Thoughts on carnation instant breakfast.

kellmo

My LO doesn't always eat so well for breakfast. He misses breakfast at daycare because of the time time I drop him off. If he doesn't eat a good breakfast I'm always worried he'll be hungry even though snack time is at 1030 at day care. Someone suggested to me giving him carnation instant breakfast. I'm not sure if I will or not, never discussed it w/ his pedi. He is skinny which is why I always try to make sure he eats good balanced meals.Thoughts? 

Chelz

I would recommend reading the label and I'd definitely ask Pedi. 

Can you give him a banana... or.... What about a fruit smoothie with yogurt, fruit and a little milk?  Or, do they make drinks for toddlers - i.e. the Pediasure drinks - are they for toddlers or older kidlets?

Are you looking for something fast LO can eat/drink on the go before you get him to daycare? Does he eat breakfast with you (or do you eat breakfast)?.... or is it just that he doesn't usually WANT to eat until later in the morning?  .... Obviously, ultimately, its up to you to make sure he gets a well balanced breakfast.  If he doesn't want to eat early, can day care make the morning snack more of a bit of a meal? (do you supply snack or do they?)

Good luck!   Kids are finicky sometimes.

justme04

I would think pediasure would be the better option.  Deffinatly something to talk to your pedi about before you start subsituting.

lyfeisab

I think "instant breakfast" says it all

MrsZiz

justme04:

I would think pediasure would be the better option.  Deffinatly something to talk to your pedi about before you start subsituting.

 

My DD has been being VERY picky and not eating much all day, even the things she usually loves. I do offer her a well balanced breakfast and healthy options and allow her to snack on healthy stuff all day but lately she's just been boycotting everything. I thought about pediasure but if you've ever tasted it, it is NASTY! Carnation instant breakfast tastes much better. My DD is in the 5% for weight and 80% for height. I thought about offering it to her just to be sure she gets something in her belly but who knows since she since hasn't eaten well lately. For us I'm sure it's just a phase. 

frenziedmomma

Carnation Instant breakfast was actually something our pedi recommended to us as our son is underweight (2nd percentile). I think in our case the calories were more important for our son than him having the sugar it contains. That said, the pedi also told us not to use it as a meal replacement but to give it to him with his meal instead of plain milk. It all depends on your situation if it is right for your son. If you are not giving it to him to give him extra calories you could give him the kind that has no added sugar. It comes in a blue box.

 

meg1974

My pedi actually recommended that I give it to DD when she wasn't drinking milk. I basically used it as a way to get her to drink milk. I gave it to her for about a week or so, and then slowly diluted it so eventually she was only drinking milk (now she drinks milk with no problem). DD was also in a low percentage for weight, so that's another reason it was recommended.

I'm not sure if it would have been recommended as a long-term breakfast substitute though. I read the ingredients, and it does contain a lot of vitamins but also a high amount of sugar, which is the main thing that bothered me about it.

I think it would be better for your LO to eat that than nothing at all, but you might want to supplement it with something more healthy. Maybe mix a little of it with banana and yogurt for a smoothie (use just enough instant breakfast to give it some flavor).  

jannv11

We do instant oatmeal with flavored whey protein mixed in.  DS LOVES it and has been eating it every morning for months!  Even asked for it at lunch now.  Easy, fast, and full of protein. 

shotzie

frenziedmomma:

Carnation Instant breakfast was actually something our pedi recommended to us as our son is underweight (2nd percentile). I think in our case the calories were more important for our son than him having the sugar it contains. That said, the pedi also told us not to use it as a meal replacement but to give it to him with his meal instead of plain milk. It all depends on your situation if it is right for your son. If you are not giving it to him to give him extra calories you could give him the kind that has no added sugar. It comes in a blue box.

 

CIB does have a lot of sugar, but the "no sugar added" kind has artificial sweeteners in it. (Just FYI). I'd rather give the regular kind to LO than the kind with artificial sweeteners.

penguingrrl

I'm not a fan at all. It's very high in sugar and the low sugar version has artificial sweeteners (which is something nobody in my house gets for any reason... I'm of the opinion they are far worse for your body than sugar). I'm not a breakfast person, so if my kid didn't want a big breakfast I'd just make sure they get the calories and nutrients later in the day when they are hungry. I also don't believe in adding gratuitous calories when a child is little. My ped recommends against it and firmly believes that unless there's a serious issue (which just adding calories won't help) it's more important to instill healthy eating habits and weight will even out.

KYmama9286

Up until about 2 weeks ago DS was ONLY getting carnation instant breakfast-- never just plain milk but he has a health condition that requires us to give him high calorie food at every meal. From a caloric standpoint there really isnt anything else that you can give that has quite as many calories that isnt going to make DS overly full. 8oz made with whole milk is like 280 calories! We always would give him a 4oz. bottle of it in the morning along w/ breakfast afterward. That way we knew he was getting a decent amount of calories from the CIB and we didn't have to stress as much about the calories he is getting from the other breakfast foods. DS is not a great eater, never has been and probably never will be due to his medical condition. He has been in feeding therapy since he was about 6 months old and he really is just finicky. That being said I would definitely talk to your pedi about it-- I honestly don't think its that horrible.

Our pediatric nutritionist put it this way-- kids need the calories, fats, proteins, etc. for brain development. The most important time to make sure they are getting these things are during the first 2-3 years of life when the most rapid brain development is occurring. While its obviously not the greatest option to give them foods that aren't 100% nutritious its better than them not getting enough calories (CIB is high calorie, high protein, and full of good vitamins/minerals-- yes high sugar but thats only part of it).  2 years of eating not great foods is better than 2 years of a starving kid and once they are past those crucial years you can work on improving their diet and the kinds of foods they get. This might have been told to us due to the specific situation we are in but its just something to think about.

beachgirl10

Our DS is a very active little boy and we are hard pressed to get him to sit down and eat a full meal. That being said, our pedi mentioned CIB to give to him on those days when he simply does not eat a lot because of all the running around.  Kids need a certain amount of fat, protein and vitamins to keep up their growth.

I would talk to your pedi, but in all honesty, I don't think there is anything wrong with giving him CIB every now and then. If your child is active, it isn't like the "extra" calories are going to cause him to be obese or anything because your child will run them off, especially if yours is as active as mine is.

I would rather him have  the extra calories in CIB, then run low on his daily calorie intake as a whole.