opinions on giving sweets to children

big bear

A bear on a mission!
Ok my son is 19mths old & we give him like mini bars/buttons maybe every other day. Is this too much?

He eats lots of fruit/veg a day & yoghurts. I always make sure he brushes his teeth every night too.

I think he's maybe having too much my H disagrees, can I have ur opinions please??
 
hmm its a tough one. i'm a chocoholic and i don't want my children to get my habit so i limit it to once or twice i week but i don't think it becomes a issues till it becomes a habit also try never to use it as a reward just a food he has cause so may people reward themselves with chocolate cause there parents did.
and also don't give it him when u r with him at the shop cause it may cause temper trantrums later
my daugther is 8 and she rarely had chocolate and never on way home from shop and shes great with it never asks for it and never once had a trantrum for it.
my son on the other hand is 22 months he doesn't get chocolate often but when he does it sometimes on way home from shop cause thats when i eat mine (helps with sw) so sometimes he asks for it at shop and has trantrums so now i'm trying not to buy it when hes there.
 
When we were kids we never ever got choc/crisps, my mum never bought them. I always remember other kids had them in their lunch boxes & we didn't. I think what happened was when we were old enough to buy our own we did & over indulged.

I just want to do whats best for him. He has it after his dinner but not every day.
 
i let my girls have choc/crisps as i dont want them to end up like me and i think just like u said if u dont allow them then when they get older they could over do them and end up with a prob i think as long as they eat there meals pleanty veg and fruit and they brush teeth then there is no harm :)
 
I think it's a question of balance. If you're happy about the amount of fruit, veg, protein, dairy, carbs and good fats he's getting, then a teeny bag of magic stars every other day won't hurt. My ds (almost 3) rarely had chocolate until he turned 2, then for some reason I started letting him have it more often. When he started potty training, we gave him 'special chocolate' to encourage poos on the potty (he would do it on the floor!) and he still asks now when he poos! He doesn't have it every day, but probably 4 or 5 days out of 7, and only a fun-size type amount :)
 
I would never buy my children sweets but would let other people, eg grandparents & dad buy them. Then I'd limit the amount they had at one time. The same went for crisps & biscuits, they were only allowed 1 pkt crisps per day & 4 biscuits. And never any sweets if they hadn't eaten their meal.

Now they have healthy eating habits & if hungry will eat a meal and both don't over indulge in sweet stuff.

Also they were only allowed McD's & KFC on special occassions eg birthday tea. On friday it was Nathan's 20th birthday & he chose KFC as his birthday tea:D the last time we had KFC was probably last year:eek:

I think the amount you are giving him is fine, don't worry too much about it, moderation is the key & a healthy balanced diet.
 
I agree with everyone else, its all about balance. My 7 year old and 2 year old do have chocolate and sweets but in moderation. They often get then bought by Grandparents and they go in a tin in the cupboard. Once they have eaten all their tea then they are normally allowed to eat a packet. I honestly dont mind becuase they snack on fruit, veg and yoghurts and are active children. I sometimes think if you deprive them then thats when they want more of it.

xx
 
I have to agree with the others Hun. Moderation is definitely the key.
My Daughter is allowed sweets. She doesnt have them every day though. We have a tin on the side of the kitchen that is brimming with sweets that she has been given from relatives friends etc and she can reach it. She has to ask for sweets though as I dont belive in her helping herself. As it is there as a constant reminder, she isnt bothered by it at all and would rather have ab yoghurt or a piece of fruit. We have even got to the stage where if she is given a tube of sweets, she will eat some and "leave the rest" for another day. :)
 
As has been said all things in moderation.

As kids, 5 of us, my dad used to leave us 1 sweetie each, each day and that was it for the day.

As an adult I do not have a sweet tooth.
 
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