Parenting 

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Supernanny tackles breakfast bothers

Jo Frost, better known as Supernanny, recently stopped by on the iVillage Kids & Food message board, to promote Kellogg's National Breakfast Week and to help our members with their breakfast issues

Question: I don't feel comfortable giving my children sugary breakfast cereal as even the ones that claim to be healthy seem to have lots of sugar in them. I try and make them eggs on toast or other healthy meals, but they do seem to enjoy the sugary cereals.

Jo Frost: It's very positive that you ensure your kids are getting a consistent breakfast routine. After all, it is the most important meal of the day. If your children do enjoy eating cereals it is better that they eat them in moderation and allow them some choice.

This way you will remain in control of the percentage of sugar that they have each morning. Also, bear in mind that most cereals are fortified with minerals and vitamins and are eaten with milk so they're also getting calcium. Continue to give them a varied diet.

Fruit and wholewheat toast are a good staple, both rich in vitamins and fibre, and porridge in winter is good for releasing energy slowly.

The key is to sustain good routine, with variety, healthy options and a positive attitude towards educating your children. It will do no harm for them to have chocolate cereal every now and then.

Why not try my cocktail morning idea? Have one cereal as a staple and the other cereal that is preferred by your child as a handful on top - that way there's a compromise.

My seven-month-old has three meals a day, but for the last couple of weeks she has been screaming through the meals. She eats the food but between mouthfuls screams the house down and it's very stressful.

Jo Frost: Firstly, look at what's changed over the last couple of weeks. Instinctively, it sounds to me like she's not getting enough sleep and so is very irritable (as well as hungry) and that will be causing the meltdown.

As a pointer, your child should be sleeping at least three hours a day in two separate intervals.

It's still important at this stage to make sure that your daughter is having the correct intake of milk and that her nap times are a regular event in her day. Include play and stimulation, an essential part of a baby's routine.

I would suggest keeping a log of her sleeping times and activity over the next week so that you can look back at her history. It may be that you need to change your times, which ultimately would mean tweaking your routine.

Have you checked that your food is not too hot for her? Microwaved food can seem warmer around the edges but creates heat in patches throughout the bowl, so always stir it and leave on the side to cool a little before giving to her.

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