To not give DC "desert" foods?

[OhFFSDH]

A mum friend of mine said she thought I was being quite strict with the fact I don't give DC desert foods like baby custards, banoffee purée, etc.

I usually only give my DC (at worst): a biscuit (as we're trying the milk ladder due to allergies), KOKO yoghurts which contain fruit, a few fruit flavoured rice cakes (similar to the Organix type) or puréed fruit. We do BLW so other than that it's whole fruit and only ever a bite of cake on a special occasion.

I've started looking around and noticed a lot of parents do give their children deserts. I know I make choices for my child and all but am I being too strict? Is there a reason for giving children this stuff?

Sheep to be honest, I’d choose cheese and olives over cake any day! You must be super proud

@peachgreen

Hear hear!

Twogin 😂😂 I love your response xx

Ha, wait till you've got three of the Fuckers and there's only 20 minutes between dance and football. You'll be throwing happy meals behind you into the back seat of the car before you know it.

Or maybe happy meals but not McFlurry if you are the OP

Very worthy OP but also pointless imo. It is those kids who are hoofing down the most cake and biscuits as soon as they get the chance at birthday parties.

It is easy to be a perfect parent to one small baby. I did quite well until mine was about 18 months then it started to go down hill. Once the second showed up just before she turned 2 then all hell broke loose.

What I love about desert is it has zero calories as it's 100% pure grit. Bloody autocorrect!

tootstastic Honestly not a stealth boast, I'm genuinely wondering about it. I'm a FTM with a mum who was strict but now says I'm strict when I don't give my DC df cakes and doughnuts - I can't tell if it's true or not. I'm cautious about portion control, sugar and want to ensure my DC has balanced meals because I know what it's like being overweight.

I'd give my DC ice cream on a day out if I could, it makes me a little sad that it isn't possible at the moment

Similar to thesheep, we don't have treat type stuff at home, the odd biscuit excepted! But mine will have ice creams, crisps, hot choc etc when we are out and about. They will eat what they want and stop when they are full or fed up of it, so I think the balance is right at the mo. Only 4 and 2 though so anything could happen...

To be honest I’m quite laid back about their food, but my 3year old doesn’t really eat sweets, puddings, ice cream or chocolate etc on a daily basis. Hes allergic to eggs so that rules out a lot of cakes, but he genuinely seems happy enough with plain yoghurt and fruit for dessert most days. I don’t deny him if we’re out, but I don’t hugely encourage it either. DD is 10 months and she doesn’t really eat any sweet food apart from fruit and the odd rusk thing. Their diets are about the same as most of my friends toddlers and babies

Forgot to say, DC is 1 if that changes anything?

No YANBU
Yoghurt or fruit was a given after meals if they fancied it
Same as for me/DH
I cook pudding sometimes if I see fruit I fancy for stewing/a crumble or sometimes bake an apple and do caramel inside
Only offered DC what I would normally have tbh

Organix flavoured rice cakes are fucking horrific for sugar op. There’s less in a rich tea or digestive biscuit. The veg type ones (carrot I thing, orangey and make one hell of a mess) are much better sugar wise.

Strawberry Biscotti are the same. Packed with more sugar than actual biscuits.

If you want to avoid sugar, don’t buy any fruit flavoured or fruit coated snacks - you’re better off with plain ‘adult’ rice cakes and savouries as snacks.

OP I was just like you at your stage, ten years on, not so much 😂. I have one dc who instinctively eats healthy food and one who has strong Scottish genes and likes everything fried and sugared. They were fed the same thing at the same time they have really different foods they like and hate, what you feed them only has a limited effect.

DerekTheBrave There may be more sugar than a digestive but one is naturally occurring sugar one isn't. Surely you could say an orange is fucking horrific and a digestive is better too? Yes I do agree plain rice cakes are better but DC rarely has sweet treats so I don't tend to worry. I don't want to completely avoid sugar, just ration it.

midgesummer I dread that! DC is such a good, healthy eater at the moment that I don't want it changing. I'd really struggle with a fussy eater.

you sound like you're doing fine.

you say your mum made a comment? Could that be what freaked you out? As I said upthread, my folks didn't restrict sugar in any way and I wish they had! had to work hard to lose sweet tooth and childhood weight!

The only desserts we give is either frozen yogurt or fruit (or both), and that's only if our daughter still seems a little peckish after dinner. She's never had chocolate, sweets or cakes or added refined sugar in any form. We get a lot of comments that we are too strict, but she has plenty of years ahead of her to eat sugary food. I just don't feel any great rush to introduce her to it now

Oh that doesn't mean to say I think giving sugary foods is wrong, but in our house we don't routinely eat biscuits or dessert stuff anyway so it's not kept in the house (Well I don't, I find my husband's biscuit wrappers quite frequently)

I was like this with my PFB, then realised its so hard to maintain with outside factors IE grandparents etc. A treat every now and then is fine, and won't initiate a sweet tooth.

Its your choice what you do, my dd's got a main and a dessert most meals. They have few limits on food they snack probably 5 or 6 times a day yet eat breakfast usually toast a ham sandwich with salad and crisps for lunch and a healthy evening meal of adult proportions. Both are healthy weight and very active, they eat anything and usually everything.

DerekTheBrave There may be more sugar than a digestive but one is naturally occurring sugar one isn't

Eh?

There’s nothing ‘naturally occurring’ about the sugar in the highly processed fruit syrup they coat organix rice cakes with! Totally different to an orange.

And yes, I would rather (and do!) give my one year old a rich tea biscuit than an apple organix rice cake.

Enjoy it while it lasts. There will come a point where you can no longer control every bite PFB eats, and it does tend to be the kids with super strict parents who go nuts on sugar when they finally get the chance.

You sound too smug for words to be honest