Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

when did you let your child first eat chocolate/anything with added sugar?

78 replies

Lelophants · 08/08/2020 19:44

We're nowhere near going to (he's 9 months) but made me wonder. DH just said when would it ever feel right to let a small child consume empty calorie sugar? I agree it sounds ridiculous but I was never allowed anything sweet as a kid and it made me obsessed with it as a teenager onwards.

My main concern is because we eat it! Just the occasional thing, but still. Doesn't seem fair if we do and never let him have any. Maybe we should stop? 😳

I thought tiny taste age 2 or 3 and then very occasional stuff after that.

OP posts:
Findahouse21 · 08/08/2020 19:45

7 months.

Mustbethewine · 08/08/2020 19:47

Around 6-7 months old after we'd started weaning.

INeedNewShoes · 08/08/2020 19:51

DD is 3 and hasn't tried any actual sweets yet but has had little tastes of chocolate here and there. First instance of that was at about 20m when a friend gave her a chocolate advent calendar.

I bake a lot so DD has had cakes/scones with jam/biscuits from being around 18m.

She sometimes has ice cream for pudding in summer.

If someone offered her a sweet now I'd be happy for her to have one or two but we are a million miles off me giving her a whole packet just because I don't eat them so it's not on my radar to buy them for her.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Families General food
IHaveBrilloHair · 08/08/2020 19:53

A cupcake at a birthday party at 6 months, I have the photo of it somewhere, the carpet got most of it but she had a good go Grin

NothingIsWrong · 08/08/2020 19:54

About a year for number 1. Probably 8mo for number 2

Number 3 was fed ice cream by number 2 at 8 weeks 🤷‍♀️

Spam88 · 08/08/2020 19:55

Not quite 2.5.

HarryHarry · 08/08/2020 19:55

I think my son was just under a year when he had some chocolate cake at a birthday party. He is nearly 2.5 now and he has a little bit every now and then - a few spoonfuls of ice cream in a restaurant or on holiday, a couple of cookies if I’ve been baking, etc. I don’t see the harm.

LBOCS2 · 08/08/2020 19:56
  • About a year for number 1. Probably 8mo for number 2

Number 3 was fed ice cream by number 2 at 8 weeks* 🤷‍♀️

Almost exactly this 😁

Hyggemama · 08/08/2020 19:56

My 1 year old finished off my magnum today Grin We have let him taste sugary things from about 8 months but he is our second born and we are a lot more relaxed than with our first child. Like you, I was deprived of sugary sweetness in my childhood and really struggle with my cravings now. My partner grew up having more refined sugar and yet as an adult he can take or leave it without the emotional turmoil I go through. I dont know if it's because of childhood or just that I have a sweet tooth and he doesn't. I'd do whatever you feel comfortable with.

OverTheRainbow88 · 08/08/2020 20:00

I guess it depends on whether you use child care settings or not. They tend to give puddings at nursery. My first was probably around 2, and now had the odd bit of choc or if hot an icecream- he nearly 4 now. It was hard when he started pre school as kids would bring in choc//sweets for their bdays and hand it out. My youngest is 18 months and had his first ginger bread man (person!!!!) biscuit today ( was a tiny one in a packet).

netflixismysidehustle · 08/08/2020 20:00

He had a bit of cake on his real birthday. (Real cake not healthy cake) and might have had a little at Easter. As he's the oldest child he probably didn't have it until Xmas
He potty trained at just 2 and I definitely used chocolate then.

With subsequent kids it went a bit wonky. Child 2 has a Spring birthday so probably Easter the following year so about 12 months. She would have probably had a bit between 12m and Cmas because her older brother wasn't having some.

InglouriousBasterd · 08/08/2020 20:00

DD just had a bit of everything so nothing was ‘bad’ - I think ice cream at about 9 months on holiday?

PineappleUpsideDownCake · 08/08/2020 20:02

Mine were breastfed which is very sweet isnt it? Soooo from birth?!

Allthepinkunicorns · 08/08/2020 20:02

We gave ds a bit of birthday cake for his first birthday and he didn't like it. Mil had been giving him chocolate buttons before without us knowing.

Megan2018 · 08/08/2020 20:03

About 7/8 months. She has teeny tastes of cake and chocolate etc when I have it.
I don’t serve it as part of her meal but a bit of cake, spoon of ice cream etc is fine with me.
She will get a proper slice of cake (small) on birthday though.

Whathappenedtothelego · 08/08/2020 20:04

Dd1 I can't remember with chocolate - I know she was over two years old for sweets though, and then they weren't given by me.
I don't think I particularly restricted things like biscuits or ice cream though, so she likely had at least tastes of them from about 7 months or so.
I bought a lot of baby food and baby snacks with Dd1, so she had a lot of puréed fruit pouches, which I'm sure actually have plenty of sugar.

Dd2 I fed the same food as the rest of the family from the start of weaning, and never bought jars or snacks aimed at babies.
I would still have avoided sweets as much as possible though (still do).

TinySleepThief · 08/08/2020 20:04

Last week at almost 8 months. He grabbed hold of a piece of chocolate cake at a birthday meal and I didn't have the heart to stop him. He had a throughly enjoyable time, some pictures were taken of his chocolate covered face for prosperity and then we carried on with our day. He's still a vegetable loving monster and no worse for wear for indulging. Although despite him being my first I'm acutely aware that many others would not be so laid back.

rottiemum88 · 08/08/2020 20:06

Around 12 months I think. Grandparents bought DS chocolate coins for Christmas... DH ate the majority but gave him one or two. We've still never bought him any ourselves, but he's had odd bits bought by family for his birthday, Easter etc which we let him have bits of every now and again spread out. He's also tried the occasionally piece of cake/biscuit/ice cream when we've been eating some and enjoyed it, but mostly his desserts are just yogurt or fruit, which he's happy with

OakleyStreetisnotinChelsea · 08/08/2020 20:07

Number 1 child bloody ages. Number 3 child had definitely had his fair share of biscuits by 9 months! No difference in their attitudes towards food, health of teeth, and so on.

phoenixrosehere · 08/08/2020 20:08

Around 2 with both of my boys. I’m not big on chocolate and husband has it once in awhile. I didn’t really see the point of going out of the way to give them something they don’t exactly need and that we don’t really eat in the first place just to “fit in” when there are other healthier alternatives that are sweet too.

My main concern is because we eat it! Just the occasional thing, but still. Doesn't seem fair if we do and never let him have any. Maybe we should stop?

He’s a baby. Don’t think fairness means anything at this stage and you’re his parents. It’s part of parenting to decide what kind of food and lifestyle you want your children to have. Would you say the same if it was Cola?

tigger001 · 08/08/2020 20:13

We gave our son sugary stuff just recently so about 2.5years. He just didn't need or ask for it, he's just 3 now and isn't really that fussed by it.

It was really quite strange how my family became obsessed with when he was going to have chocolate, as if they just couldn't wait to shove an ice cream or some form of chocolate at him, it wasn't an issue for us and a bit of a hang up for them

He's still not fussed, but yet they still insist on buying him crap that he has one lick or bite of ,then disgards.

We didn't have any as babies and we didn't go mad when we could.

RedCatBlueCat · 08/08/2020 20:16

Anything with added sugar? About 7 months for homemade crumble and custard sort of puddings. He was a scrawny little thing, and we put as many calories in him as we could.
Actual chocolate or sweets? Probably chocolate at Easter at 11 months. Sweets at whatever age they started coming home in party bags. No idea what age. They arent something we have in the house.

Camomila · 08/08/2020 20:17

DS1 had a rich tea biscuit at 9m (my dad gave it to him and I told him off, tbf I was more worried about allergies than sugar) Was allowed occasional cake or ice cream from his first birthday, nearer to 2 for chocolate, and 2 or 3 for sweets (because of the choking aspect).

DS2 is 6.5m and has had a bit of adult strawberry flavour greek yoghurt. I wouldn't give it to him at home but we were at mums house and she didn't have plain yoghurt in.

Original poster
Lelophants · 08/08/2020 20:19

Oh wow some of these are so young! I'm so worried about his teeth as they're so new and little.

OP posts:
weepingwillow22 · 08/08/2020 20:19

My 9 month old has not had chocolate yet but has had some hot cross bun and a few licks of my ice cream and ice lollies.