily basis. It's processed food, and I try avoiding as much as possible.
But.. If its making your life really difficult to have to control what your dc eats at nursery, I'd say pick your battles..

OP, you are definitely not being unreasonable. Porridge is a far healthier choice than cereal. I'm not familiar with apple sauce, but stewed apple (no sugar) is good for your gut bacteria too - something to do with the pectin in the stewing process.

[quote Peridotty]@KingsleyShacklebolt the nursery isnt giving the super sugary type cereals. They give wholewheat cereals called ‘Wheat Chex’. Never had them before but I’m suspicious of them.[/quote]
Have you looked them up and seen what they contain?

No way I would have let mine have apple sauce every day. Way too much sugar for a little one.

I just googled wheat chex and they have 6g of sugar per serving which is higher than I'd be happy with in a breakfast I think.
Bran flakes have 4g and I think they taste sweet and the kids wouldn't have them daily.

Applesauce is very sweet, even if homemade.

A little milk as mentioned or even some plain yoghurt would cool the porridge down and taste fine.

Weirdly though as I'm a scot I don't actually like porridge very much! Especially done the Scots way with water and salt not a fan

There are many healthy breakfast options you can provide or ask the nursery to provide (not sure how approachable/open they are)

Eggs as has been mentioned done any number of ways, yoghurt, fresh fruit, wholemeal toast with a little real butter on, or a nut butter, savoury pancakes...