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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Is hot chocolate a treat?

98 replies

Dietchocolate · 07/11/2023 15:54

Looking for opinions. Context a child having a hot chocolate. (Age 7)

A hot chocolate is a treat - YANBU

A hot chocolate isn’t a treat, just a warm drink - YABU

OP posts:

Theredfoxfliesatmidnight · 07/11/2023 17:11

Treat if it's the proper stuff with squirty cream and marshmallows; normal drink if it's just a couple of spoons of cadburys high lights powder and hot water in a cup!

Fionaville · 07/11/2023 17:14

It's a treat. Not necessarily a rare treat, but still a treat. I wouldn't give my DCs more than one a day, put it that way. Whereas they love a decaf tea and they could have more than one of them a day.

smilesup · 07/11/2023 17:16

Definitely a treat in terms of calories and sugar. Even skimmed milk is like 3 biscuits!

Mumtobabyhavoc · 07/11/2023 17:17

I think it is special and wouldn't restrict it in the cool weather months if wanted. I don't use a mix. Instead real cocoa and sugar in hot milk. Marshmallows as well. Lovely for after dinner or after school.

betterangels · 07/11/2023 17:18

A treat.

Crunchymum · 07/11/2023 17:18

It's chocolate ergo it's a treat.

Original poster

Dietchocolate · 07/11/2023 17:19

Context being I’m a nanny. I will often tell child they cannot have a hot choc if they have had several treat items already. or alternatively, I will tell them They cannot have their evening hot chocolate (not implemented by me) if their behaviour is not deserving of a treat.

Their parent sees a hot chocolate as a distraction from a tantrum.

By their standards, hot chocolate is always made with warm milk, cream and accompanied with biscuits.

OP posts:

Doggymummar · 07/11/2023 17:20

I'm on holiday and I've had 5 today cos hot drinks are all inclusive. It's a treat and a warm drink but no cream or marshmallows etc.

Gowlett · 07/11/2023 17:22

Treat. It wasn’t one in Starbucks today, though.
i never go there, so many nice places near me.

However, I was in a different town with a nice view.
Didnt want coffee as the prices were truly ridiculous.

Ended up with half a cup of warm chocolate water.
Other half was melting cream. It was gone in five mins even with me sipping / “savouring. The cakes were a joke!

Hinestly, how is it so popular? I remember (more than 20 years ago) delicious Mocha, hot Latte, the blueberry muffins made with whole wheat. And gorgeous cheesecake slices…

Needmorelego · 07/11/2023 17:23

My mum gave me hot chocolate (made with milk not water) for breakfast as a child because I was a fussy eater and didn't like to eat breakfast. She wanted to make sure I had something in my tummy.
It's just a hot drink to me.

BIossomtoes · 07/11/2023 17:26

GalileoHumpkins · 07/11/2023 16:03

I don't consider it a treat, it's just a hot drink with delusions of grandeur.

I love this. It’s completely the opposite of a treat to me. It’s a cup of vile sweetness that sets my teeth on edge.

EarringsandLipstick · 07/11/2023 17:26

They cannot have their evening hot chocolate (not implemented by me) if their behaviour is not deserving of a treat.

I wouldn't get too hung up on whether it's a treat or not. I'd obviously balance it with their wider food intake across the day. But I wouldn't be going around calling it a treat.

But the above is crackers. If there's a problem with behaviour, you or parent deals with that, not withholding a fairly normal food (drink) item as a consequence.

Hobbitfeet32 · 07/11/2023 17:27

It’s not helpful to define food and drink as treats. Hot chocolate is a warm drink that can be high in sugar or fat depending on how it has been made.
It would depend on the rest of the day/weekly diet ie. how many foods high in fat or sugar are also being consumed as to how frequently it should be offered.

cocksstrideintheevening · 07/11/2023 17:28

Not all hot chocolates are equal...

TheJubileePortrait · 07/11/2023 17:29

No food or drink should be seen as a treat. They’re just food/drink. Everything in moderation.

strawberry2017 · 07/11/2023 17:30

As someone who hates tea and coffee I see it as just a normal hot drink but then I don't do anything fancy to it.

OhComeOnFFS · 07/11/2023 17:32

But maybe you are giving them too many sweet treats? I would factor in the evening hot chocolate and organise different treats yourself.

ManateeFair · 07/11/2023 17:34

Jeez, there are some weird attitudes to food and drink on this website. It's a warm milky drink, not a three-tier gateau laced with heroin.

As for whether it's a treat for a 7-year-old, I suppose that just depends if it's a regular occurrence? I mean, most things feel like a small treat to a 7-year-old if it's something they only have occasionally, don't they? For example, when I was a child I thought of a bagel as a treat, simply because we didn't have them at home, but if we went to my grandparents' flat on a Saturday afternoon, my grandad used to bring fresh ones home with him when he got in from work and that seemed vaguely exciting.

I mean, on the scale of treats, a hot chocolate is certainly at the minor end of the treat scale. It's a "Well, that was a horrible cold wet walk home from school, wasn't it? Shall we have a nice hot chocolate to cheer us up?" kind of treat or a "You were really brave at the doctor's when she gave you that injection. Tell you what, let's go to the cafe for a hot chocolate before we go home" kind of treat. A low-key treat.

Tiiredofthiss · 07/11/2023 17:34

If you don't have a lot of money and can't afford it regularly, it's a treat for sure.
Growing up I considered it a treat. As a young adult I couldn't afford to buy hot chocolate out of the food budget but might receive it as a gift at Christmas.
We're very fortunate now that money isn't a concern, we always have hot chocolate in and wouldn't consider it a treat. A velvetiser hot chocolate with whipped cream is a regular hot drink throughout the winter for us.

LynetteScavo · 07/11/2023 17:35

Well, the definition of a treat is something out of the ordinary which gives pleasure.

If you have a hot chocolate every morning and evening it's not a treat. If you have a warm milk every evening and a hot chocolate on Sundays, it's a treat.

Should it be a treat? Yes.
But my DC used to have one almost every evening, and to them a treat was marshmallows and cream in it.

hohohowheniscmascoming · 07/11/2023 17:35

I personally don't think it's helpful to link food or drink to behaviour whether as rewards/treats/distractions so think you are both being unreasonable

ShutTheDoorBabe · 07/11/2023 17:36

It is a treat in that we don't have it very often because I like to make it with actual chocolate and a mix of cream and milk. Sometimes I add vanilla or gingerbread flavouring. It's a bit of a faff to make and a pain to clean the pan, so is a rare occasion simply because I'm lazy.

BitofaStramash · 07/11/2023 17:37

With marshmallows and cream it's a treat.

Just regular it's a hot drink. Especially if low cal.

TastesLikeStrawberriesOnASummerEvening · 07/11/2023 17:42

It's just a warm drink, not a treat, unless it's one of those with marshmallows and cream etc

Apropos of nothing, I had a hot chocolate in McDonald's the other night, it was overly sweet, powdery and not great, at leat I didn't pay Starbucks prices for it.

Pollyannaatemyjelly · 07/11/2023 17:42

It's a treat.

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