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?

So teach your children that they can only have ice cream on a Friday.

"No not today darling. It's not Friday." shall be your mantra until Friday.

"Woohoo, it's ice cream Friday today. Yay."

They will learn very quickly not to ask unless it's Friday.

embedded I take no money. That one is difficult to argue with.

What Bridge says

Wish we had an icecream van in our local park

so the op starts a thread people disagree with them and they stomp off is that how it works now

I can honestly say when i was taking young children to parks that had ice cream vans they didnt dissolve into a blubbering mess if i said no, and they didnt turn into toothless blobs when i said yes either, OP the thing is life does not revovle around pre school children all this dentist and whatnot has been going into preschools for years , life is about balance that is how it works so yes they hand out free toothbrushes yet there is sweet shops next to schools,

They provide a useful community service and they don't just sell ice cream.

Part of a healthy diet is finding a balance and understanding that everything is ok in moderation. DS loves an ice cream van ice cream but also knows when I say no I mean no

Life does not revolve around children...... Maybe the van is for others too???

YANBU.

Hmm ... everyone, (on here who is against you), seems to think a "small", (sugar-filled), treat is perfectly fine, and that any kid's life will be sad if they are not given treats "now and then".

But the questions are ... how much is "small", and how often is "now and then" ?

And is eating sugary stuff inbetween meals really a good idea anyway?

If there wasn't an obesity problem in the UK, it might not matter about these treats, (apart from any dental concerns), but there is an obesity problem and there is also growing evidence that sugar itself is bad for us.

I worry that a lot of parents don't see the problem with sugar, and/or are in a state of denial re the dangers.

The "healthy eating" message is being put out now, but very gingerly, as educators are still probably too scared to say "zero refined/processed sugars would be best" ... and a lot of them are overweight themselves.

Then there are the 'vested interests' who don't want a "zero sugar is best" line of thinking. (Such as the manufacturers/sellers of "sugar" & "sugary treats"!) They are the ones who want us to think that a little treat now and then is fine, even when they know we are actually having a big treat and/or having it too often!

Having unhealthy 'treats' when kids are thin/active, (ie "runnning it off") is probably OK-ish, but it doesn't mean there won't be any long term consequences of growning up with a lot of sugar in the diet. (Eg the association of sweet things as a reward can be hard to kick in adulthood, when running it off starts to be more tricky!)

IMO, putting ice-cream vans inside parks is like putting all those sweets next to the check out lanes in supermarkets. (It's creates "pester power" & a temptation for parents to just give in for a quiet life/not to be seen as "miserable".)

Control over "treats" is hard at the best of times. And I don't think ice-cream vans in parks is going to help parents with young children make the right choices.

Utterly ridiculous.. If the children are running around a park for a few hours getting loads of fresh air and exercise, then an ice cream, or a Lolly, is not going to harm their health at all. They are not doling out crack cocaine in free samples..

The OP will be complaining that newsagents sell sweets and chocolate any minute.

Life is full of choices. Parents should be teaching their kids that treats stop being treats when you have them all the time. Then they just become another foodstuff. Parents who can't help their kids understand this are crap parents, looking for someone else to blame for their own shortcomings.

Rice. Control over treats is easily possible if you don't make food a battle, or try to make everything about food.

Teaching children no means no is a standard sensible parenting surely? Teaching children that a bit of what you fancy sometimes is good but not to over indulge is good parenting surely?

We need to be very careful that we don't risk creating children who are obsessed with 'healthy' foods and develop a bad relationship with food as a result

YABVU

One of the most useful things you can teach your children is moderation and self control.

This is something that many adults still haven't learnt and as a result, many are struggling big time with their weight and health.

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.

Stopping indulging them at all is lazy. You will still have to teach them about moderation and self control eventually.

We as a family don't go to the park often, so I will get DC an ice cream after a picnic.

With the picnic we pack a balance diet and the ice cream is a treat.

Same as when we go to the fair they have candy floss.

My parent did similar with us, and tbh those was the best days out.

Shall we all have a moment's silence for Riceburner's kids... ? I met a family like you, actually. Banned all kinds of foods from their children for fear of obesity etc. You could always spot their children at parties because they'd be face down in the nearest bowl of sugary snacks, overdosing like crazy. Prohibition teaches nothing about self-restraint.

I hate ice cream vans. Where I grew up this business of April - September twice daily jaunts into estates and constant presence in parks was simply not a thing. Ice cream vans appeared at the beach on hot days during the summer and you got an ice cream and that was it. I'm a bit shocked tbh to see the overwhelming love for them on MN. Of course you just say no, that is not the point. It feels so mean saying no constantly to small children when their friends get daily treats and preschoolers and older really struggle with it.

So OP I think yanbu but by my counting I'm the first person on this thread to agree with you. We must both be mad I guess.

By banning sugar, you are doing your children a great disservice. How are they ever going to learn self control?!

It's not about 'overwhelming love'.

It's about simple, everyday parenting which involves saying no to your children...and them eventually learning to accept it.

Lets take all temptation away from everyone everywhere and have nothing but salad and lentil vans shall we?

Or shall we just get on with teaching our kids what 'no' means, like parents have done for generations....

Coffee van sounds amazing.

nooooooooooooooo.com/

Parks have always had ice-cream vans, they are not the cause of unhealthy eating. If you eat a healthy diet an ice-cream once in a while won't be a problem. Moderation and all that, not every day obviously, if you go to the park every day. Why don't parents make their kids understand 'no' anymore?

DS is 4.5 and never really struggled with the idea of no meaning no. Because I have been consistent possible? (Or maybe just luck?) we have had the odd tantrum but he soon realises that no amount of shouting will change my mind!

None of my 3 have struggled too much either with the concept of no meaning no.

They learnt soon enough that I'm not afraid of tantrums

But saying no is mean! And it's a massive effort as well if you have to say it repeatedly! It's like you actually have to parent and raise your own children or something. The only answer is to cleanse society of all temptation, starting with those Devil's Vans in the public parks.