Are All General Mills Cereals Now OK for Kids?

For me personally, I crash if I load up on sugar if I haven't had something good with it. Fiber for example. So we don't do sugary cereals before school.

I typically look for fiber and sugar when I read ingredients.

I used to allow my son to mix in a small scoop of his favorite superhero junky cereal into his Cheerios or shredded wheat or other plain cereals with lots of nutrition and very little sugar or colors. The scoop was a standard one that he could use routinely, like a large coffee scoop, and we kept it near the cereal so he could be independent. He loved "decorating" his wholesome wheat cereal with a very limited amount of the "fun" cereal.

For us, it was a good agreement that worked. The size of the scoop you could use would depend on your child's nutritional needs and her age and size.

Really its up to you to decide how much sugar you want in your child's cereal. Yes they removed artificial colors and flavors but that doesn't mean the overall content of the cereal has changed.

When my kids were little my go to breakfast was instant oatmeal. I'd measure out the oatmeal along with brown sugar and cinnamon and put it in single serving baggies so they'd just add water and put it in the microwave. Fast and easy.

Nope, It means Cheerios makes a not so good choices...haha. Mean to be funny and not judging (but typing doesn't always show that).

No, I would never jump to that conclusion.
If she's tired of Cheerios, try her on steel cut oatmeal (none of the sugary mixed flavored stuff) - and YOU control the sugar, honey, fruit, nuts, nut butter - if any - that goes into/onto it.
Try Cream of Wheat or Oat Bran too.
Our son likes Fiber One, Multigrain Cheerios and Wheaties - and he eats them with plain milk - no sugar added.

Well I imagine you'll get lots of answers on both sides of the fence. I don't allow my kids to eat sugar cereals before school because I think it sets them up to crash when all they have are carbs and sugar. I even try to get my kids to eat some sort of protein when they eat the non-sugar cereals too because it just doesn't stay with them long.

I generally don't buy sugar cereals at all, but sometimes I get them for different crafts or snack mix things and so we have them around. If we do then I will let my kids have them as a snack after school or even pack them dry for a treat in their lunch.

We don't do cereal in the morning at all. I have toast with hummus and scrambled eggs most days, Kiddo has a couple soft-boiled eggs and some oatmeal. I agree with others that the protein is very necessary. His oatmeal is an instant variety with six grams of sugar, still sweet enough to be tasty.

I'm a big believer in a good, low-sugars breakfast; I know from my own experience that having just a yogurt or bowl of cereal leaves me with low blood sugar just a few hours later. Proteins are important in helping regulate blood sugar levels and with mental function.

The sugar is the problem. You can't ignore it. Would you hand you child half a cup of Coke in the morning? Probably not, right? Then don't go for sugary cereals either. There are better ways to start the day than with empty calories from a sugary cereal that is then fortified with synthetic vitamins and minerals that are poorly absorbed. Stick to cheerios if you're going to use cereal. If she doesn't like them, find something else for breakfast that's more nutrient dense.

I found in homeschooling if my kids didn't have good protein at breakfast they did not do well in their studies. If I fed them cereal, they were total grumps. I decided it made sense because that is the longest time they go without food. So, no cereal at our house except for dessert. They occasionally will have cereal in the evening if they're not satisfied and are needing a little something. I eat oatmeal (steel cut) with blueberries, cinnamon and pecan pieces. Even then, I am hungry before everyone else.

Can you put sliced bananas or strawberries in the Cheerios to make them tastier? Also add some protein to her breakfast.........hard boiled egg, low sodium cottage cheese, teaspoon of nut butter, a few walnuts, low sodium turkey sausage, etc.

I guess I should pay more attention to cereals, but I don't.. my son eats multigrain cheerios, but sometimes likes the Cinnamon Toast Crunch. You know what is good is the Kashi cereals and puffins.. although I don't really check for sugar. I check calories and fiber content.. as long as it's not cocoa crisps or Apple Jacks I'm good.

It's processed food. You're not giving her the whole box, right? You're going to find sugar in most things you prepare for your daughter. What is your main concern - just the amount of sugar she's ingesting?

With everything comes moderation. If there's another cereal out there that you feel more comfortable with her eating? Then by all means - go buy it and feed it to her.

I had a bowl of Cap'n Crunch today for lunch.

Figure out what works for you and your daughter. How old is she? Does she understand moderation? Does she understand that we don't eat more than one bowl? What else do you feed her during the day? It's got to balance out.

Dry cereal has a lot of nutrients. It's fine for your kids to eat. Everything is bad for you these days. I think you have to do what you want to do. But I also think when she grows up she's going to binge on normal foods that everyone else is eating. I have seen this happen over and over and over with my friends kids. You don't let them eat normal foods then they will go to someone's house and see they're eating stuff you don't allow. So they'll fill up on it.

I try to go with light sugar. I agree plain Cheerios are really plain. So I put about 2/3 or 3/4 plain mixed with Honey Nut. Makes the dish so much more appealing without much more sugar. I eat it that way too. They also have some protein and fruit with cereal. Same time, people are different. My older one seems to need the protein while my younger doesn't get hungry so easily. And they have morning snack at school.

Personally, I think of cereals like cookies. They are not nutritious foods, no matter how the cereal companies like to market them - most cereals are very sugar laden, all are very carb laden. Below the neck, the carbs are metabolized very quickly into.... glucose! You might as well eat a bowl of sugar and skip the cereal. The result is exactly the same.

Personally, we don't eat cereal often at all - I don't buy it.