To let my kids have a fun size chocolate every day?

[AndThenInTheEnd]

Is there an issue with this?

DS9 and DD6, both have normal BMI (although DD6 is always on the cusp of overweight), both eat varied diets.
Every day after dinner they have a piece of fruit then a “sweet thing”. Might be a yogurt, a cake bar, piece of cake, moam sweet, lollipop etc. I’ve recently bought a bag of fun size chocolate bars and they’ve been having one of them.

This is fine yes?

Rest of day - porridge for breakfast with teaspoon of Nutella. School lunch or at weekend sandwich with piece of fruit and raisin or yoghurt. Snack after school normally carrots and hummus, cheese crackers etc. Normal dinner - spag Bol, stirfry. Fruit then “sweet thing” after dinner. Saturday night is a film and we don’t have sweet thing but have snacks with film. Drink water and 1 cup of Ribena a day.

TIA

It sounds like what most kids I know in real life eat like (mine Included!) but MN is a different tribe than the people I know

@Nevermakeit

And I would also keep an eye on the snack after school. Some of those cheese crackers are MASSIVELY high in saturated fat and salt, and hummus also got a lot of fat (good fat, but fats nonetheless). I would try and switch some of that to a healthier alternative, or watch the portion size.

Why not offer an example of something you think is healthier than hummus?

I mean the MN hive mind is obviosu there are lots of "normal" people like me who eat an average diet with a bit of processed food and some chocolate, and a bit too much sugar sometimes

No need to go back to the 90s... apart from sunny D this is still an average packed lunch. Sure some parents chuck in a bit of pepper or cherry tomato but the rest is same.
The people on here clearly have quite young children as no one with older kids would contemplate one mini chocolate bar a week. It's just so pathetic and mean spirited. Your kids will come to resent you and be the kids grabbing all the treats at parties and playdates.
This has to be all those people about 10 years ago who were obsessed with Instagram clean eating, protein, no grain and Ella whatsitface now being parents and passing disordered eating onto their kids.
Guess what, you really don't live longer if you eat more apples and only have one mini chocolate a day...
If you let kids choose their own food they are quite good at moderating themselves.

Wow, we have a lot more sweet stuff than that every single day. None of us are fat and teeth are all good.

CoronaPeroni You win the thread

Wrong place for this OP.

MN offspring only eat organic, low fat, sugar free, calorie controlled....

@Notcontent

I haven’t read the whole thread but lots of responses saying ‘It’s fine, that’s what most kids have”…

But did you know that 64% of adults in the U.K. are overweight? How did we get that way? There are lots of reasons - but the amount of sugar we consume is an overwhelming factor.

It’s a good point but I think it gets ignored

Can't see an issue. I'd maybe cut out the Nutella but it sounds like a normal diet for children.
One small bar of chocolate a day is fine. Making food forbidden or for very special occasions just makes it more desirable. Then you run the risk of them binging on it when they're older.
Much better to make all food normal. Let's face it, fun size bars are only about two bites anyway.

Just think in 10-20 years time these children will be out on a Friday night knocking back shots and munching on kebab and chips.

These never go down well.

Do whatever you want with your own children. You know them best.

Nutella is really sugary - a heaped teaspoon of it has about 80 calories. I would NOT be putting that in the porridge.

I make puddings - rice pudding, apple crumble, home made malt loaf, banana bread, or carrot cake. But shop bought chocolate and sweets generally contain far more sugar per serving than what I make at home. Also what I make tends to have some nutritious things in it - eggs, dairy, fruit. Maom are just pure sugar.

Also there are yoghurts and yoghurts, some are terrifically sugary. Things like yeo valley are fine.

But did you know that 64% of adults in the U.K. are overweight? How did we get that way? There are lots of reasons - but the amount of sugar we consume is an overwhelming factor.

We didn’t get that way eating a fun size Mars bar every day. FWIW, I was only allowed chocolate once at the weekend with my pocket money. I’m a complete chocoholic now.

Of course it's fine

YABU, who could possibly be satisfied by “fun size”?

People on Mumsnet would absolutely die if they'd seen what DS 31 used to eat as a child. Granted, he has CF. Scrambled eggs, ham and cheese, a banana with milk and sugar or a Build Up for breakfast; always the fattiest option for school lunch or a packed lunch of a ham, cheese and tomato roll, crisps and a cake or biscuit; sausage casserole, cheeseburger, chips and tinned spaghetti for dinner; jacket potato with beans and cheese for a bedtime snack. Also lots of milky drinks and a snack cupboard he had free access to full Monster Munch and Mars Bars. All this kept him from starving to death.

you may as well be blending up mars bar with nesquick and calling it a health option.

I’m gonna try that in my new smoothie maker!

It's fine op.. But on MN children only eat organic salad leaves and nothing else. I don't know any children who only have chocolate on a weekend and none of them are overweight or have teeth issues.

Christ I eat chocolate every day and I'm not overweight. I do have fillings but unfortunately most damage occured in pregnancy and there's nothing I can do about that.

I truly believe in everything in moderation.

I dont believe in banning things or making a big deal of rare treats because it just makes them want it more.

I used to live opposite a paper shop and watch a steady stream of teenagers eat sweets, crisps and energy drinks at 8am on a morning. I can't get het up about a younger child having a fun size chocolate.

Also lots of milky drinks and a snack cupboard he had free access to full Monster Munch and Mars Bars. All this kept him from starving to death.

Same (apart from the milk) with my daughter when she was one and her CMP intolerance meant we had to restrict the usual high fat options. Her dietician gave us the kind of diet sheet I’d love! Cake, biscuits, sweets.

I don't think it's an issue at all, but then my DD drinks squash every day so my opinion is invalid.

Good news, OP. They're your kids, and you can feed them as you see fit.

I'm guessing that people who faint Victorian lady style (metaphorically) at the thought of the sugar in half a dozen raisins didn't live through the 80s? Birds apeel anyone?

Though… on the other side
I never got sweets/chocolate
Home made puds on a Sunday - and I have no sweet tooth at all. I can live without it.

Feed them what you want. It's more sugar than I typically give my kids but that's neither here nor there.

I'm interested by the comparison with the 70/80/90s diets. I was never allowed as many sweet things as kids get nowadays. There wasn't anything like as many snack foods and my ma would never have wasted food money on goodies for us. We had a wee bit of pocket money and were allowed to the shop on a Saturday just. I also think there was much less sitting around. My ma was very strict about the amount of telly we watched and obviously no computer or anything at home. I'm not surprised kids are much fatter now.

OP I wouldn't be asking on here about your kid's diet. It'll be too carb/protein/ sugar heavy and some posters kids have nothing but superfood smoothies. Go with a balance