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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that my 22 week year old should not have chocolate?!

130 replies

natwebb79 · 08/04/2012 10:47

Just had my dad and step-mum round and they had bought my 22 week old DS an Easter egg. They looked at me like I was some controlling precious psychopath when I said he can't have chocolate yet! Poor little mite only started on mashed carrot last week Ffs!

OP posts:
GinPalace · 08/04/2012 15:56

Fred I see what you are saying. Treat = bad food = only eat at special times therefore almost taboo unless you are being rewarded type-thing.

To me it is more, Treat = eat occasionally, as not staple food = eat if you fancy it.

Pleased to know I have a non-dysfunctional relationship with food, but I love all food anyway but some types I eat more than others. - disclaimer - chocolate is not something I eat more than other food but I do like the occasional piece of I am in the mood. [bugrin]

catsareevil · 08/04/2012 15:57

FredFredGeorge

Delaying the introduction of chocolate to a baby doesnt mean that you have a dysfunctional attitude to food or necessarily think chocolate is too 'nice' and to be saved for special occassions, just that some people wean in a way where they introduce different foods when they think appropriate.

I delayed giving my children gluten, nuts and eggs as well as chocolate. It wasnt because I thought they were for special occassions, but because of the evidence available at the time.

GinPalace · 08/04/2012 15:58

Yes agree with cats don't think Freds comments are particularly pertinent to the 22wo. :)

FredFredGeorge · 08/04/2012 16:24

GinPalace I wasn't commenting on the original AIBU - I'd've said YANBU, no reason to feed a 22wk old anything, no reason to feed them chocolate, no reason to give them treats, you choose what you give them etc. all the same things I'd say have been covered by others.

It's more about the general tone of the responses about how chocolate is being presented, chocolate is fine to eat - but don't eat it all the time. Just like just about every other food, wrapping it up as a treat or a reward is more likely to cause a problem. Although less likely in a baby of 22wks than a 2 or 3 year old I suspect.

I personally do think that chocolate is a food that will be triggered as attractive with certain forms of hunger, "bad" foods often are, because the foods that are now thought of as bad are very rich in calories, and hunger is a very basic need that is not aware that there's now a massive abundance of food so no need to worry if you're a bit peckish. But I still don't think anyone would eat anything like as much as they do if they didn't associate it with rewards and treats.

GinPalace · 08/04/2012 16:29

fred think you are probably right - people have a wide variety of approaches to food and the modern lifestyle / food abundance doesn't necessarily help keep things in balance.

GwendolineMaryMagdaleneLacey · 08/04/2012 16:33

My dd2 is 12 weeks old and I've she's been given two eggs today.

PineappleBed · 08/04/2012 16:43

YANBU

When I was two-ish my mum hadn't given me any chocolate yet and my great aunt was so affronted she went and bought sweets and forced them on me.

Your baby, your rules. My 5 month old hasn't had any (although she's not weaning yet anyway but even so in the first few weeks it won't be chocolate!)

Ignore them you're fine!

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 08/04/2012 18:05

I do agree that it is up to the OP whether-when she gives her child chocolate, but I do think she could have been more tactful about the issue. She could have accepted it and said she'd keep it for later.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 08/04/2012 18:08

Sorry - that should have said '..whether/when...' - blame fat fingers plus smartphone issue! [bublush]

SuperSlattern · 08/04/2012 18:11

YABU - my 7 mo DD didn't get any eggs [buenvy] so I'll have to buy my own to scoff [bugrin]

SuperSlattern · 08/04/2012 18:12

Btw I do agree with you on the not giving choc to a baby front

thepeoplesprincess · 08/04/2012 18:55

Harks back fondly to the days when I had the time or energy to care what the kids were eating

BBQJuly · 08/04/2012 20:28

YANBU.

Just eat it yourself.

EmmaCate · 08/04/2012 20:35

YANBU.

IDontWantToBeFatAnymore · 08/04/2012 20:41

I think the mother thinks it is a treat to a baby. The baby just thinks - food. Baby's grow up far too fast as it is and it seems people are in such a rush to get to the next stage all the time.

cardibach · 08/04/2012 20:55

OP, feed or don't feed your baby what you like (within reason, obviously). It was fine to say no to giving your baby chocolate and to explain (politely) why you didn't want to. Whether the givers agree with you or not is irrelevant.
However, I am generally confused by all the variation in weaning advice over the years. Our babies (if we have teenagers) were weaned earlier than babies now, we were weaned even earlier. I appreciate that science moves on, but given that we all survived and allergy rates were actually lower when we were children I don't see how it can be so catastrophic to break the current 'rules' by harking back to earlier ones.

catsareevil · 08/04/2012 22:17

The current guidelines have a lot more/better evidence informing them now, and obesity rates certainly haven't gone down over the years.

cardibach · 08/04/2012 22:23

So, if obesity rates haven't gone down with this new advice, why does that make the old advice invalid? I'm not arguing with the new advice, just pointing out it may not be quite the massive deal some people think it is.

catsareevil · 08/04/2012 22:30

Sorry, I didnt explain myself properly, some people suggest that early weaning could be related to later obesity.
Weaning is probably a relatively small factor in these things though.

MissVerinder · 08/04/2012 23:32

I'm sure the breastmilk argument is a good one.

When DD was born I ate so many hobnobs in the first few weeks, her breath smelled like werthers originals for ages.

OP YANBU, I would have said so too in case they thought they had the green light for the mandatory chocolate party that is usually grandparents houses!

Pandemoniaa · 09/04/2012 00:01

Babies don't need chocolate. They just don't! I managed to keep ds1 away from it until the Easter when he was nearly 2 although I wasn't as successful with ds2. But I'd not buy a baby of under a year old an Easter Egg at all. Dgd is 15 months and between us all she was bought 3 very, very small Easter eggs. All of which will be given to her in treat-sized bits.

I'd be a bit shocked at a 22 week old getting an egg too. But I'd have accepted it graciously and eaten it for her!

Whatmeworry · 09/04/2012 00:11

Strewth - just give him a tiny bit to se what he does, then eat the rest youself later. No need to hurt their feelings, and it will hardly kill the child.

FoxyRoxy · 09/04/2012 00:15

FredFredGeorge I can say with a completely straight face that chocolate is bad for 22week old babies, yes. I can also say that something full of sugar and saturated fat isn't exactly good for adults either, which is why it's seen as a treat not a diet staple. There's also a difference between a square or 2 of high cocoa solids dark chocolate and the usual crap like dairy milk and mars bars if you're going to talk about health benefits.

Read the op again and notice we're discussing a baby of barely weaning age not an adult with food issues.

bobbledunk · 09/04/2012 01:56

yanbu, eat them yourselfSmile

spamm · 09/04/2012 05:29

YANBU - my PILs gave us a white chocolate Santa for DS when he was 8 months old and then got upset when we ate it. But I genuinely thought it was for me and dh. It did not occur to me that I should feed chocolate to my ds until he was old enough to demand it. He had plenty of delicious new foods to discover and chocolate was certainly not a priority.

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