My son is a big boy now. Did I tell you that we walk down the street together now? I’m still disappointed that the crowds don’t part in waves of applause. First walking, then an umbrella stroller (okay, we’ve only rolled in it twice: who can stand the heartbreak of forward-facing out?) and now cereal.
We’re getting ready for our transition to toddler room, and that means breakfast will no longer be held for his arrival. I want something so that he can fit in with his peers, a snack that won’t ferment in my purse and one that I can finally fill his Snack-Trap-y thing with. Since he exhibits no cereal preference, we try a new one every few weeks. (At least until I can distract him from the toddler-height merchandised box with the bright, smiley koala).
Everything from Barbara’s Bakery has been a winner, including the Cheerios alternative superstar, Organic Breakfast Oh’s (low-sodium whole grains, lightly sweetened with fruit juice). But, frankly they’re too small for my slow fingers to snatch up before they become a fine, stamped-upon dust. Enter Nature’s Path Organic Kamut Puffs. These babies are delicious: a tiny bit naturally sweet and nutty, no added ingredients, crunchy and a fun oversize grain.
What’s Kamut? It’s related to durum wheat, so it still contains gluten, but is much less refined and with more protein. It includes the bran, germ and endosperm of the entire grain, preserving vitamins, minerals, fibre and photochemicals. And it’s missing all of the usual cereal junk: sodium, sugar, over 50 calories, etc.
Definitely not nutritious enough as a meal substitute, but perfect as a not-too-filling tide-over until I can feed him something proper. Maybe.
The bad news: there’s no koala on the front, so this may be a time-sensitive, limited appeal sort of cereal. But it does only cost $2.69 at my grocery. And it’s from a Canadian mom-and-pop brand. Brilliant!
—Melissa, CF’s lifestyle editor
PS: There’s a great round-up with nutritional analysis of organic kids cereals in our next issue. And if you have any tips for toddlers who won’t drink milk, please let me know!
There’s a lot of news recently suggesting a 
