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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

8 month old advent calendar

27 replies

MissBax · 13/12/2017 08:33

A woman on my social media keeps posting pictures of her 8 month old eating their own advent calendar each day, chocolate all over her face.
I had a Shock moment to DH who thinks I'm being daft. So AIBU to think there is no reason to give an 8 month old chocolate for no real reason, or am I being a real scrooge and it's not a big deal at all?
Apparently 20% of primary school children are obese and that figure is increasing. Surely giving babies chocolate isn't going to improve that!

Disclaimer - I know this doesn't affect me in anyway, and is none of my business. Just curious as to people's opinions.

OP posts:
Handsfull13 · 13/12/2017 08:42

I've got 10month boys and I wouldn't dream of giving them chocolate especially not one a day for a regular amount of time. I'm doing so much reading about weaning right now and everything says avoid sugar before they are 1. I know it's normal to try some earlier and it's each to their own but I do think that's abit strange

NerrSnerr · 13/12/2017 08:45

I have an 8 month old and wouldn’t do this but I can’t get worked up over it, it’s just a small bit of chocolate.

everything says avoid sugar before they are 1
You’ll be avoiding fruit then I take it?

Mamabear14 · 13/12/2017 08:47

At that age I would probably bite them a bit off and let them have that. I can't get too worked up about chocolate tbh. My 3 have never had it forbidden as a baby, and don't gorge unlike my sister's 4 who are banned from any treats unless special occasion and they will literally gorge at any opportunity. She was overweight as a kid and I think she worries about her kids being chubby. Personally I think her attitude is an eating disorder for her kids waiting to happen.

Original poster
MissBax · 13/12/2017 08:49

I wouldn't say I was worked up about it, just think it's an odd thing to do (the baby won't know what Xmas is so isn't as if she's asked for the advent calendar).
My DD is only 4 months and won't be weaning for a few months yet so wasn't sure whether I was overreacting

OP posts:
zeebeee · 13/12/2017 08:51

I have a 9 month old and there's no way I would give him chocolate daily, just because it's December! I might give him a tiny taste over Christmas as a one-off but there's no need for it to be a regular occurrence.

Poshindevon · 13/12/2017 08:53

The mother is probably doing the advent calender just for her Facebook friends , to show off her "cute" baby covered in chocolate.
Never ceases to amaze me what people share on Facebook.
OP your not being unreasonable and I agree completely with the other posters.

jaseyraex · 13/12/2017 08:54

I personally wouldn't at that age but doesn't bother me that other people do. Assuming that's the only chocolate she's giving the baby then it's just a small bit and baby will be none the wiser when they run out.

Having said that, I bought my son a Disney Cars toy filled advent calendar this year which totally backfired as he wanted it all open in one day after getting a tiny flag behind one door. He just wanted all the cars. Chocolate is the way to go lol.

Amanduh · 13/12/2017 08:58

Yabu and ridiculous. An advent calendar isn't going to contribute to childhood obesity.

putdownyourphone · 13/12/2017 08:59

Comparing fruit and chocolate sugar content is stupid - processed sugar contains no nutritional benefit, whereas fruit contains a huge amount of beneficial nutrients and vitamins.

The woman on your FB sounds ignorant and attention seeking.

Emerald92 · 13/12/2017 08:59

It's a bit of chocolate, nothing to get worked up over. My DD has an advent calender at 16mo. She has everything in moderation. She had some sweets at halloween, chocolate in Decemeber or some buttons when I feel like it.

I'd like the pearlclutchers to explain to me at which exact age is it ok for children to have chocolate?

Handsfull13 · 13/12/2017 09:02

NerrSnerr I meant added sugar. Fruit is natural and enough sugar intake without adding more on top of it.

lastqueenofscotland · 13/12/2017 09:04

I really couldn't get worked up about this. Advent calendars are not causing obesity

Afreshturkeyplease · 13/12/2017 09:09

Really its a tiny amount for a few weeks

I once worked with a one year old who was given actual mars bars. Now that is an issue.

Scentofwater · 13/12/2017 09:10

My 18mo sure as hell isnt getting chocolate every day. I’m not perfect, but yeah I’d be pulling a Shock face at a 8mo munching through an advent calendar. It’s tiny chocolate pieces for adults but quite a lot for a someone that size!

I’m generally amazed by the amount of sweets some babies are given though.

Scentofwater · 13/12/2017 09:12

Come on people, think about relative sizes! It would be like an adult eating one of those huge dairy milk slabs every day!

PyongyangKipperbang · 13/12/2017 09:20

Come on people, think about relative sizes! It would be like an adult eating one of those huge dairy milk slabs every day!

It really wouldnt you know. Hmm

amusedbush · 13/12/2017 09:22

She was overweight as a kid and I think she worries about her kids being chubby. Personally I think her attitude is an eating disorder for her kids waiting to happen.

My mum did this to DB and I because she was scared of us following in her footsteps and now we're both fat. I'm 27 and have been obese since I was a teenager, binge eating and utterly miserable. I'm now a size 12 after a lot of hard work but I still binge in secret every semi regularly and I hold my mum partly responsible for my terrible attitude towards food.

amusedbush · 13/12/2017 09:23

(I should say a size 12 is still large on my frame. I'm quite short and store a lot of fat around my middle. I'm not looking to offend anyone! Clothes sizes are very subjective depending on the person's build.)

NerrSnerr · 13/12/2017 09:25

Its all relative to what else they’re eating though. I have friends who don’t let their children eat chocolate or sweets but allow them to have constant snacks of raisins, fruit bars etc as they’re healthy but the amount they have is huge.

My children don’t do ‘snacks’ as a regular thing but are allowed chocolate and cake when they want it, they’re not bothered so don’t have it often and when they do it’s not much. This could be luck/ personality or the fact that nothing is forbidden and no big deal is made about it.

cleanandtidyhouse · 13/12/2017 09:28

Depends if they have an older sibling! DC1 had his first piece of chocolate at 18 months. First ice cream at 2!

DC2 had everything at 7-8 months when he started noticing his brother enjoying all the good stuff!

LunasSpectreSpecs · 13/12/2017 09:29

Aw but hun she's #makingmemories and #lovesherkids.

Next year it will be fecking elf on the shelf, do yourself a favour and cut her from social media now.

SkyIsTooHigh · 13/12/2017 09:33

I think it's a bit mean, the baby will be very used to her new daily treat after 3.5 weeks and won't understand why it suddenly stops.

Original poster
MissBax · 13/12/2017 09:35

LunasSpectreSpecs 😂😂
Ha! Okay maybe it's all relative and what not, but I just don't understand why. Shes 8 months old so not as if she knows what an advent calendar even is. Also, at the risk of being accused of drip feeding, the mum is always complaining about her weight and how she'd like to lose x amount of weight constantly. So then when she posts pics of DD eating chocolate it's a bit Hmm
Anyway, just off to open my advent calendar for the day 😉

OP posts:
Scentofwater · 13/12/2017 10:10

You can Hmm all you like Pyong, but an 8 mo is really quite small and in comparison that is quite a lot of chocolate!

When my dd was 8mo she didn’t actually properly eat very much as she still hadn’t figured out chewing, so a piece of chocolate like that would have been a significant part of her daily food intake. Eating too much chocolate makes me feel poorly, why would I do that to my baby?

I’m finding the responses here a bit strange. Sure if the child was at least a year, but they aren’t going to have been weaned that long ago.

AvenuesAndAlleyways · 13/12/2017 10:11

I think it really depends on the calendar - my 18month old has a kinnerton one which is 40g choc over 24 days. I really don't think that less than 2g of chocolate a day is going to hurt her! It's not the equivalent of an adult having a great big slab of dairy milk unless the adult was 100 times her size!

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