My children's diet is my choice

[Alx7]

AIBU to think what my children eat shouldn't be up to other people, or be open to criticism.

I think people should be careful about judging. My son gets breakfast then since it’s 30 mins to school often has something like cheddars or crisps on route.

To be fair I’d be judging the fuck out of that.

I wouldn't.

On a school day my own DC are up and wanting breakfast at 6am so by the time 8.30 rolls around they will sometimes ask for a snack on the way to school. Usually it's fruit and restricted diet DC has a Babybel but they've been known to have Cheddars too.

I have never restricted sugar or sweets. An open sweet cupboard.

Same here. We've never made a fuss over "good" food and "bad" food or say that certain foods are banned because it's the surefire way to make that food seem incredibly attractive. We have sweet things and crisps in the cupboards and they're not made any more of a fuss of than the fruit bowl or the bags of frozen veg in the freezer or the pasta in the cupboard. They're not particularly bothered about them, they do eat them but they don't gorge on them, and when we go to the shop they'd rather have £1 for LOL cards or football stickers than sweets. They've got a fair few Easter eggs coming - two a-piece from DH and I plus one each from 5-6 relatives and friends, and the elderly couple opposite our house have said they have them a chocolate bunny each. They'll eat 1-2 eggs each over a week or two and then they'll be forgotten about until around a months time when I melt them down for crispy cakes.

Just to add that the guidance and info on diet has changed a lot so your MIL may need educating as to why high salt and sugar isnt good. My mum used to make loads of my meals with gravy and was shocked that we wouldn't do it for DD (but understood once explained). I also had to explain that a Yorkshire pudding wouldn't be appropriate for an 8 month old....

I have an 8 month old the sorts of things people are doing are shocking and then they moan about the HV wanting to monitor them....

If the HV suspects abuse or neglect then they should report it using their safeguarding channels but they've got no right to monitor someone just because they don't like what that person is feeding their child.

What exactly is wrong with a Yorkshire pudding for an 8 month old?

I gave all four of mine Yorkshire pudding at that age.

It's flour, egg, and milk not crack.

I guess the ready made ones have salt in them Demented

I don't get the 'sweet cupboard' thing. We don't have one, I suppose because they are not a regular thing in this house. We have a biscuit jar and a cake tin(not often any cake in it by DD sometimes bakes). Sweets aren't banned but if they get any it will be a small packet and they eat them.

Err... you might have to explain to me why a Yorkshire pudding isn’t suitable for an 8 month old? Mine are made from eggs, flour and milk...

I don't know how anyone here can make a sweeping statement about sugar not affecting behaviour/it's been disproved etc etc.

Every single child is different. I know mine react to it, one more so than the other. I myself have a diagnosed inability to deal with sugar (and certain sweeteners) and it makes me feel unwell and extremely jittery. I am very confident my child does too as all the signs are there.

It really bothers me when people just blame parenting or behaviour and say 'sugar has no effect'. Speak for your own children, but do not speak for others and stop judging.

Even shop bought ones are low salt, an Aunt Bessie's has 0.14g of salt per pudding.

I myself have a diagnosed inability to deal with sugar

So, you mean diabetes? Or was this 'diagnosis' from a nutritionist...

This thread is a bit indicative of why people have so many food issues. Half saying that Weetabix is deadly and the odd bit of Yorkshire pud will kill a baby, the other half insisting it's ok to give your kids crisps on the way to school...

Half saying that Weetabix is deadly and the odd bit of Yorkshire pud will kill a baby, the other half insisting it's ok to give your kids crisps on the way to school...

But that's the result of demonising sugar (or salt or fat or carbs, etc), you end up with a polarised argument where one group says it's the Devil's food and will lead to a lifetime of super morbid obesity so they won't even let their DC know it exists while the other side says their DC bathe in it twice a day and snort lines of it off the dining table using rolled up Wham bars.

In real life what most people do is to make the best choices they can for them and their DC without sweating about how grams of sugar were in that packet of Haribo they had yesterday because Haribo isn't their main food source.

I myself have a diagnosed inability to deal with sugar

Well if you’re a diagnosed diabetic than that’s different.

My favorites are the people who think children shouldn’t have peas because they are “too carb-y”.....

Wow just wow. What's right with feeding an 8 month old a Yorkshire pudding ffs. It has 0 nutritional value and would be a huge choking risk for her especially the crispy bits. Plus most have salt in (children under 1 should have no sugar or salt at all). As for an HV monitoring, of course they can monitor a situation because they do this from a stance of support rather than presuming abuse. Clearly people know the difference between an HV and an SW. They are supporting the parent with feeding and monitoring the child's weight with the parent's consent.

How is egg, flour and milk ‘zero nutritional value’?! And I don’t put salt in mine, so that’s not a problem. As for a ‘choking risk’, mine completely refused any form of purée and could easily manage a Yorkshire pudding at 8 months.

Oh and the HV was perfectly happy with my approach to weaning

children under 1 should have no sugar or salt at all

What are you feeding your child that has no sugar or salt in it at all?

Guidelines for children under one are that they can have up to 1g of salt a day, a Yorkshire pudding contains less than this.

As for an HV monitoring, of course they can monitor a situation because they do this from a stance of support

Depends on the HV and on exactly what it is they're monitoring but I'd take umbridge with any HV monitoring what I'm feeding my DC if I haven't asked for monitoring and support.

children under 1 should have no sugar or salt at all

No fruit?

No milk or cheese? No yoghurt?

blackcat you need to simmer down, there is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding an 8 month old a bit of Yorkshire pudding. The nutritional content is fine, particularly if part of a balanced meal with some veg. Choking hazard is irrelevant, they could choke on a bit of bloody carrot but I’m guessing that okay because it’s a vegetable?

What did you feed your 8 month old, blackcat?

My eldest DD always reacted badly to sugar, and her eldest DC is exactly the same - to the point that he's almost uncontrollable.

We have a family rule that he can have the odd treat IF and only if we aren't out and he can be shoved outside with a football or go on a bike ride to burn the effects off quicker!

Kids don't need it - it's full of empty calories and rots your teeth. My DH was given unlimited sugar as a child, and now in his 50s has a mouth full of crumbling rotten teeth

My kids were both spoon refusers. I tried pureès once with both and they were having none of it. We did BLW from the start of weaning and both were happily chomping on everything. They could definitely have handled Yorkshire pudding at 8mo (if one of them wasn’t allergic to eggs and milk )

If you don’t think it’s addictive try giving it up completely because if it’s not addictive to you you will easily be able to

I don't think that's how it works - just because someone might find it hard to give up, say, milk in their coffee doesn't mean that they are "addicted" to milk :/

Plus, sugar is a very difficult thing to give up entirely because it is in so many things. So yes, if you are truly "sugar free" and avoid eating fruit, all carbohydrates, anything packaged/pre prepared, etc, that will be very difficult. But not because you are "addicted" to sugar, but because you are forcing yourself to have a very restricted diet.