DD won’t eat cereal

[mummymichelle33]

My DD is 15 months old and eats a wide variety of foods, but has never taken to cereal. She’s only tried weetabix so far but refuses to eat it every time! As a result she tends to have toast or porridge for breakfast, but I’d really like to get her eating cereal if I can, if only for the calcium content! Does anyone have any tips?

None of mine ate mushy cereal beyond about ten months. They sometimes had dry cereal, but never with milk. Not always for breakfast either. Sometimes as a snack or part of packed lunch.

Are you soaking it in lots of milk to make it mushy? I found that helped to start with.

Porridge with milk or milk to drink separately?

Why? Most Cereal is full of crap, porridge with milk is much better.

Cross posted and completely the opposite to @LemonRoses!

We just gave them milk, yogurt , cheese, cottage cheese etc, cereal is not really needed

Greek or Natural yoghurt seems to go down well with my LO. On banana oaty pancakes.

Why do you actually want her to eat cereal though? There are lots of other sources of calcium, presumably she is still having a reasonable amount of milk?

I’d just give them something else tbh. I hate cereal and never eat it.

Most commercial breakfast cereals are empty carbohydrates with added vitamins. Low nutritional content, low protein, fibre & fat. Almost any other choice is better for breakfast TBH.

My son is now 5 and had never eaten any type of cereal or porridge and refuses to eat toast - so I feel your breakfast pain !
Even seeing others at breakfast club hasn’t made him change his mind . He doesn’t eat bread at all , including sandwiches , wraps and crumpets .
DS will eat fruit and yoghurt which helps with calcium . He also takes a daily vitamin and calcium supplement . What I have learnt is not to keep trying to force a child . My parents did and it didn’t work. Just keep eating the food as a family and make a portion available in case she wants to try again .

@LegoCaltrops

Most commercial breakfast cereals are empty carbohydrates with added vitamins. Low nutritional content, low protein, fibre & fat. Almost any other choice is better for breakfast TBH.

Agreed. Cereal is not essential or nutritious, so as long as she eats other stuff it's not a problem.

Agree with others re cereal being rubbish food. Porridge is much better for her and she can get calcium from other sources.

Why would you want to replace porridge with cereal? Make the porridge with milk, much better for her than cereal!

My DD, who is 10, is exactly the same. Never managed to get her estimate g weetabix etc. And actually most cereals aren't great nutritionally, so I didn't push it.

She eats scrambled eggs; porridge; toast; bagels; crumpets; fruit with yogurt; the odd croissant. Cereals are convenient, I get it, but my daughter hates the milk aspect of them. So putting more milk on may not work.

*eat weetabix.

Quick typing = nonsense

Cereal is not healthy or nutritious. I don't understand why you would want her to eat it when she doesn't want to.

I wanted to switch her to cereal for convenience really - I didn’t realize it wasn’t as healthy as porridge. Sounds like I should stick to porridge after all!

Cereal is certainly not essential it’s just easier. I never liked it as a baby and still don’t eat it as an adult, and my daughter was the same, but eats some now.

Plenty of other things you can feed her op.

No need at all for her to eat cereal, porridge, eggs, yoghurt and fruit, etc would all be better breakfasts anyway.

We're a houseful of cereal dodgers. DH and I have chocolate granola sprinkled over greek yoghurt but that is it. DC didn't touch it after about 8 months. You will get used to doing eggs/your own pancakes/skinny bacon/yoghurt/smoothie/about any other breakfast product in double quick time.
Just give milk as a drink.

Breakfast cereal is pretty processed and mostly sugary fortified crap TBH. Your dd is sensible.
Not sure why you'd want her to eat it.

She's only tried Weetabix so far Your dd doesn't like Weetabix. It's not really an problem is it?

I suppose it would be annoying if you've bought a bumper pack of Weetabix and don't want to waste them .Here are some Weetabix recipes if you're interested. Some look really unappealing I must admit

Make overnight oats if you want convenience. 5x small Tupperware tubs, a scoop of porridge in each, add some mashed fruit if she likes, lid on, leave in the fridge. Use one per day for 5 days.

I can see everyone is trying to support OP, and I agree it's no drama if her DC doesn't like cereal but can we stop saying it's all crap? It isn't. All bran is a great breakfast and milk provides calcium. Plus it's mega easy.

But OP - I don't actually think you need to do traditional breakfast foods unless he or you want to have them. Also a lot can change at that age.