Am I being PFBish by not giving my 24 wk old ice-cream?

[Udderly]

She's only just started solids. In the past few weeks I've had to sternly decline ice-cream for her from a variety of relatives, not all of the batty variety. I wouldn't've thought ice-cream would be on the cards for a long time yet. I've had a few "1st timer" remarks. Am I a mean wicked witch to deny my DD, when is it ok?

You clearly have no connection to my mother. DD was 9 WEEKS!!! when my mum gave her a few spoons of ice cream. My mum is a retired HV and neo natal nurse, she knows babies but said she just couldn't resist!

OP YANBU your say esp when LO so young.

Actually if it's proper ice cream not horrid fake cream that I really can't see what harm a tiny bit would do, as you are already weaning.

they can have diary from 6 months and things like kids fromage frais have sugar in them.

I don't see the problem with it really, how much ice cream are we talking here? The tip of a teaspoon is all. I doubt that tiny taste is going to turn them into a raging diabetic sugar addict at the age of 40.

But then, your baby, your rules.

Do give dairy at 6 months though, lots of good stuff in dairy.

"definitely don't give babies that mr softee stuff."

Or anyone for that matter. The contents of Mr Sicky "ice-cream" have never been anywhere near a cow. It is utterly revolting and doesn't deserve to be called ice-cream.

thanks micro - its not that hard really, and i love the way he doesnt go mad for choc like some others, but some people have a real big problem with me for NOT giving him sweet things! it is weird!

breastmilk may be sweet but its a good sweet!

im not a jehovah by the way fanjo - am very much a Christian! well, a Christian who can be a bit naughty

I hate it when people bring out the PFB card!

NO I will NOT feed my baby ice-cream. She hasn't even had milk yet. Or cheese. Why would you want me to introduce her to sugar and all the possible other stuff - and by the way this child is my THIRD!

[rant]

by the way - Jehova's Witnesses are Christians. (for the record).

Totally agree with you. I had the rule that my children would not have junk food (like chocolate) until they were old enough to know what it was and to ask for it. The first time they asked, I would say yes (within reason), but I wouldn't give it to her until she explicitly expressed an interest.

DD1 got to three before she actually spotted and wanted chocolate. I had the same rule with DD2, but she only got to 10 months before she started grabbing her sister's chocolate buttons.

I remember a lot of people at the time scoffed at me for doing this, and some posters on MN told me she would be sneaking off to eat chocolate behind my back. Yet interestingly, now at almost 8, she really can take or leave her junk food. Indeed, I have even had a parent have a word with me because my DD was giving away her 'treat' in her lunch box (cake, chocolate coin etc) to swap for another child's carrots / grapes / strawberries etc. I had to have a word with her and tell her not to do this. In contrast, DD2 would do anything for chocolate - and I think that includes selling her own mother!

I know this is only anecdotal evidence, so provides no weight whatsoever, but I do strongly believe that keeping my DD1 on the natural foods for so long meant that she really does not seem to enjoy junk foods and embarrasingly, I think I most be the only mother at parties who has to tell her child not to take all the carrots! (they're her favourite food). I only wish I had that problem with DD2.

So go for it, I do think it is better... but just be aware that you're unlikely to get away with it with any subsequent children you may have.

"by the way - Jehova's Witnesses are Christians"

I know, but they don't "celebrate" Easter. They acknowledge it, but deal with it differently.

Gosh, this thread took off a little since I last checked, thanks everyone for all your responses. For what its worth, my own mother was an anti-sugar zealot when we were kids whereas my grandmother would ply us with chocolate (with the very best of intentions) and we did scoff an unreasonable amount behind her back. I must ask her if she remembers when I would have first gotten chocolate. I am so caught up in the whole healthy food for baby thing that I never considered the bad stuff and when it is appropriate to introduce it.

youngjoly - i get that too about my kids that they'll go crazy on choc...

rubbish! the ones i see crazy on choc are the ones who had it too early...

I am genuinely interested youngjoly
So do you think a sweet tooth is totally down to nurture not nature then?

I would class mine as a definite sweet tooth but yesterday I limited him to a little bit of one of the large eggs he got, I was fully expecting to be hassled all day for more. However, I explained that the amount he had had was enough and a treat and was surprised that I wasn't pestered for more.
This morning I gave him a normal large porridge breakfast and was again surprised that no chocolate was asked for even though it was on display.
he is now in bed and he has not asked for any more of his eggs.
I am genuinely surprised.

"I am genuinely interested youngjoly
So do you think a sweet tooth is totally down to nurture not nature then? "

No, I do think it is a bit of both. But there's not a lot I can do about the nature side

I do however, remember reading some research when I was pregnant which suggested that there is a strong correlation between the foods a child eats in their formative years (the study said up to three) and the amount of sugary food they eat later on in life. I have no idea whether this research was later discounted, replicated or what, and I no longer have it - it was 8 years ago that I read it! but it did influence my decision to try and avoid sugary foods in particular with my DD and it has proved to be true in my house!

Thinking back, it might not have been sugary foods per se, but more junk food. The greater exposure a child has to junk in the formative years, the more likely they are to consume it as they get older. Can't quite remember now - brain is addled!

It must be difficult for the stats not to be biased though. For example those parents who live on junk food themselves will more likely feed junk food to their under 3's. But also those same junk food parents are more likely to be serving junk food to their kids throughout their childhoods, and therefore those children will just mimic theri parents eating habits..hence eating junk at say 40!
So, in short, is it not more likely that the stats about giving 'x' type of food to under threes totally skewed? is it not more likely that children will mimic their parents eating preferences and portion sizes and therefore one parent who bans chocolate but eats it themselves is on a loser. Whereas a balanced eating parent (whether they allow chocolate or not) is on a winner?

I seem to remember it was more about palate. In the tests, they gave the children new foods they had not had before, but tested their palates to see what tastes they liked or otherwise. I think the test was done at three and then again later. Really can't remember it properly and I no longer have access to academic journals like I used to, so can't look it up frustratingly.

Yanbu, though dd kept lurching at dp's ice cream from 10 months on (blw), at which point we gave in and let her have some.

but for example, I am planning to keep mine off refined sugars now after Easter, and after a few days I know they will again taste fruit to be sweet etc. So isn't it just about forming habits?

I thought I was the worst mother in the world by giving ice cream to DS when he was over a year - YANBU to not want to give such a young baby icecream...

Possibly. I've tried googling it can't find the actual research, but this kind of supports both your points and mine...

"Preference for sweet foods
One of the contributory factors that makes change to a less energy dense diet difficult is our innate preference for sweet foods. This is already present at birth, and persists through childhood (often beyond). In contrast to adults, children do not find that a food can be too sweet, and, given a choice, will choose the most intensely sweet food available.1 This tendency for sweet food can be seen as adaptive in our history when food was scarce, particularly for
young children requiring energy to grow. Reassuringly this preference for sweet can be modified by experience. Research shows that babies who are given sweetened water from birth prefer it more at 6 months than those who have only been given water.By preschool age children given sweetened, salty or plain tofu, prefer the version with which they are familiar, and do not automatically opt for the sweet variety. These studies provide some optimism that exposing
young children to less energy dense foods may help to modify a preference for sweet flavours."

This is from the National Obesity Observatory. But in the initial study, when they went back to see what these children ate as adults, there were strong correlations to what they ate at 3, but not in older childhood. (ie, as children they tended to eat / prefer more of those foods, but then reverted back in adulthood).

Anyway, I can't debate it with you because I don't have the research. But quick googling does show that whilst babies do have an innate likeness of sugary foods, infant diets can increase / decrease that. There seems to be a lot of info on this online - just google and I found loads of studies came up!

actually considering more mums are careful about giving their kids refined sugary treats now than ever at the same time that obesity levels are rising, I would say that exercise and free play is the key.

I suppose statistically if you keep you child indoors for fear of abduction they are far far more likely to have health problems due to lack of exercise than actually be abducted! And they are far more likely to have health problems from being indoors with no sweets than from being let out to free play and eat a few sweets.

You are def not being unreasonable. Your child, your choice. Having said that, my son is 19 months old and has only ever had juice once - water all the way! My opinion is that if they are too young to ask for it, they aren't going to miss it. You do whatever you feel is right.

Totally agree with you there - I am sometimes shocked at how much my 71/2 year old eats - she can easily eat 3 weetabix with a banana on it for breakfast and still come back for more. She eats a huge amount. But she is as skinny as a rake (her reception profile put her at 75th percentile for height, 25th percentile for weight - so tall and skinny). But she does 6 hours of gymnastics a week and a further hour of ballet. When she's not doing that, she's usually out somewhere out of my hair riding her bike / at the park /wherever. She does have a mostly healthy diet, but I do give her crisps /cake/biscuits like any other child.

I agree exercise is key and so no longer worry about a few sweets, but then as she's not all that keen on them, I largely leave it to her to regulate when she wants them, and by and large she manages herself fine. but then she's odd like that--.