# Is weetabix bad for toddlers?



## kimberleyrobx

So my OH's dad keeps telling me to stop giving my 16 month old weetabix because 'its bad for her' and 'its all roughage and gives her diarreah and de-hydrates children' but I think this is none sense. Emily loves it and thrives from it, she has 2 weetabix almost every morning. I googled it and couldn't find anything. Every time I mention Emily not eating dinner or having a bit of a sore bum he keeps blaming the weetabix and telling me to stop giving it to her. So the question is, is weetabix bad for toddlers?!


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## smelly07

its not 'bad' but I have to say too much weetabix can cause loose stools or severe constipation - its quite common - personally i wouldnt give my child 2 weetabix a day - my daughter went through a phase of only wanting weetabix for breakfast it did result in extreme constipation - which stopped as soon as the weetabix was greatly reduced even now my girls only have it once or twice a week - everything in moderation is what i say x


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## Zou

I'm trying to reduce how often I give it to LO as it seems to ruin his appetite for the rest of the day. Don't think it's bad though.


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## Tanikins

My lb had bix for brekkie everyday for about 4 months. It didnt cause any constipation of poops :shrug: surely gotta be better than coco pops!!!!


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## CaptainMummy

I guess because its quite high in fibre, some might say too much may cause pooping issues! But... I cant see how 2 for breakfast is going to do any harm, especially if she isnt being given loads of high fibre foods throughout the day. its definitely not bad for them!


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## kimberleyrobx

She has 2 weetabix every morning because that's what fills her up, if she were to only have 1 she wold still be starving afterwards. She does get a couple of loose stools a week but who doesn't when they eat weetabix?! OH's dad seems to think its terrible for her, but I think it's rubbish:S x


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## suzib76

I wouldn't give a young child 2 weetabix in one serving, that's an adult sized portion, so maybe he is just thinking that your lo has a lot and there could be problems related to that


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## nicolefx

Zack has them maybe once or twice a week :). He only has one as he has fruit for breakfast as well - the only reason I don't give them him more is the nappies afterwards are not very enjoyable lol! He has never been constipated from them though. x


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## lau86

My LO has 2 weetabix for breakfast every single day and has done since he was 7 months old- so shoot me! Ha ha. No seriously, I've never heard anyone say weetabix is bad, my LO drinks plenty of water and as far as I can see all cereals are full of fibre... Agree with pp it's better than coco pops!!


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## kimberleyrobx

Its not the amount im giving her, he just keeps telling me that giving her weetabix is terrible for her because its a roughage food, thats his opinion! he tells me over and over again every time i see him, its really getting to me! i feel like telling him to shut up and leave me to it, everytime we go to his house for dinner he's always giving his youngest son (8 years old) and emily chicken dippers for dinner as home made foods are 'too messy for them' like seriously?! its no wonder my OH only eats chicken out the freezer and doesnt eat ANYTHING good for his body e.g home made lasagna, spag bol, mince and tatties, cpork chops, soup! he doesnt eat anything other than chicken and im not surprised! OH's dad keeps trying to pressure me into giving emily cheerios instead as 'thats better' , im so annoyed!


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## Ceejay123

Rileys had weetabix most days since being little - with mixed fruit. He won't eat anything else except the odd occasion porridge or brown toast, (Which is still whole-foody?) I think its fine. My sister has 2 a day (Shes 5) but she suffers with bad constipation and has to take medication for it every day anyway.. So the weetabix helps. x


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## lozzy21

I would find out some statistics on fibre and throw them at him the next time he starts. Things like having a good amount of fibre reduces your chance of bowel cancer etc


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## Mum2b_Claire

I don't think 2 is an adult portion - I eat 3 haha. Scarlett has half a one for her breakfast a couple of times a week when I am feeling brave enough to clear up the resulting mess! I like to give a variety of breakfasts.


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## PepsiChic

I would say 2 a day is excessive for a small child, 1 with some chopped fruit like berries or banana or a handful of raisins every other day may be better for her.

"roughage" hes referring to fibre, and while fibre is good for you...too much can cause problems, a child eating an adult sized portion almost every day will cause problems, either now/on-going or at a later date.


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## kimberleyrobx

I'll keep giving her weetabix but maybe mix up her breakfast from now on, maybe give her weetabix twice a week, ready break a couple of times a week and something else that's good for her, my OH eats 8 weetabix every time and its no wonder he complains of diarreah and heartburn! x


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## LPF

Weetabix isn't bad for you! Evan eats 2 for breakfast easily and a banana so I think it's a personal thing based on appetite. He's never had a different poo from it either.


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## Foogirl

Cheerios instead of weetabix? That's crazy. I'd stick with the weetabix, nowt wrong with it.


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## Rhio92

Connor has 2 every day for breakfast. I've never thought about them being bad... He has good bowels and his never constipated, and he eats very well x


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## fluffpuffin

too much fiber can stop you absorbing nutrients from your food properly and it can fill you up prematurely, meaning you eat less. For a growing child too much fiber isn't recommended because of that.

https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/can-children-much-fiber-5173.html

^^this article is pretty good! I would check how much fiber there is in weetabix and just check she doesn't eat more than recommended for her age.


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## SillyMoo1983

My LO loves ner weetabix. She also has ready brek which she loves too. Sometimes with banana or apple puree in to make it super super yummy! She sometimes has shreddies or bran flakes too. Oh, and cheerios or rice crispies to nibble on to keep her busy while I get her breakfast ready. Sorry to ramble!


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## Sherley

My lo has two weetabix for breakfast, and a hand ful of Cheerios whilst I make the weetabix and a banana on his weetabix! I wouldn't say two is an adult portion, toddlers need a lot of calories and this fuels him up for the day. Each to their own though, I never noticed it affected his bowels x


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## lau86

So if two is too many, what are people giving instead? Because I know my LO wouldn't be full in the morning if I gave him one and would scream- he's been like that ever since I started weaning him. He's a fairly big eater but it doesn't mean he doesn't eat a balanced diet he just eats more of everything. He is on the 25th centile for weight.
I'm reluctant to give him more fruit as he is developing a bit of a sweet tooth and he doesn't like eggs. Any ideas?


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## mumnbean

I haven't read all the posts, but when we were growing up weetbix had very high salt and sugar content so it got a bad rep. Now they have significantly reduced this and even have a kids version with even less, so its actually not so bad. 

My dd has 2 normal weetbix to a serve, and enjoys it a few times a week, or as a last minute dinner if I'm not organized.


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## Bingo

Porridge oats (quick cook) with some diced fresh fruit cooked into it, such as apple or pear, are a great alternative. Great because there's no additives. I give LO kids weet bix sometimes and she will usually eat two so the portion is fine.


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## PepsiChic

alternatives can be anything thats low in sugar or salt. 

Barry loves oatmeal/porriage, you can add anything to it and it can be served hot or cold.

We also give him Special K. He really enjoys the berry and yoghurt one. He also loves any cereal that has nuts in it or granola is also a great choice.


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## tommyg

I give it 2/3 times a week. Variety is the spice of life. Other options are rice crispys, alpen, cornflakes.

I avoid really sugary stuff like frosties and coco pops. I was shocked how sugary and sweet Kelloggs multigrain was.


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## dpayne

My lo is under a dietician at the hospital due to his milk allergy and she's said that weetabix are good for him as they have lots of iron in. She said not to give him the baby ones but the normal ones as the baby ones are not fortified with iron. I normally mix some fruit in with his and he loves it x


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## ay2808

We have always given LO weetabix (one a day) and she has never had constipation or diarreah. I mix fruit purée or a few sultanas with it and she has a piece of whole meal toast as well.


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## lau86

To me, weetabix just doesn't seem like it would be full of sugar and salt, I was genuinely shocked so I went to look at the pack (its not something I eat myself). A two bisk serving with 150ml of milk contains 8.9g of sugar of which 7.5 comes from the milk. Makes sense as they say 100g alone contains only 3.2g sugar. There is 0.45g salt in a serving, of which 0.17 comes from the milk. Am I missing something, this genuinely doesn't seem bad to me but I'm concerned with so many people sayig it's bad


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## Mrsmitch80

It's not bad! And give your lo 2 if that fills them up! My toddler sees a dietician as she has health problems and she says they're fine. My 8 month old is a very hungry baby, whilst talking to my hv I told her what she eats in a day, I said that she has 1 weetabix for breakfast and her reply was 'give her more'

Just carry on doing what you're doing xxxx


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## caz_hills

I have given myson one weetabix every morning since he was weaning! I am really suprised to read this, I thought it was an excellent food for a toddler as it is full of iron, fibre and not sugary. I'm quite concerned now!!!!

I'd rather give him this than something full of sugar. My hubbie and i have always had bad stomaches and so we wanted to get him onto a healthy cereal from a young age and thought we had.... I'm quite confused now then. Why do the HV's recommend it if it's so bad? x


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## PepsiChic

ught his has completely been blown out of porportion!

no-one has said its "so bad" !

giving it every day may make your child constipated but its not going to kill them. The OP mentioned that her LO has a sore bum sometimes and that her father has mentioned it could be a cause of it...which is correct, it "could" be. especially if shes getting fibre from other sources during the day on top of the weetabix every day.

They also may get bored of it and start rejecting it. theres plenty of other healthy nutrious cereals LO can enjoy to mix things up.

but thats about it.


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## suzib76

I never said it was bad either, I just suggested maybe the amount was not so great. Everything in moderation and all that.


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## caz_hills

Oh ok missed that bit..... Feel like a total idiot now x


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## Mum2b_Claire

Cereals are a pain! They're either overly high fibre, or sugar coated and/ or not filling enough, I find! 

I'm lucky that Scarlett will eat virtually anything, but she also has sainsburys own mini shredded wheats, they're good.


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## PepsiChic

Mum2b_Claire said:


> Cereals are a pain! They're either overly high fibre, or sugar coated and/ or not filling enough, I find!
> 
> I'm lucky that Scarlett will eat virtually anything, but she also has sainsburys own mini shredded wheats, they're good.

right! im way more lax abotu cereal tbh.

He has special K which has higher sugar then other cereals, but not as bad, theres so many different flavours and he loves them all.

he loves the strawberry frosted wheats or the ones with fruit inside. honeynut cluster cereal is another favourite. or just oatmeal with fruit purees.

He eats well throughout the day and I still watch that the cereal he eats doesnt have too much sugar in, but I dont avoid it completely.


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## ellismum

We're fairly lax with Cereal too. There's a mix in our cupboards with Porridge and Cornflakes being his favourite but we also have higher sugar cereals occasionally like Cheerios and Coco Pops. El's has had Weetabix in the past but won't entertain them at the moment but it had no effect on him when he did! 

At the moment he has toast for breakfast, 1 slice with Jam and 1 with Marmite. He always has fruit with it too, blueberries being flavour of the month.


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## Chocoholic123

When lo has wheatabix he has 2, 1 isn't enough for him, he's a big boy and is still hungry. I alternate with porridge and Cheerios on other days.


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## ShanandBoc

DD eats 2 weetbix with mashed banana for breakfast most mornings.

Never had an issue with it

She has the kids version tho as its lower in sugar and salt :)


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## kimberleyrobx

Emily has always been a very big eater, she is such a grubber! she'll finish her breakfast and then she will be after mine, it's like im not allowed to eat if she hasnt got anything in her hands! so we have our meals at the same time! I gave her a bowl of redy brek this morning. It had been a couple of weeks since i last made it so i kept having to put more and more milk in because it was too thick, by the time it was actually ready it WAS an adult sized portion! the bowl was packed, AND she ate the lot! im so surprised she managed to eat it all, she is currently gulping down a big bottle of milk too! although im not complaining, i'd rather have a very hungry child rather than a picky child who wont eat anything, as i was when i was younger! x


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## RachA

Both of mine have always love weetabix. My youngest has 2 a day pretty much everyday. It doesn't give her any toilet problems at all (it didn't with my eldest either).


I would agree about them filling children up. 2 is excessive really for a 3 year old but the reason i give her 2 is because she actually eats very little generally. If i didn't give her 2 she wouldn't eat any more food during the course of the day so i give her 2 to make sure she actually does eat 1 decent meal a day. 

My eldest has always had 2 a day too but he's always had a huge appetite and 2 didn't really fill him up anyway.


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## RebeccaG

My son used to love weetabix. Would happily have 2, then toast or crumpet and then fruit. I think he had too much though as he now will not touch them! Hates them. I have tendency to give the same though so it's my fault. Did it with shreddies as well, now hates those and mini fruity shredded wheat. He's now starting to go off porridge... But then again it's plain porridge and maybe I'm being mean and should put some fruit or honey in it? 
I really need to mix it up cereal wise for him. Toast he always has different spreads so not sure why I tend to stick to same cereal. 

What are some of your LO's faves? I'm a bit ott on sugar btw as he goes a bit high. cheerios are a real treat lol! Not done cornflakes actually and think someone mentioned them being good. He might like those.


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