healthy eating drive and ice-cream vans in park

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In London they must spend millions on healthy eating classes, leaflets, dieticians in playgroup etc. Quite sensible for our borough looking at statistics for all age groups.

The council then let ice-cream vans have pitches in parks. No other vehicles are allowed to drive in. I don't mind vans on a different gate, I'm aware they can park freely on the street, I can quickly walk past. However I'm fucked off that in all our major parks whichever part youre in you can see the a van. Over and over one of the kids notice it again after being distracted and it hangs over th e whole visit.

It seems crap that in the only place in walking distance where young children exercise easily (mainly flats, no gardens) they make such pressure to indulge in sugar. Obviously I say no, in fact I've stopped indulging them at all otherwise my toddler doesn't understand sometimes she can or can't. However everyone hates it because it so hard to avoid, it puts you off the park altogether. I presume they pay for the right to sell in the park.

Aibu to complain more officially, or a misery? It's ever present April to September about 10ft from the play area and all the parks have little pitches next to play areas for vans. Surely they could off set lost revenue against healthy diet info provision for families, only targeting high nee families?

Not everybody hates them. Not everybody who buys ice cream from a van has young kids either. There is no reason to ban sugar altogether. Have a good diet the most of the time and embrace a treat. Why not?

I used to like the van outside the school in the summer term and gets us something on Mondays and Fridays. The kids didn't ask any other day once they knew the script.

A cafe would be fine, quite nice. Never drives around to pop out for school closing and poses a risk. No exhaust. Probably better located, bigger range and no music.

"Healthy eating" is irrelevant in this scenario.

I think the people who don't mind him use the park less, I probably won't care either once my children are in school all day and old enough to reason with. We'd otherwise live in the park in summer months during the day, but it's nice to go further afield to places where I can relax from the daily grind of saying no to a toddler over and over.

You could point out via the LA website that the positioning of such vans could be reviewed.

On every other point YABU.

My elderly Mum loves having an Icecream from the van in our local country park. She doesn't eat sugar at any other time, unless in alcohol.

My children couldn't have ice creams when they were little because I couldn't afford them.

Everyone of us has grown up knowing that there are things that we want that we cannot have, as long as the reasons are valid, it does us no harm.

I think that we (in the Western World) need to really take on board that just because something is available, someone is trying to sell us it, other people have it, doesn't mean that we should have/buy it.

God I would have hated a mother like you.

It's an ice cream van. You don't have to go. Many enjoy them. It's your problem if you can't teach your child that they don't get one everytime, that it's a one off treat.

Owl, I think maybe it just grates as it feels that weekly I'm accosted like a eejit at the children's centre by a hv or other work at on of the playgroup s to get draconian lectures on healthy eating. They said last time a biscuit A WEEK was all a child should have. You end up pretending they live on blueberries an houmous for the sake of a quiet life then the same council who weighs your children at school parks vans in all the places where children have to exercise. Joined up thinking is needed. They bleat about diet, exercise and pester about their park, even adding gym equipment, them park a van in each one.

what a miserable bugger you are , you can always say no to your children , it isn't the ice cream mans fault you dont like ice cream and fun

Very miserable op. Surely just say no. A lot of children understand what no means. If yours can't and hassle you then that's your problem.

Tequila I had a mother like OP and while it sometimes pissed me off I did not hate here: I just accepted it as part of the scene that I did not go to the ice-cream van in the ordinary course. Then if DM was taking me and other children to the park and we got one I appreciated it the more. It can be done.

In the last month

One of my children have been weighed at school
Another has had the dentist at nursery
I've been given free sippy cups in case I put juice in a bottle
Been given free toothpaste
Had a leaflet through my door
Had leaflets from the children's centre
Seen countless posters
Had a dietician pop in and acost mums at playgroup
Been invite to a two yr old health review to check weight

Now if our council think as parents we at useless enough to need all this, why the bloody vans? That the annoyance

It's called giving us free choice and allowing us to make informed decisions. Educate us on healthy eating, but give us the choice not to if we don't want. As long as we know the consequences. We don't WANT a nanny state.

Yes, quite. I hate fun and have miserable children because I hate this van. Why do you think we go to the park daily...?

And one ice cream every now and again doesn't equate to unhealthy eating.

I have to say OP that I was brought up (in the Fifties) without any of the mod. cons. you mention except possibly the last as to which I obviously don't know. Amazing that my entire class got out of infancy, isn't it?

your annoyance doesn't make sense all this will be coming from the health board early years initiative or something not the planning department of the council ,

health board god i am living in the 80s

Arf at falafel van.

Seriously I'd love that!!

I think your being ridiculous tbh.

Is he holding you at gun point to buy one?

My town has sooo many pubs and fast food joints/take aways it's ridiculous. Many towns and cities are the same.

Start complaining when the park is knocked down to build a Burger King.

You sound an misery bag op, heathy eating does not mean banning of treats. What do you do when your kids go past the shops, I know ban shops!

tbf when i was a teenager the ice cream man sold single fags for 10p maybe the op has a point

Would the exhaust issue be improved if he angled the can differently? You could ask for that.

I doubt sufficient icecreams are sold to justify the costs of a permanent cafe.

Not really andrew, no one is amazed. You have missed the point.

Tequila. I know. See above.

I'm up to debate what I've said but to recap facts, I allow quite a few treats, I don't mind vans in general, my kids are lovely an get no (bar the youngest who's learning it and will get there) . In reality they probably has too much junk, but I'm not perfect

I'd just like the van to move a bit from the exact location, either going back to vehicle free parks or keeping vans at a little distance from swings.

It's all a bit hysterical here, squealing about never having treats, misery and 1950 whatever or your elderly mum.

It's like outrage bingo the daily mail, I'm also an immigrant if it helps!

Ooooh a miso soup van, even better

If everyone hates the ice cream van then surely s/he will decide it is not a good place to pitch and will move on.

As the van is still there at the moment presumably s/he is making enough money to warrant staying - so plenty of people must actually like it.

Sorry, I'm hiding the thread, it's painful. I don't ban treats. I will complain if they build a burger king yes, but there's fuck all chance of attracting a chain like that here. It'll be a nasty fried chicken shop, betting shop or charity shop in the unlikely event someone funds a building project.