Comments on: Some Follow-Up Thoughts on Fruity Cheerios and Branding Our Kids

By: TJP

TJP — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 21:10:26 +0000

We put cereal in plastic containers. We buy what Jim Gaffigan refers to as “homeless cereal” (i.e., in a bag). There was some type of cereal my son wanted and there was a bag choice that looks the same. I bought the name brand and mixed it with the generic. There can be a difference in taste.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:44:56 +0000

Wanted to leave a brief comment (however late it is) that I tried this experiment with my son when he was younger and it still rings true today. He went to the store with me, picking out his breakfast items, whatever it may be (pop tarts, cereal) he had a certain amount of $$ he could spend and when it was gone it was gone…..if he wanted to buy the expensive brands of pop tarts, ceareal, then that was his choice…..it was to teach him the value of a dollar…..

By: Ibod Catooga

Ibod Catooga — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 02:38:22 +0000

Not allowing Fruity Cheerios is child abusement!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 02:20:19 +0000

Freedom of choice for a toddler? Hogwash; to some extent anyway.

I regularly take my children shopping with me (ages 10 and 7) and have done so for years. I have explained to them, that those brightly coloured packages, and brighly coloured cereals are full of all sorts of ingredients which will eventually make them very sick.

I explained to them that the companies who advertised and sold this stuff just wanted their money, and didn’t care about their health. [Cheerios contain tri-sodium phospate which is a commercial cleaning agent]

I also showed them the generic versions and told them that the extra money they paid for the name brands was just for pretty packaging, and that when we bought generic, then extra money was available for outings and treats.

Further to this unbrainwashing that I do, I then give them a choice between 3 or 4 cererals that I have predetermined to be the healthiest choices. This allows them to have some input into their breakfasts while keeping the reins of control right where they belong, in the hands of the parent.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 02:15:31 +0000

Freedom of choice for a toddler? Hogwash; to some extent anyway.

By: Treva

Treva — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:42:26 +0000

A couple years back my daughter wanted to buy some Dora cereal just b/c it was Dora. I consented b/c it was only $1/box and claimed to have less sugar than other kids cereal. She tried it and DIDN’T LIKE IT. The next time we were at the store and she asked for it, I reminded her that she didn’t like it the last time and no I wouldn’t buy it anymore.

So what would I have done when the cereal wasn’t on sale anymore and she did like it? The same argument I give her when I don’t buy something for myself — I’ll have it wait until it’s on sale and I have a coupon. I’ve been using this argument for some time and at age 4 it’s working to my benefit. We go down the cereal aisle and she says, “Mommy, what cereal is on sale this week?” Then I tell her. Then she says, “Do we coupons? Can I help you find the cereal?” I show her the coupons which often have pictures and she matches the pictures to help me.

Is this system perfect? Of course not. She still wants some things that I simply won’t buy b/c they are unhealthy or cost too much without the sale/coupon combo. But the moments pass quickly b/c I rarely make a purchase for myself that doesn’t meet those same standards.

By: Lenore

Lenore — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:07:23 +0000

Not buying the most expensive brands? Sounds like Socialism! Oh wait, maybe we could use a little of that. LOL

By: Sally

Sally — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:44:13 +0000

Is your son old enough to understand a “blind taste test”? (Think “Pepsi Challenge.”) You could make it a game to see which tastes better (or if they taste the same.)

Also, sometimes brands matter. It’s easy to choose the generic when they are essentially the same. But your son might get more joy out of the one “branded” toy versus four “unbranded” toy.

BTW – I think adults are just as bad as kids with branding. I know a lot of smart people who would reach for the name brand without thinking.

By: Denise

Denise — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:24:26 +0000

Give them oatmeal during the week and pancakes, eggs and the like on the weekend. I was brought up this way and so was my daughter. When she asked for sugar cereal, like she had at a friend’s house, I simply told her that we dont eat that. Now that she is a teenager, she occasionally buys herself sugar cereal from her allowance or her work money. Usually, she considers it not worth it.

By: Kristen Mary

Kristen Mary — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:16:50 +0000

As a new mother I thought this topic was SO interesting! You have a lot of good points. When you wrote this:

“showing him how much further his money stretches if he avoids the branded items: “You have enough change to only get one of the Cars toys, but you can get four of these other cars for the same price!” ”

I thought that it was the perfect course of action, and it is that kind of critical thinking that will really be a tool for him in the future, and it is going to stick with your child even if he doesn’t always make the same choices that you do.

By: carrie

carrie — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:09:19 +0000

funny discussion ~ I’ve found “cheap” brands to be healthy, my kid is not obsessed with characters on tv or foods, he eats what I tell him…I tell him this is for lunch, sometimes there is a choice and sometimes not and he asks me for healthy snacks and foods. We’re not control freaks, we’re frugal and we LIMIT the tv he watches. I also grew up in a household where everything was too much money and we never had enough (we actually did) and we are teaching our son about how we chooce to spend our money, not that we can’t affrod it.

Allowing choices on everything can lead to a spolied, unappreciative child. I completely agree with post #24 I don’t get this not lying to your child stuff. Parents tell white lies all the time but not to hurt the child.

By: Renee

Renee — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 20:16:15 +0000

I don’t get this not lying to your child stuff. Parents tell white lies all the time but not to hurt the child. You lie when you tell him Santa is coming, you surreptitiously add veggies to brownies to add nutrition to a snack and you lie to get them to go to the dentist and tell them it won’t hurt. You, no doubt, were also handed a bunch or little white lies by your own parents -do you resent them for it? Probably not as you now understand that they were for your own good and not meant to hurt or deceive you.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:10:27 +0000

I find it sort of funny your using Cereal as your example of brand treatments. I personally hate the taste of most generic cereals and notice a clear difference between General Mills & Grocery store brand. (In particular their ability to get soggy faster)

If I can’t find my favorite cereal on sale for the week I buy a box of Corn Flakes (Brand name version!) for $2.00, but there is no way I will ever eat generic cereals again.

For most things you could swap out the brand and I wouldn’t notice, but cereal is a no way.

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:38:09 +0000

P.S. I’d be curious to see if he liked the cereal just as much if you put the empty box on the table and poured the generic from the bag. My guess is yes, based on your original post.

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:33:54 +0000

In your original post on this, you made it clear that what your son liked about the cereal was the red box. It doesn’t sound like he cares about brands, it just sounds like he liked the brightly-colored box on the table. So I don’t think what you did was dishonest — he saw you put the cereal from the bag in the box.

By: Mrs. Smith

Mrs. Smith — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:02:34 +0000

Wouldn’t it be fun for you and your son to make up decorations for your new clear boxes? He could make up his own “name-brand” cereal with his name! I bet that would be fun.

By: Kristen at The Frugal Girl

Kristen at The Frugal Girl — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:53:17 +0000

I buy whatever cereal meets my “cheapness” standards($2 or less per largish box), and if my kids don’t like it, they don’t have to eat it, but I don’t offer other choices. They seem to be surviving this just fine. They eat a wide variety of cereals, because the type of cereal that’s cheap enough varies greatly. Sometimes, we have mostly Cheerios, sometimes there’s Golden Grahams, sometimes there’s off-brand mini-wheats, and so on.

Getting kids used to eating whatever is cheaply available saves money at every meal, not just breakfast.

By: mary

mary — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:06:19 +0000

Overall the brand recognition issue is connected to media exposure. I decided early on that the media wasn’t going to influence my children’s choices, so I eliminated TV. We used the TV to watch VHS tapes and DVD’s; no cable, no satellite, no advertising and another way to save! (Trent, the word spurned means rejected, I think you might mean spurred or started.)

By: Courtney

Courtney — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:05:32 +0000

I read your first posting about this with great interest, as I have a nine month old, and I know one day, probably very, very soon, I will be facing this same issue. I’m not sure yet how I’m going to handle it, but it’s interesting to hear your experiences and your solutions.

By: Amber C

Amber C — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:58:58 +0000

About giving kids a choice – when my son was 6 or 7 (he is now a college freshman), I asked what he would like for breakfast he responded that he would like ice cream but he guessed he would settle for cereal. I let him have his ice cream that morning and from then on I would ask if he wanted cereal or toast.