Something I’m asked about a lot is which breakfast cereals are ideal options to offer to young babies and children. Therefore, I’m writing this blog to ensure you have all the information you need to know about this topic!
Many cereals aimed at young children are the ones that are VERY high in salt and sugar. Now this isn’t ever a problem on occasion, but if your little ones are having a high sugar cereal every morning it really can add up. On a personal note I also find that once children are introduced to the higher sugar cereals, it’s actually hard to get them to accept the lower sugar options anymore. So, often it’s best to delay offering the chocolate and honey coated cereals of this world as long as possible!!
Now I’ve written about breakfast LOTS of times before. For example, I have blogs on:
7 Days of breakfasts for babies and toddlers
My favourite porridge toppings
And lastly, egg free breakfast ideas for babies and toddlers.
I also have a blog all about label reading and one about how to choose a healthy breakfast cereal, which might be helpful for anyone searching down the cereal isle (which is vast, overwhelming & quite confusing!)
I often recommend parents avoid offering cereals that are heavily marketed to young children, as a general rule of thumb. It can be quite overwhelming going down the cereal aisle, as there is such a vast number of breakfast cereals on offer. Some cereals that you can offer to young children that are more favourable in terms of salt and sugar include the following:
Ready Brek (Plain only)
Low sugar (1.0g/100g), Low salt (trace)
Porridge or plain oats
Low sugar (1.0g/100g), Low salt (trace)
Shredded Wheat
Low sugar (0.7g/100g), Low salt (trace)
Puffed Oats
0.6g/100g, Low salt (trace)
Puffed Wheat
Low sugar (2.0g/100g), Low salt (trace)
Weetabix
Low sugar (4.4g/100g), medium salt (0.6g/100g)
By checking the 100g column on the back of labels we can easily see what foods are high, low and medium in salt and sugar. The table below demonstrates this. The main thing to remember for breakfast cereals you can give the kids, is to ideally opt for cereals that have less than 5g sugar per 100g of the product!
Fortified cereals:
However, another important aspect is FORTIFICATION, as cereals that are fortified with nutrients, often including calcium, B vitamins, vitamin D and iron can contribute significant amounts of these nutrients in young children’s diets. Cereals and cereal products are often the leading source of certain vitamins and minerals.
Therefore, Weetabix (which contains iron and B vitamins) and Ready Brek (contains B vitamins, iron, vitamin D and calcium) are really beneficial options to include at breakfast times. The other cereals listed above are also fine to offer, but it might be worthwhile trying to get extra nutrients into your child’s breakfast when you’re offering these – as always variety comes up trumps!
Use these values when checking the 100g column on the back of packets
As a comparison, we can see below the sugar content of some of the UK’s more popular children’s cereals….
Crunchy nut cornflakes
High sugar (35g/100g), medium salt (0.9g/100g)
Frosties
High sugar (37g/100g), medium salt (0.8g/100g)
Coco pops
High sugar (35g/100g), medium salt (0.7g/100g)
1 g of sugar vs 35 g – quite a big difference, hey?
I hope this article has been useful to you in helping you to choose the best breakfast cereals that you can give the kids.
Remember it all comes down to variety & whatever you’re offering, try and think about that, as well as getting extras in and making those breakfasts fun and exciting times for kids!