DH thinks rice crispies are a suitable breakfast

[thisismyheart]

That's it really, DH would happily send children (3&6) off to school/childminder on one bowl of rice crispies and a bit of fruit in the morning. I feel very strongly about filling kids tummies properly before school, and while i have no problem with a bowl of rice crispies now and then, that they are ultimately just puffs of air, and the children need something more nutritionally dense.

We argued about it properly this morning, and now he's in a huff about me undermining him. I just want to guage what others think - is a bowl of rice crispies and a bit of fruit enough to keep a child's energy levels up all morning?

Clearly I'm in the minority but I'm with you OP. Rice crispies are 86% carbohydrates by weight before being paired with something.

Rice crispies per 100g: 86g carbs (7.9g sugar), 2.9g fibre, 7g protein.

White bread per 100g: 46g carbs (2.6g sugar), 2.3g fibre, 8.1g protein.

It's better than nothing but personally I'd need to pair it with something like whole milk otherwise I'd be incredibly hungry so it's not something I'd want my kids having too regularly. Normally we do omelettes with fruit, scrambled eggs with fruit, porridge with nut butter etc.

We're more of a cornflake/weetabix/toast house. No, there's no bloody avocado on the toast, and eggs only if they're actually ready at a good time (so not that often).

Does no one else here rush their kids to school amongst hordes of other children who are still stuffing down their breakfast of a piece of fruit, cereal bar or packaged pancake as they're going through the gate?🤣

Took me a while to register what you meant and I thought you meant the OPs kids should add alll those cereals to their bowl 😂
although I do remember doing that as a kid on Saturdays lol

Is this a joke?
You are fighting with your husband because he gives them cereal and fruit!?!

And to add to that, my kids wouldn’t eat granola or an avocado if I paid them. Cereal and fruit - I’d be glad they touched the fruit!!

How about porridge you can make quickly in the microwave? I find that’s quite a good, filling and yummy option…

It’s better than nothing ana I wouldn’t berate any parent who gives their child Rice Krispies because of budget / sensory issues etc.

i don’t think it’s optimal though, just because of lack of protein. Could you and DH compromise and give your kids Rice Krispies and maybe something with protein such as an egg?

I reckon the issue is having the same thing every day. Can't you have a range of cereals (low sugar and wholegrain ideally) and rice Krispies are part of the cycle?

@bonzaitree

noones needs protein every meal

who has time to faff on boiling an egg or whatever in the morning before school and work?

But we're not fine are we. More than 60% of us are overweight or obese.

@chocorabbit thanks for the info.

I'd rather have a steak for my iron and I have no interest to know how red meat is bad for you.

@Theunamedcat have you never looked at the nutritional content of a box of cereal? Most are horrendously sugary.

I was about to say as long as they weren't still hungry but it appears they were.

Having an argument in front of the children is not good though.

My DS usually had weetabix and toast with a banana, sometimes a cooked breakfast. But cereal and fruit is fine if they are full.

I could never face anything first thing as a child so I was often the one stuffing down a piece of toast on the walk into school as my DF insisted I needed to eat "something".

Mine has cereal and a banana before nursery, although he does have a mid morning snack there of toast and fruit, then lunch etc

What would you give them? Full English?

I think something like porridge, shreddies, cheerios or even toast is a bit healthier and more substantial.
Rice crispies you'd have to have a lot lol and theres not much nutrition wise.

My kids rarely ate breakfast before going to school.
For years I lovingly prepared breakfast- eggs, muffins, homemade pancakes, porridge, hot rolls, cereal, fruit, yoghurt- it was rarely eaten.
I remember disliking breakfast as a child, and even now I don't eat an early breakfast.
My kids are now young adults, tall, strong and healthy.

@LuckySantangelo35 I do scrambled eggs and toast regularly, the eggs take less time to prepare than the bread does to toast. In the microwave they take about 1m30s for 1 or 2m10s for 2.

They go to school and have a snack literally an hour and a half later at most, then lunch another hour and a half after that, they'll be fine.

Mine have weetabix porridge or granola. They can THEN have something extra like rice crispies, Frosties, toast etc. I don't like them having sugary non filling breakfasts.

It’s not the best but I think it’s adequate for an average day. Something with oats or wholegrain would be more filling eg porridge, granola, toast. I would only do more than that if they had exams or something.

Breakfast foods in general are a bit of an issue. I can see why people eat them... they're quick and convenient. But really we'd do better to treat breakfast as another meal and, even if not cooking from scratch, microwave the leftovers from dinner the night before. I wfh most of the time (though on mat leave presently) and my favourite breakfast is leftover bean chilli and jacket potato with grated cheese. I wish I could get my DC to eat 'proper' food for breakfast, at least at the weekend, but they much prefer a chocolate croissant obviously!

Today for breakfast my household had

DC1: two Weetabix with milk and honey
DC2: yoghurt and an apple
DC3: two Weetabix with milk and honey followed by an apple
DC4: two Weetabix eaten dry, a cup of milk, a banana

Two are normal weight, one is underweight, one is slightly overweight due to medication they're on.

Cereal is not the enemy, sugar is not the enemy, carbs are not the enemy. A healthy diet should not exclude any foods unless medically indicated and instead should focus on eating a wide range of foods in moderation and in healthy portion sizes.

You shouldn't argue in front of your children either, how will they respect you if you can't respect each other?

Haven't scrolled through all the responses but surely this is a joke. This is insane.

As an aside, my DS is 4yo and ASD and, as such, has a predictably limited diet, plus numerous food allergies. Somehow we made it on to an NHS dietician's caseload (we can't seem to get any other support, but the dietician seems to have capacity for us!) Rice Crispies and Cornflakes are a lifeline as they're fortified with loads of vitamins, reliably nut-free, and the dietician agreed that, until he expands his diet, this is a great way of getting more nutrients in him. I worry if I DON'T get a bowl of Crispies in DS on a daily basis!

Granted, it's not scrambled eggs or organic peanut butter on wholegrain toast, but it's not like the kids are running out the door with a chocolate bar for breakfast.

On weekends my DC have pop tarts, pancakes, waffles, Lucky Charms, Coco Pops, Krave, eggs, bacon, crumpets, leftover pizza or whatever else they want to have.

Totally agree. And it's much more the norm in other cultures. I enjoy leftovers in the morning but the rest of my family is against me 😂