Ice cream on holiday

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If you were on a sun holiday how often would you allow your kids have an ice cream or treat? Just curious, am having a disagreement with DH here.

An ice-cream by the pool in the afternoon and then dessert after dinner is not binging.

Daily is fine and a dessert with dinner.

This, both my son and nephew got quite podgy at 11 then became tall and thin after puberty hit.

Can you agree with DH on one ice cream a day and not making it an issue to spoil the holiday?

I wouldn't - he's an arse and would do so like an arse. Also, does he realise how lucky he is to have an 11 year old boy, who wants to read on holiday (or anytime?). Is he ripped and modelling this active/healthy holiday behaviour? How has he not noticed his child's weight before now?

I was in Cornwall on hols not long ago and the ice creams were HUGE - I love ice cream but I had to forgo them a few times as it was just too much sugar on a hot day

Ice cream once a day at least and several ice lollies to keep cool.

It would be interesting to know if the DH (and the virtuous sugar fearing killjoys on the thread) also limit their own "treats" on holiday?
I'd be telling DH the he can only have one beer or glass of wine per day and if he has two he must go without the next day to make up for it

100 %

Holidays are about relaxing and fun.

Weight issues are about the lifestyle balance at home. Holiday is not the time to start battles. It needs managable tweaks long term to restore balance.

DH is a bit perfunctory about things like food and likes value. Sometimes it's nice to enjoy an (overpriced) ice cream in the moment in a nice place rather than having to agree on a economical 4 pack from the supermarket which therefore misses the experience of lovely whippy or local ice creams in a lovely place.

Christ he sounds fun. How’s he been on holiday generallly, apart from this issue?

Enjoy your holiday and reduce portions etc when you get home. A holiday isn’t the place to start!

I wouldn’t dream of cracking open the fizz with my breakfast at home but I bloody do in the lovely hotel we’re at.

God your DH sounds like a nightmare. Telling a child off for reading by the pool. Poor DS. I agree handle the weight issues once home and very gently and sensitively. In families who make weight an 'issue' it can lead to EDs.

Depending on a kid's age, at around 200 calories, one 100g serving of ice cream could be a big part of their calorie needs for the day. More with Flakes, etc. It sounds like your husband may be concerned, not about spoiling the kids, but the risk of them getting obese. Is this already an issue between you? Are they on the chubby side already?

I was thinking the same.

@Mongrelsrbeautiful it's true about the reading, many parents would be moaning their kids never do. He is on a screen a bit too but mostly animating, he is working on a project. Dh is quite fit in fairness, he goes for a run most days.

We were both aware of Ds weight gain and talked about it a few times since Christmas but he went from a roundy belly to a roll of fat recently, I thought we had been encouraging healthy eating since becoming aware but obviously we missed something. I genuinely feel ashamed of allowing a problem develop, I'm not in denial and I understand the importance of addressing it.

Also the siblings are an issue. Do I tell them they also can't have ice cream? I'm not going to say no DS you can't but they can cos you are the only fat kid.

Seriously OP, park it til you get home (but if they're getting huge sundaes maybe try limit them a little for everyone). You'll create a much bigger and more damaging issue if you make an issue of his weight, and he's old enough that he'll understand what you're doing if you suddenly start changing the rules about ice-cream on holiday.

That’s not what OP said. She said
” I admit yesterday's ice cream was huge, far too big for kids but I thought what the hell, we just won't go to that place again.”

At most, once a day

If all the kids have an ice cream that’s “far too big” (your own words), I think it’s ok to say no to a second one. If your 11 year old has a “bottomless belly” (again what you said), he needs to eat protein not sugar.

@SeeSeeRider yes I think he is genuinely concerned about obesity. I'm a bit overweight and have struggled my whole life, my sister is morbidly obese. I think he feels my background has influenced my judgment, sadly i think he might be right and i admitted this recently to him and that was hard for me to accept. I cook every bloody day, no takeaways, lots of nutrients etc and i always prided myself on raising a healthy family unlike my parents did. Now I think portion sizes are the issue, maybe a blind spot. My other DC are slim, one is sporty and muscly, one is very thin.

I’m currently on holiday with two kids aged 2 & 5, I think they’re basically 98% ice cream at this point in time. Your DH sounds like a right miserable git, it’s a holiday, are they not supposed to be fun?

It doesn’t have to be an issue.

“No, we’re not having an ice cream now.”

Done 🤷‍♀️

1 a day - you are on holiday!

During hot weather i give the kids small ice-creams as afternoon snacks. On holiday they'd probably get it twice a day.

Is your dh drinking more alcohol on holiday, because surely ice cream is the dc equivalent of booze.
I’m normally very judgy about parents of overweight dc but don’t spoil his holiday for the odd ice cream.

Try not to beat yourself up. Your DH sounds obsessive. But getting fat at a young age isn’t good.
Once you get home you can cut portions down, add more veg etc to bulk the plates up. Maybe get him moving a bit more, a run with DH or some sport he enjoys. It’s not irreversible, especially at 11. Perhaps even on holiday there are activities they can do together?
Some personalities enjoy more sedentary activity and of course they will get fat on the same portions as the types always on the go.