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.

@Alx7 - My MIL is the same. She does not understand that sugar is now in a lot more products than when she was young (and anyway, she never stuffed her own children with shitty sugary drinks and chocolates and biscuits, but now, when she is a grandmother, she somehow finds it's the most amazing treat!!!), so ids get more sugar in their diet before they even get to a pudding.
She was actually complaining with her best friend, whose daughter-in-law also feels strongly against too much sugar in diet, I think something happens with people's brains when they become grandparents.

Just take MIL's diet into your own hands in return.

Soon as you get there, make her a cup of tea laced with laxatives.

She'll spend the rest of the visit on the loo and you can relax without easter eggs being pushed into your faces from all directions.

Sorted.

Joking!!!

Wow there's some crazies on this thread today.

My 8 month old LOVES a Yorkshire pudding! It's nowhere near a choking hazard - she doesn't even have teeth and can handle a bloody Yorkshire pudding, not heard of baby led weaning then?

I have a child with complicated dietary needs for medical reasons - he could die if fed the wrong things. Initially certain family members didn’t take me seriously at all and just shrugged it off as me being difficult, overprotective mother hmm So I then had a complete emotional meltdown, and explained in detail what it’s like to watch your baby be resuscitated right in front of you because of exposure to the wrong foods

Its posters like OP and JaneE etc who restrict for no reason (sugar does not affect children in that way, there is no mechanism for it to do so) make it more difficult for people whose children have real allergies etc, because nobody takes them seriously any more

Sherlock I should be shot at dawn.... my DC1’s first ever taste of solid food was a strip of steak that she stole off of her dad’s plate in a restaurant at just over 6 months old She had a right good gum on it with her one, lonely tooth

IntoValhalla mine used to gum steak too!

I'm in no hurry for my kids to join the cycle when I have no doubt that in a few years this will be akin to various other addictions (if this isn't already on it's way.)

You’re so right op. They start out with an addiction to Haribo and before you know it they’re shooting up after school.

Both addictions, both likely to be treated the same and given the same support in future 👍🏻

I have this vague idea that a lot of the people who say you can't feed a baby this product or that type of food are people who don't cook.

After some intial pureeing, my daughter ate a mashed-up whatever my partner and I had - with the possible exception of chili con carne. (Everything home-cooked, and no salt added.)

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)

If your DC is currently 8 months, in around 2-3 years time, you’ll cringe at this incorrect blasé comment you’ve made @blackcat86

You’ll find different weaning methods yield different outcomes initially (arriving at the same point in the end) but many who follow a baby led weaning approach or give finger food early on (as opposed to purely purée) will have a child from around 6 months easily munching on a Yorkshire pudding themselves.

As another pp pointed out, it’s egg, flour and milk. Not crack or heroin

I’d also comment that having no salt at all is dangerous. Every human body needs some salt.

ElinorRigby When people say that “babies can’t eat that!” in relation to the most random of foods that are not on any NHS “foods to avoid” lists, always makes me think “what the hell do they think kids in other countries eat?!”
My DH is Southeast Asian, and my kids have been brought up eating traditional foods from his country which often contain an impressive amount of chilli etc - they didn’t sponataneously combust Whereas my European mother was gobsmacked that anyone would give a baby chilli because that’s not a commonplace food in her country, but is perfectly normal in DH’s country

Maybe. Having seen my nephew learn really disordered eating habits from his equally disordered parents I sometimes think I should have spoken up more.

children under 1 should have no sugar or salt at all

Milk contains around 100 mg of sodium per cup and around 14g of sugars. Yes, that sugar is lactose not sucrose, and it is naturally occurring rather than added ... but it is still sugar.

Not to mention the fact that the body naturally breaks down complex carbohydrates into ... sugars ... to yield energy.

Balance, variety and moderation seem to be lost in all this absolutism. I cook pretty much entirely from scratch, and serve a basic 3 meals a day, with a couple of small snacks when the children were younger. We don't eat puddings, but we probably eat 1 serving of a home-made cake or biscuit (something like a slice from a basic fruit loaf, or a flapjack) per day. We mostly hit the 5 a day mark on veg / fruit. We all move a lot. We all have a completely healthy approach to food - moderate portions, lots of veg, nothing between meals.

There has been some interesting research that suggests children do not react to sugar...parents attribute their behaviour to the knowledge that they have had sugar. Studies showing children given huge amounts of sugar but parents told all party food supplied was sugar free - parents reported normal, good behaviour. Sugar free food but parents told kids had 6 tablespoons of sugar each....parents reported dreadful "sugared up" behaviour.

Not suggesting lots of sugar is great for kids (although I would argue that their is not a lot of difference in kids having an icecream vs "healthy" kids given free range to the fruitbowl and having 3 apples and a banana a day...

...but the hyped up on sugar thing...is really a parental perception issue...

Rumer, each child is different. Some categorically do react, in the same way some have allergies or intolerances to other foods. What is fine for one is not for another.

We had an issue years ago with the twat of a manager at pre school. Ds had lunch there, once a week. He had a few issues and really didn’t like sandwiches .....
He would have water, some cucumber, breadsticks a pretzel or pasta, some chicken and a yogurt and some fruit.

Every week she would tell me off as he didn’t have sandwiches. That they tell the children to eat sandwiches first and she couldn’t as he didn’t have one .....
I gave up in the end and told her where to go as she reported us for ‘parenting issues’ due to it

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/feb/25/do-children-really-get-sugar-rush-hyperactivity

WhereismyTvremore each child is different would have to be akin to each child is a different species to make sense of the claims about sugar. Sugar does not cause hyperactivity and even if it did, it would not do so in the same way that peanuts cause anaphylaxis. Basic physiology applies to all children, despite their differences.

skincare she sounds like she was missing a few brain cells! Your child's lunch sounds perfect.

I have children who don't have huge appetites and don't restrict any food. The only thing I insist on is that they eat vegetables with their lunch and tea. They have some days where they have too much sugary stuff and other days where they don't have any. My daughter refuses all puddings at school as well so I don't mind her having stuff at home.