She climbed up to get the Weetabix

[Bingoisthebestnotbluey]

Dd is 4,5 and very headstrong. She had Weetabix for breakfast-3, which was excessive to me. Later on she asked for more Weetabix as a snack, I don’t want her to have more as she has stomach issues with constipation etc & tummy aches. I got her a snack of strawberries & yoghurt and said there were tangerines & apples too. She threw a huge fit screaming and shouting that she wanted to have Weetabix and trying to knock them out of the cupboard with the sweeping brush. I took them out and put them up really high and she was shouting again. When she’d calmed down, she ate the strawberries and yoghurt and said she just wanted Weetabix because she likes it and that I should let her have what she wants 🙄I explained again why she couldn’t have more Weetabix and we’re only having them for breakfast. She accepted it and it was over (I thought)
Just making dinner before and she said she was hungry, I got her a banana & tangerine and nipped to the loo. When I came out, she’d put her wooden step up to the cupboards, got the Weetabix out and was in the process of putting them in her bowl! Aibu to have lost it?

I think she must be hungry tbh. Is that all you gave her OP? No toast with egg or anything? There's not much to weetabix and I'm all for fruit but it's hardly really filling.

MN is weird about food. I think the ‘punishment’ is ridiculous though, far too far away from the event.

I think it’s perfectly fine to say no to more weetabix, (or any food really!) along the lines of, ‘it’s not healthy for your tummy to have too much, tomorrow you can choose whether to have it for breakfast or a snack. Here are x other options. Sometimes saying no about food in itself is not going to give kids a food issue.

Would parents seriously say yes to all food requests in case saying no gave their child a food issue?!

YABU to have ‘lost it’ and I think it was extreme taking away her pocket money.

She’s only little and I would expect this sort of punishment for a teenager.

It sounds like you are a bit soft with her and then are over the top when you do punish her.

I wouldn’t give her the money straight back but I would give her the opportunity to earn it back by being well behaved.

Then I wouldn’t use the pocket money as a punishment again.
Does a 4 year old even understand the concept of pocket money, it seems very young especially to be using it as a punishment.

I think the weekend is too far away.

and I would sanction/punish more on the safety aspect of the climbing as well.

Don’t focus too much on the food bit as the more you don’t want her to have it the more she’ll want it. and don’t worry too much about people saying “I wish mine would eat that” - I get that with one of mine and oranges. Just because something is healthy in moderation doesn’t mean it’s a good thing a child wants to overindulge in it - it’s still a pain.

I have three very different DC and I can imagine all three of them doing this at 4.5.

I wouldn't have said no pocket money, but I would have explained why too much Weetabix might not be a good idea.

Yes!

you should give your child whatever food they ask for. Otherwise you are controlling and will give them ‘food issues’

according to some people on here anyway 🙄

meanwhile in the real world…

Telling her off is totally reasonable. I think no pocket money at the weekend is too far away. At that age more immediate consequences tend to be more effective.
4 is a tricky age.

I don’t think you’ve overreacted.

I don’t understand the whole mumsnet approach where a majority say that if the child wants it the child should get it. Giving in to every demand of a tantrum-ing child is a sure fire way to end up with an entitled brat in my opinion.

And I highly doubt that saying no to one additional weetabix is going to give her food issues as someone suggested. My God.

The OP says...

I explained again why she couldn’t have more Weetabix and we’re only having them for breakfast. She accepted it and it was over (I thought)

Come on now, let her have the wheetabix. It's really not a big deal, I don't know how you found the energy to be angry.

I imagine continuously giving in to a little girl who already demands that her mother give her what she wants, would be problematic in the long term.

OP is this some sort of experiment where you post next week to say that your 4 year old has told you to always give her what she wants to eat and you have agreed and all the replies say how irresponsible?

I really fancy some Weetabix now...

Same 😋

If she has rummy issues, does weetabix actually make her worse tho? I'd think it would help?
So is it about it'll make her ill or about you getting to be the one who controls stuff and she having to be as she's told?

Take weetabix out of the equation. If it was an apple but you'd decided on apple was plenty and she could have a pear. Would you still feel that she can have anything except the one thing you've decided she can't have because you've decided?

Personally she'd be told off for climbing because it sounds like a stool balanced on a work surface and that would have been a very nasty accident. So I wouldn't blame you for shouting just out of fear alone.

Re food, it's a healthy choice so if you think it's terrible her having more than 2 a day, either put them away properly or find something she's allowed. I wouldn't create a fight over food unless it's harmful.

You would give a 4 year old 3 weetabix and then toast with egg as standard?

She’s too small to make the link between constipation and what she’s eating, so you can’t blame her for not understanding.

My nearly 4 year old does exactly this - he makes his own peanut butter on toast when he’s decided he doesn’t want to eat what I’ve prepared. Infuriates me but it’s really not a big deal in the grand scheme.

How can too much weetabix "bulk her up" too much? I'm just a bit confused about this. Surely if she had adequate water at the same time, it would be a good thing.
Unless she has some additional issues with slow transit times or something?

Agree. 10/10 for her efforts but this behaviour is defiant. No means no.

Because you know far better than the child's Doctor of course! This is nothing to do with nutrition, the mum was making dinner, Weetabix for every meal would not be very nutritious would it?

@Anotherturnipforthebooks I would have given the 2 weetabix for breakfast and then when my child proceeded to ask for more depending on what time of day it was I would of done toast and egg... I can remember DS being a toddler and eating 2 weetabix.

Like I said from OP it does sound like the child was hungry and fruit isn't exactly a heavy snack is it.

Depends what reason you gave for bit letting her have a second one?

That was my thought - fiber to keep things moving.

The OP was cooking dinner.

The child had already had Weetabix earlier and the OP (being the parent and the one who knows best), said it causes her constipation and an upset stomach.

The OP also said....

Her child said she just wanted Weetabix because she likes it and that she should let her have what she wants

The child was given fruit as a snack while waiting for dinner.

Jeez, I can totally understand why there are so many teachers on MN, who are totally worn down by the behaviour of some pupils when there are parents who will let their precious offspring rule the roost.

It's like 'no' only means no as long as little precious says that's ok 🙄

I would have been really cross too and let my 4 year old know that! There would definitely have been consequences - you gave a clear instruction and she defied you . What else would there be to do? Just laughing it off gives the message that yes, fine to ignore mummy’s instructions.