To think that milky coffee and chocolate biscuits are a vile breakfast for your children ranging from 4-10

[flameproofsuit]

Obviously IABU for reading that's life in the Dr's surgery

But seriously, this story, about something totally unrelated to the children's diets began with the mother lining up milky coffee and chocolate biscuits for her children aged 4-10.

Not as a special occasion, as their standard breakfast.

Surely no one is that poor or that thick that they really can't come up with something better than that.

The woman has 10 kids now, god knows how they all get fed.

Practical advice for tea drinking in relation to iron status

? There is no evidence to suggest that tea drinking should be restricted in healthy individuals who are not at risk of iron deficiency and are consuming a well balanced, mixed diet.
? People who have a poor iron status should avoid drinking tea with meals and up to at least one hour after the meal. Any adverse effects that tea may have on iron absorption are then likely to be minimised. This restriction should apply to all people who are in the following at-risk age groups - children under 6 years of age, adolescent girls, women aged 18?49 years and women aged 75 years and over, as well as those who are known to have poor iron status.
? Moderate tea drinking (3-4 cups) spread throughout other times of the day is unlikely to have any adverse effect on iron status. The inhibitory effect of tea on iron absorption maybe partially overcome by the simultaneous consumption of animal tissues and Vitamin C.

Coffee and tea for most children I imagine it's more about the caffeine than anything else...Personally, I don't allow my Dc's to drink Coke or anything similar. Ds occasionally and if there's little choice and we're out somewhere is allowed fizzy orange or lemonade, but he's limited(he tends to guzzle it anyway)to so many depending on the length of time that we are in that situation. If there was only a choice of tea, coffee, coke, milk or water, he'd get to choose between tea, milk or water. Dd likes to drink bitter lemon(50/50 with water)or milk mainly so at the moment it's not a real problem, but I definitely would not be giving them coffee!

Iklboo, the advice leaflet I was given was up to the age of 2 due to the iron absorbancy issues.

I'm sitting here picturing my DD2 on coffee. She's a whirling dervish without any stimulants.

I would have to scrape poor ds off the ceiling if he gets even a whiff of caffine, I suppose I could give him a duster first so he can clear away the cobwebs, I could try this later actually

my daughter must NEVER be introduced to coffee. I dont think I could stand it!

I suppose at least they are being fed. It must cost her a fortune in biscuits though.

This story made me anyway. I felt little sympathy for her to be honest.

And the "endless pints of milk" costing her family a packet per week...Err...Maybe cut out the milky bloody coffee for the kids?

And flame WOW! Your doctors surgery has up to the minute reading material! I was stuck reading a leaflet on chlymadia (sp?!) and a June 2007 BBC Food magazine at mine the other day

(I bought the Thats Life in question . Worse still, I bought Take A Break today. Ahem.)

Fluffy, I had to cut loads of stuff out of Ds's diet when at about 3yo, I discovered they were affecting his behaviour and causing eczema(different foods).
For example: Chocolate stars I discovered, had him whizzing around the ceiling and made him aggressive. Chocolate contains caffeine I believe.

They removed all of the magazines out of my GP's surgery several months ago because they thought they were a 'swine flu risk'

Chocolate doesn't contain caffine, just milk, palm oil, sugar and cocoa beans.

Chocolate does contain caffeine. A very small amount compared to coffee though.

I read that story too and bizarrly enough I cannot remember what the article was about but I remember the breakfast thing because I did read it back again and did raise an eye brow just a tiny bit.

Chocolate contains caffeine - it's in the cocoa beans. Not much though.

Really? Hmm, I learn something new every day!

No more chocolate for ds then, more for meeee!

I thought it was Hot Chocolate and biscuits/biscuity toast in France? I remember French trips fondly for this reason!!! Suppose what she offers is better than Nowt.

The woman next door used to send her son off with a smoothie and a flapjack. At least they have something, I used to never have breakfast.

A smoothie (which I'm taking to be whizzed up fruit and yoghurt) and a flapjack (oats!) doesn't sound bad to me at all. Well, clearly pretty crap for a dc's teeth but then so's orange juice. Or raisins. Or Perrier for that matter. If their lunch and dinner are good, I don't see a problem (unless they're not cleaning their teeth).

At least there's something to it, iykwim. Unlike Rice Krispies.

Considering that the family to Op refers to featured in Take a Break I somehow doubt that a milky drink and a chocolate digestive is the least of their worries

A smoothie = innocent smoothie, one of those childrens ones, this really is fast food, grab from the fridge and off!!

You can buy special breakfast biscuits.

Fruit juices and smoothies aren't much better imo- full of calories and bad for the teeth.

I don't mean that to sound as judgemental as it sounds btw.

right bought one (magazine that is, not a biscuit)

ok, which story?

I KNEW this was about this magazine article

I have a trash mag habit. I buy them ALL every Thursday.

I used to buy them for DD and we would read them and scoff and sneer whilst she was in hosptial (kept us amused anyway). Kept the habit because it reminds me of the laughs we had.

I read about this 'breakfast' and was pretty and I am one of the chav classes!

My kids have bite size shreddies (no sugar).

So we are not all like that.

Milky coffee and bloody biscuits for bloody breakfast FFS.

I cannot bring myself to get worked up about what other people give their children for breakfast.