What is a normal amount of sweets for a child to eat

[avocadoze]

Since lockdown, the kids haven’t been to the shops. We’re rural, so if they want to go to the nearest shop it’s a 4-mile round trip. Before lockdown they’d sometimes do this to get a small packet of sweets or a bar of chocolate.

Because they’re not going out themselves, I’ve agreed to get them what they want from the supermarket when I go once per week. My 9yo just wants one of those small packets of fizzy laces, the sort which are 3 for £1, but the 12yo and 14yo are asking for either a large bar of chocolate or three of the bags of sweets, or something like one of those large bags of revels or m and ms. They then get through this in a couple of days.

I don’t know what’s normal - I’m fairly alarmed at the quantity of stuff the 14yo can get through, and the idea he can consume a large bar of chocolate in one or two sittings. Is this normal? How much sweets and chocolate do your kids get through in a week?

I would say 1 small bar of chocolate is fine, could you buy one of them for your ds instead?

For the older ones I would say one big bar of chocolate a week is okay. And tbh whether they eat it all at once or a bit every day doesn’t really matter aslong as that’s all they have all week. Similarly one big bag of M&Ms or similar per week seems reasonable. I would guess if they were used to calling for their own sweets on the way home from school or whenever then they’d be eating a lot more than that

I don't think that your teens are eating a lot of sugar, I'd say at their ages they could have a couple of family bags a week quite easily - but only within the context of an otherwise healthy diet & plenty of exercise. They should be burning through calories so fast as teens, mine certainly are!

If they don't exercise or they eat lots of biscuits, crisps & other empty calories then I wouldn't buy anything other than a pack of laces each. And I'd have a serious talk about long term implications of a lifestyle like that.

I don't think a large bar of chocolate is too much over a week for teenagers, especially if they're normal weight and active, and it's not ruining their appetite for proper food. I could eat that much at 14 without any consequences, but not anymore. I'd let them enjoy it while it lasts...