baby cereal vs regular cereal for 12 mo old

[oliversmommy]

Hi ladies,
My DS just turned one; he's been eating baby cereal since about 7 mos old.  I'm thinking I should transition him to adult cereals like oatmeal and cold cereals, but I'm not sure what cold cereals to give him.  Any ideas??? (looking for cereals available in the states.)  Also, is it okay to continue to give the baby cereal on occasion?  He'll eat veggies mixed into rice cereal, so I'm a little hesitant to give it up (he doesn't like cooked rice).

TIA for your help!

[Nauvoo]

My DD is 11 months and this morning ate a good bit of oatmeal.  Loves it with applesauce.  She also loves cherrios and flakes of any kind with and without milk.

[FroggyMom]

Just following along to see what adult cereal ideas you get.  My DS is 2 years 9 months and STiLL eats his baby cereal (rice, oatmeal, etc.) with fruit mixed in it every morning!  I have offered things such as cheerios, and he refuses.  He loves his baby cereal.  I didn't think it was bad for him to keep eating it, as it seems healthy.  So, I have just continued to let him have it, but think I want to try to start offering other choices again soon.  So, just following along!

[Lolly]

We just chose a healthy adult cereal - so check the nutritional information and make sure it's as low in salt and sugar as you can. For me, the main issue with baby cereal was the price! In the UK it's rediculously over priced, normal oatmeal/ porridge isn't any different from baby oatmeal, it's just a bit coarser and a lot cheaper when you compare price by weight!

Laura

[We Three]

My dd loved cheerios at that age.  Also wheat chex.     I stopped giving her baby/infant  cereal by about 10 months old. I still give her childrens oatmeal though...Earth's Best because it doesn't have as much sugar as some.  I'd just be sure it is low in sugar and sodium like pp said.

[oliversmommy]

Thanks for your ideas ladies!  DS loves cheerios dry as a snack - I'll definitely try adding milk and serving for breakfast.  Wheat chex is a good idea too, and I'm going to try to find Earth's Best oatmeal.  I was thinking I could try other grains (like quinoa) and if DS likes them, use them instead of the rice cereal to mix w/ veggies.  I'm excited to hit the grocery store tomorrow!

[*Kara*]

My DD still has baby cereal probably 5 of every 7 mornings... it is fortified and has loads of nutrition

[We Three]

^^ Just wanted to say I would have kept dd having it longer, but she started to refuse it at that age! Once she got a taste of table food, she changed on me!  One day she started getting upset in her high chair when she saw me mixing her cereal!!  I was like "what's wrong?"  and she signed "eat". And I said "I am making your food, honey" and she fusssed and fussed....when I sat to feed her she turned her head and wouldn't open her mouth. (This memory is making me smile!!) And that's when I discovered she didn't want it anymore. Gave her cheerios and fruit that day and she was happy...kept signing "more" between bites...LOL...

[Lemonthyme]

I transitioned him at 6 months to the lower sugar and salt products (I'm too cheap!  Baby cereals are ridiculous!)

[*Kara*]

Baby cereal must be really expensive across the pond... it's not bad here at all... $3-4 a bag... makes about 10-12 servings... a box of Cheerios is $5 and not much bigger!

[Lolly]

I just had a quick look on one supermarket site to compare!

Baby cereals range from 80p per 100g to £2 per 100g - that would be (canadian dollar) $1.20 - $3.30.

The main "healthy" adult cereals we give would be weetabix or porridge oats, store brand weetabix is about 32p per 100g ($ 0.50) and the cheapest brand of porridge oats is about 8p per 100g ($0.13) even the branded porridge oats are only 20p per 100g ($0.32)!

I was also too cheap to carry on with the baby stuff!

Laura

[*Kara*]

LOL Laura - my kid won't eat regular oatmeal (texture thing for her) so free wouldn't be good enough

[Lemonthyme]

It's perhaps not that baby cereal is expensive but you can get cheap oatmeal and cereals for very little money in the UK and often the cheapest versions (which aren't branded) are actually lower in salt and sugar than the branded.

[Me.and.my.two.boys]

Laura I need you to come shopping with me

[*Kara*]

It's perhaps not that baby cereal is expensive but you can get cheap oatmeal and cereals for very little money in the UK and often the cheapest versions (which aren't branded) are actually lower in salt and sugar than the branded.

Gotcha   Still doesn't change texture for us though   Our baby cereals are quite low in salt/sugar content and are quite fortified!