Oatmeal and Kids

[d1sneyf4n]

If you have young children who eat oatmeal, please tell me your secrets. I have a DD5 and a DS2 and they will not go near it. I keep trying but no go.

 

[asoko]

Our babysitter (a mother of 4 grown kids) called it Breakfast Pudding. We also use Kashi instant oatmeal.

 

[annacali]

I let my DD6 put some sprinkles in it. I figure it is still healthier than a poptart/donut/frozen waffle and most cereals.

My DD4 though, will not eat it. It is a texture issue with her, she gags every time.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

I add butter, sugar and cinnamon...

 

[Tink_fanatic]

Instant Quaker Strawberries and Cream is the only kind my daughter will eat. She likes the smell of it.

 

[d1sneyf4n]

I let my DD6 put some sprinkles in it. I figure it is still healthier than a poptart/donut/frozen waffle and most cereals.

My DD4 though, will not eat it. It is a texture issue with her, she gags every time.

I will have to try the sprinkles. I was thinking of I put some small chocolate chips in it, that it might appeal to them but then I think that is taking away from the goodness. I have this huge box of oatmeal and I am the only one who eats it. DH does sometimes but I just always hope that the kids will join in.

 

[Hannathy]

I have 1 who loves it and 1 who won't even look at it. Who cares! we are all different with different tastes and likes. How boring it would be if we were all alike. Do you like everything?

Food is one battle I refuse to fight (I save the battles for the important things) will they eat Cheerios or other cereal? If so then go with that and save the oatmeal for cookies!

 

[smkiya]

I will have to try the sprinkles. I was thinking of I put some small chocolate chips in it, that it might appeal to them but then I think that is taking away from the goodness. I have this huge box of oatmeal and I am the only one who eats it. DH does sometimes but I just always hope that the kids will join in.

Use dark chocolate chips, they actually have nutritive properties.

The following quote is taken from WedMD

"Antioxidants in Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate -- but not milk chocolate or dark chocolate eaten with milk -- is a potent antioxidant, report Mauro Serafini, PhD, of Italy's National Institute for Food and Nutrition Research in Rome, and colleagues. Their report appears in the Aug. 28 issue of Nature. Antioxidants gobble up free radicals, destructive molecules that are implicated in heart disease and other ailments."

"Our findings indicate that milk may interfere with the absorption of antioxidants from chocolate ... and may therefore negate the potential health benefits that can be derived from eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate."

So make it with water instead of milk, I think it tastes the same either way. What kid doesn't want candy for breakfast?!

 

[laceemouse]

I add butter, sugar and cinnamon...

I love it like that, or with butter and brown sugar, but I have some kids who like it and others who don't.
There are cereal options that are just as good, like multi-grain cheerios. Also, Kashi makes lots of good stuff, and their waffles are pretty nutritious. We like a whole grain waffle with some fruit spread on it, YUM!

 

[d1sneyf4n]

I have 1 who loves it and 1 who won't even look at it. Who cares! we are all different with different tastes and likes. How boring it would be if we were all alike. Do you like everything?

Food is one battle I refuse to fight (I save the battles for the important things) will they eat Cheerios or other cereal? If so then go with that and save the oatmeal for cookies!

They like to eat waffles, waffles and more waffles. It does not bother me that they will not eat all that I eat. I was just trying to figure a way for them to be more willing to try it. DS2 likes to eat cereal(Cheerios and others)but if his big sis says I want a waffle before I can pour his cereal, he goes for the waffle instead.

Just trying to broaden their horizons!

 

[d1sneyf4n]

I add butter, sugar and cinnamon...

DD5 might go for that. Butter is her friend. She likes the so called spray butter the best.

 

[allyphoe]

My oatmeal recipe: pour some milk in the saucepan - way more than you'd normally need for the quantity of oats. I usually use 1C milk to 2-3 Tbl old-fashioned (5-minute) oats. Bring it to a simmer, and toss in some oats. In a bowl, slice a banana or a pear. Add 1-2 Tbl ground flax, 1 tsp brown sugar, and some cinnamon or vanilla. After the oats have simmered for 4-5 minutes, pour over the fruit and stir.

The flax thickens it up some, but I like it kind of soupy. DD will eat her oatmeal that way, but despises it done the traditional way. A full recipe is about 300 calories (~100 from the milk, ~100 from the fruit, ~100 from the oats / flax / sugar), so either make less or split a batch if you want fewer calories.

 

[disney*mom*82]

Our youngest, 21 mo, loves oatmeal. I usually give her the brownsugar and cinn and add a little extra brown sugar on top, she will eat a whole pkg. But, she will eat about any kind, if she doesnt seem to like it, Ill add a little sugar on top and make sure she sees me do it, then she knows I added something sweet! LOL
DD9 will eat it, but not all the time, she didnt start eating it until the last year or two.
DS12 wont eat it at all.
Ide just try different varieties and adding stuff in. Is there a particular reason you want them to eat it? I know it can be healthy and all, but there are plenty of other breakfast options out there. GL!

 

[squirrel]

I use to make mine and add a bit of jam/jelly to it to sweeten it a bit.

I now like some of the pkg flavors-Peaches and Cream and the Fruit Medley. I didn't like the taste of them for the longest time, they had some kind of artifical taste that I couldn't stand.

 

[d1sneyf4n]

Our youngest, 21 mo, loves oatmeal. I usually give her the brownsugar and cinn and add a little extra brown sugar on top, she will eat a whole pkg. But, she will eat about any kind, if she doesnt seem to like it, Ill add a little sugar on top and make sure she sees me do it, then she knows I added something sweet! LOL
DD9 will eat it, but not all the time, she didnt start eating it until the last year or two.
DS12 wont eat it at all.
Ide just try different varieties and adding stuff in. Is there a particular reason you want them to eat it? I know it can be healthy and all, but there are plenty of other breakfast options out there. GL!

Just for something different then their normal waffle every morning.

 

[Tiffany_PartyOf7]

We buy oatmeal that has "dinosaur eggs" in it. It's made by Quaker. When the oatmeal gets hot, the eggs "melt" and leave a tiny piece of dinosaur candy.... They LOVE it! I figure those few tiny tiny pieces of candy are worth the benefits of the oatmeal. LOL

 

[laughinplace199]

My DS2 is still eating baby oatmeal. He doesn't like any of the usual breakfast foods like toast, bagels, pancakes, etc. - he doesn't even like PopTarts! So, I give DS Gerber oatmeal with pureed fruit mixed in. We have tried a bunch of different oatmeal brands, but he doesn't like them. He does like Cream of Wheat, plain with pureed fruit mixed in, but it seems to give him a killer diaper rash. So, we're sticking with baby oatmeal for now. My DD10 and DS8 won't go anywhere near oatmeal.

 

[Kitikat]

Everyone in our house will eat old fashion oatmeal when mom cooks it. Most eat it with just brown sugar(and some with milk). The way my mom used to make it. DH & I love to mix it up. steel cut oats with pumpkin pie spice,flax oil,dried cranberries,blue berries and alil bit of milk. Either all or a combo. We like to be creative.

 

[zoemurr]

But my kids are 8 and 10 and still eat baby Gerber oatmeal.. they had it this morning. I mix it with hot water and add fruit only jelly.

We've tried a lot of other types (not ones filled with sugar though, as I'm a mean mom) and they don't like the texture.

I know it's healthy.. but it's a lot more $$ than just the plain oats.

 

[NotUrsula]

Why not use the oatmeal to make the waffles? Run it through a blender or food processor to cut it finer, and add it to the batter.

If you need the waffles frozen for speed, you can freeze the home-made kind and re-heat them later. Just put plastic wrap between the pieces before you freeze them, or they will stick.