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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to not want my baby to be given chocolate?

55 replies

MatchsticksForMyEyes · 28/03/2011 12:24

My Grandma broke off a bit of chocolate and was about to give it to my 10mth old. I told her he wasn't to have any and she was a bit Confused

He isn't my first, so it isn't me being pfb I think, but it was clearly a mystery to her as to why I wouldn't let him have any.

OP posts:
bubbleymummy · 28/03/2011 15:32

Well said hiphop :)

Pinkglow · 28/03/2011 15:33

I don't really see the harm in it TBH I think of ppl dont want their babies to have chocolate then it helps if they give an alternative. My friends baby loves grapes so she asked her PIL to buy those if they wanted to buy a treat which they do.

My mum did once buy my son a massive bag of chocolate buttons which I then enjoyed very much while sitting in front of the TV one evening. I just had a quiet word and if she buys him any now she buys those small animal chocolate, its the only time my son ever has any which isn't often.

Ragwort · 28/03/2011 15:36

Totally agree with squeakytoy - can't belive how worked up some of you get over a little bit of chocolate - and a 10 month old baby is hardly a 10 day old baby. Some of you really need to lighten up Smile.

bubbleymummy · 28/03/2011 15:40

Why should we lighten up? What harm does NOT giving your child chocolate, crisps and sweets at an early age do? Seriously? Why give it to them if they don't need it or even want it because they have no idea what it is?

ChunkyPickle · 28/03/2011 15:56

Totally agree with the moderates on here.

Sure, don't give your kid chocolate if you like, but don't fool yourself that there's something extra awful about people who do.

Bananas are extra radioactive, apples are full of sugar, breadsticks are refined white flour, we can find something bad to say about almost any food so why on earth demonize chocolate.

bubbleymummy · 28/03/2011 16:04

Maybe because it's full of sugar and fat and doesn't exactly provide any essential vitamins and minerals...unless you're giving 70%+ cocoa and even then... Fruit sugars are different and are processed by the body differently. You can also get wholewheat and spelt breadsticks Wink

HipHopopotomus · 28/03/2011 16:26

I'm totally 'lightened up' and really I don't care a tot if you want to give your baby sweets - that's your responsibility and you clearly can live with it.so good on you.

Totally bamboozled as to why anyone would care so much as to why I don't want my babies having them, let alone judging me as anxious, neurotic and ridiculously precious for not wanting them experiencing junk food at such a tender age????

annababy · 28/03/2011 16:33

Squeakytoy-what a ridiculous post.
If I choose to not give my dts sweets or chocolate while they are babies that doesn't make me or anyone else neurotic.
I think we realise they will have sweets soon enough,but I am not going to encourage it while they are not even old enough to ask for them.

controlpantsandgladrags · 28/03/2011 16:45

No YANBU.......up to you what your baby eats. I didn't give either of mine chocolate/cake etc until they were past one. Despite MIL's attempts to give DD1 a chocolate button at the age of 3 months....."it'll just melt on her tongue" apparently Confused Hmm

whatsallthehullaballoo · 28/03/2011 16:46

YANBU - but just want to clarify to those that say 'no one needs chocolate'

I NEED IT Smile

lesley33 · 28/03/2011 16:51

Normally I am posting saying lighten up - its not a big deal. But I didn't give my babies chocolate or sugar. It isn't because I think they are evil. I just figured that sweet things aren't that good for you, so why give them when you don't need to.

RevoltingPeasant · 28/03/2011 16:58

squeaky, genuine question.... Surely the grandparents of 30 and 40 somethings HAVE raised a generation of people with massive obesity problems, heart disease, etc? Confused

Seriously, not being smart, but I see this all the time on here about 'Your DPs raised you, you're all fine' but actually Gen-Xers and younger, i.e. about 45yos and under are the people with a blossoming health crisis no?

theresapotatoundermysink · 28/03/2011 17:02

My mother has given DD crisps on several occasions. Although a bit annoyed, i figure once in a while won't do her any harm and she's probably forgotten all about crisps by now.

Saying this, I can completely understand why somebody would be cross about it. It is completely up to the parent to say no to crisps, choc and sweets until the child is older. They have this right and shouldn't have to explain themselves or be labelled neurotic.

thesurgeonsmate · 28/03/2011 17:10

I think in my family this one is probably past praying for, but I do shriek, "but no honey!" on a regular basis. Seems to me that if it would occur to them to offer chocolate to a baby who officially doesn't eat sugar, it might occur to them to offer honey, don't know whether this was in the rules when grannys were mummies or not?

usualsuspect · 28/03/2011 17:14

No chocolate,no touching,no late bedtimes,no new clothes

anything else this grandma should know Wink and then ignore Grin

redstripeyelephant · 28/03/2011 17:22

No point giving kids chocolate until they are old enough to understand the concept of bribery imo Grin

redstripeyelephant · 28/03/2011 17:22

No point giving kids chocolate until they are old enough to understand the concept of bribery imo Grin

valiumredhead · 28/03/2011 17:28

I came into our front room and caught my dad giving my ds who was 4 months ( but 8 weeks prem, so effectively a 2 month old baby) some of his chocolate cake on the end of his finger!!!!!!!!!!!! Shock Ds was sucking his finger like there was no tomorrow Grin

I was SO horrified, as soon as dad had gone I whipped ds up to see the nurse at the clinic - she told me to calm down and told me ds would live. And he did Wink

Pompoko · 28/03/2011 17:45

The thoughts of a baby given chocolate "oh, thats yummy!" 5 mins later "mmmmm my foot tastes yummy!" next day "ohhh shiney things"
My point being they wont think about getting more choc and proberly forgoten about it within an hour.
Chocolate is a nice experiance for them. A little wont rot their teeth or do any form of harm
Yes they dont need choc, but adults eat it because its yummy why cant we share this with babys and toddlers

ChunkyPickle · 28/03/2011 18:14

Fruit sugars are indeed processed by the body differently (hence all the kerfuffle over cornsyrup and its part in obesity) - but I thought one of the reasons people are against giving children chocolate was so they didn't get used to sugary snacks?

All Dried fruit, and a lot of normal fruit tastes very sweet in comparison to chocolate, so by that reasoning there should be no raisins, no grapes etc. yet these are deemed 'healthy' (like oat bars.. have you read the side of the packet of one of those!)

Of course it's your baby, and if you want to feed it on raw carrot and broccoli then go for it, but my baby likes a bit of chocolate, icecream or cake everynow or then (just as I do) and as part of a normal diet that is totally acceptable.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 28/03/2011 18:17

I hope you punched her.

ChunkyPickle · 28/03/2011 18:17

One last thing (as Columbo would say) I keep reading about people giving their children ricecakes and babyrice - neither of which are exactly choc full of vitamins (well, unless they add them),plus rice is a high GI food, and pretty much all carb.

If we're going to cut out pointless food there's plenty more than chocolate (which at least tastes good).

pommedeterre · 28/03/2011 18:29

Think YABU and a bit yawn really.
Really won't do any harm.

TidyDancer · 28/03/2011 18:46

I think YABU. It's just a bit of chocolate, it's not like she was jacking him up with it in drip form. Poor Grandma. If it was all the time, I might agree with you, but it's a one off. It really won't harm him on the odd occasion.

reelingintheyears · 28/03/2011 19:02

A bit of chocolate won't kill them....no one thinks they should be eating deep fried Mars bars for breakfast.

Why alienate GPs when all they are doing is being kind.

Get over it.