Cookie Crisp cereal stands in for toddler snack cookies

Here's how Heidi adjusted the serving size of her son's snack cookie:

My 2.5 year old has suddenly become a cookie fiend. I don't mind letting him have one once in a while as a special treat, but his opinion on how often he should have a cookie is vastly different than mine. It doesn't help that my son gets his cookie monstering tendencies from my husband, so we always have cookies in the house.

Now, instead of giving him a whole cookie at snack time, I keep a box of Cookie Crisp cereal in the house. I can give him 1-2 "cookies", and he's in heaven. He's also back to eating healthy things like apples and bananas as snacks because he's not constantly whining for a cookie.

It's a pretty simple hack, but it's cut the whining in my house by half. Thought I'd share.

Comments

[bob]

I don't think your cookie monster will stay satisfied with your switcheroo for long.

He'll soon realize that he's getting less than his fair share. Instead, talk to your husband about helping show that cookies are a sometimes treat.

[Jim]

Ha!

This reminds me of the times my dad used to offer me a dollar or two quarters. Being the smart chap that I was, I ALWAYS went for the two quarters (of course).

It also reminds me of another cookie story. Friends of ours were at a family gathering with their around two year old son. He was playing in the kitchen with his toy car when an aunt or uncle offered him a cookie from the pantry. Being the smart boy that he was, he started rolling his car under the pantry door and then tugging on different aunts and uncles in order to get them to open the pantry to retrieve the car. Being good relatives, they'd notice the bag of cookies and ask the little boy if he would like one. It wasn't until later, when all of the assembled adults started comparing results, that they realized that he had selectively worked each one of them.

Sometimes raising kids is like that scene in Jurassic Park where the Raptors are working together and one of the characters blurts something to the effect of "Oh my god, they're thinking!"

Run for your lives everyone.

[sleepycat]

If you live near a Trader Joe's, the cat cookies (in chocolate, vanilla, or cinnamon) are also a great alternative.

We buy the animal crackers from Costco and call them "cookies". They're farm animals and a cookie all in one, or entertaining food. What more could you ask for?

[squawks]

my 16-month old ADORES cookie crisp cereal, which we have around the house because mommy's addicted to it, i'm afraid. she wants to try whatever mommy's eating, and after one bite of the cereal, she was hooked. the problem is that there's no way she lets me stop at 1-2 cookies. no matter how many i give her (i have a hard stop at a handful) she whines, pleads and begs for more.

i think there's smack baked right in, or something. be glad you get away with just a couple.

[Carolann's Mom]

Another good thing is that by Cookie Crisp being a breakfast cereal, the ingredients try to be a little healthy with whole grains and 12 essential vitamins and minerals (got that from the ad online). Can't beat that, right?!

[Rachel]

I think this is a great idea! My two-year old has recently started asking for cookies (thanks to Grandma and Papa who let her have free reign in the pantry at their house). This is a great alternative to "real" cookies-- it's definitely a win-win. And breakfast cereal IS healthier than every cookie I've ever met!