to be surprised at how many people give crisps to their young toddlers?

[lowrib]

I'm not a food fascist by any means, but when DS is so small (21 months) he can only eat what we give him. And too much salt is bad, right? So why would you want to give your toddler crisps? I don't get it! They have no nutritional value, and they're bad for you, right?

This week I saw my mate and her DS (21 months) and he was munching a whole bag of whotsits. And my mate yesterday gave her DS (16 months) a bag of those teddy bear crisps.

DS has had chocolate as an occasional treat when bought for him by relatives, and I let him have the crisp that was offered to him yesterday, to join in. I expect he'll have crisps at parties etc when he's a little older.

But why would you buy them regularly for such young children? I don't get it

Nothing's 'bad for you' in moderation... crisps included. You've decided chocolate is OK as an occasional treat and those mums have made the same decision about a few crisps, that's all. I really wouldn't judge.

you let your 21 month old have chocolate sometimes? Why would you do that?
What's wrong with treats like lovely fruit?

My child doesn't even know what sweets and crisps are. In fact, I have been through all his books and Tippexed out all references to sweets and crisps and replaced them with 'celery' and 'organic oatcakes'.

I'm not judging, more mystified!

A whole packet of crisps isn't really moderation for a toddler though is it? That's a whole lot of salt! And especially if it's on a regular basis.

One or two crisps would be moderation, surely?

My DS loved the Organix baby crisps, he preferred them to choclate. I decided they were fine as a treat for him, easily portable and fun for him to eat. YABU & judgey.

I don't buy chocolate for him, but well meaning relatives do on occasions like birthdays etc. I let him have it on those occasions (perhaps 5 times in his life so far) so that he's joining in.

Wotsits, teddy crisps, quavers etc often have less salt than the average slice of wholemeal bread. Do you judge bread eaters also?

Actually I was surprised at how little salt is actually in crisps (ok, they are high in salt but for example I expected ready salted crisps to have several grams in or something but there is actually more salt in some bread and things like tinned spaghetti!)

And even then it's been a little bit, to let him have a taste (like the 1 crisp he had yesterday) not a whole bar!

OP - do you let your toddler have baked beans?

Isn't a whole packet actually bad for them though?

sethstarkaddersmum I can't believe you use Tippex in the same house as a child. The smell could poison them!! :o

YABU

My DD is 2 and likes the odd pack of Walkers...she likes cheese n onion...she doesnt have them daily but they're fine! She never has chocolate but I would give it if she liked it.

Lol at Sethstarkaddersmum

I dont know any toddler who is capapble of eating a whole pack...I give mine the bag and she returns it when she's had enough...about half a bag if that.

We dont eat McDOnalds nor do we eat procssed foods and I never add salt to cooking...so she probably needs the bit of salt she gets!

salt in average slice of brown bread

salt in packet of wotsits: 0.35g

Sorry that should have said salt in av slice of brown bread 0.7g

Therefore one slice of said bread has TWICE as much salt as packet of wotsits...

rofl Panzee!

actually in reality my baby would probably get hold of it and drink the stuff and I would find him under the table with a white mouth....

because there is a whole heap of food she CAN'T eat, and crisps live in my bag as a long-life food, as well as some biscuits, smoothie pouch etc, for when we are caught on the hop and she wants food there and then.

Yes, it would indeed be stupid to feed your child ONLY wotsits and cake. But most parents are not stupid, and defining someone as stupid when you've observed them feeding one packet of wotsits is daft. If the kids eat fruit, veg, fibre, protein, fat, in a variety of ways, then it really doesn't matter.

Teaching them certain foods are evil is just as daft (and can lead to health problems) as not giving them a balanced diet...

Those teddy bear "crips" are PommesBears aren't they? I dont think they have any flavour added salt in them at all do they?

Worse to give them rice crispies for breakfast, or bread for lunch than that.

This is like the Tuc cracker thread, which ended up having "trace" in the nutritional info.

I'm more concerned about why you care enough to write a thread about it OP - I hope your life isn't too empty!

rice krispies also have more salt than Wotsits

I don't work for Mr Wotsits by the way

YABU

all things in moderation, I say.

Apart from wine. For me. Not for kids.

if only dd4 could eat wotsits

I am a bit of a food fascist in that I am not giving my DS any foods that I know cause me bowel/digestive issues yet - but I do let him have crisps, chocolate, and oat biscuits. He is 2.9 and has only once had an entire packet of crisps to himself, and that was while we were out at the park and another mother gave him a pack. I could have embarrassed her and upset him by taking it off him, but I let him get on with it - once isn't going to hurt him. Whenever he has them at home though he doesn't get a whole packet.

Haven't quite decided how old he needs to be before I let him eat the whole packet by himself...

It doesn't do to get too hung up on things too early in life, I think, unless it's a real health problem.

YANBU, crisps are crap. A bit of chocolate is OK, but crisps are a no no.

Why claig? Crisps are only potato.
Chocolate is sugar.