Who gives a 16 month old chocolate every day?

[456FTMCoffeeDiet]

Just read a recent government statistic that HALF of toddlers in the UK between 16 and 18 months old get a treat daily (i.e. chocolate, ice cream, crisps, cake). WTF? Who does that? I have every sympathy re weaning and feeding toddlers, my toddler has dairy, egg and a few other random allergies so my head is about to explode trying to cook food and snacks for him every day. It's a gigantic pain and source of stress. And I have nothing against an ocasional treat. But cake and ice cream daily when they're under 2?

I get there will be a small number of very fussy eaters and you just need to give them some calories ? But that doesn't explain half of toddlers, no way. Anyone here who does this, why do you do it?

AIBU to be shocked?

Btw this is the relevant advice you should be sharing. https://www.nhs.uk/baby/weaning-and-feeding/foods-to-avoid-giving-babies-and-young-children/

Babies should not eat much salt, as it's not good for their kidneys.

Do not add salt to your baby's food or cooking water, and do not use stock cubes or gravy, as they're often high in salt.

Remember this when you're cooking for the family if you plan to give the same food to your baby.

Avoid salty foods like:

bacon
sausages
chips with added salt
crackers
crisps
ready meals
takeaways
Sugar
Your baby does not need sugar.

By avoiding sugary snacks and drinks (including fruit juice and other fruit drinks), you'll help prevent tooth decay.

£28k per year nursery here and they all get pudding everyday. Child has left now but we were told the menu complied with government’s recommended diet for the age.

They definitely gave them homemade cake and ice cream (made from frozen bananas) though.

It’s very hard based on your list of food to know if it’s appropriate or not because it doesn’t contain the ingredients and cake or ice cream does automatically need to be as unhealthy as it can be, whilst some parents give their children huge amount of sugar from fruit.

I think it’s really common for children to have a traditional hot lunch and cake and custard style pudding in the uk. It’s replicated in school dinners as well as nursery. They need calories at that age.

they are usuallly made without sugar, but would still count as a treat.

You don't seem to know what a lot of posters are saying 😂

You posted information about how children don't need salt and it causes high blood pressure and a preference for salt and claimed it wasn't proving my point that babies aren't supposed to have salt! 😂

I think you're confused.

I think a lot of parents toilet train their children with chocolate buttons as well or give treats to get medicine down them. It obviously doesn’t account for all of the children who get treats, but it would explain some of them.

nice try again.

maybe stick “adding salt to food” into Chat GPT and see if it can explain to you what that means.

if you want to get back on the topic of how not to fuck up your kids attitude to food, I’m here to discuss.

21 now!

It is really common. It's not healthy. That's why our health and weight problems are so common and some of the worst in the world. This attitude to food is not healthy and is harming children, the NHS are trying to educate parents and they just ignore it because giving your kids shit food and cake and custard for lunch daily is 'normal'.

Children are being failed.

Do you not think through your daughter you can eat better? As in as she gets older only buying more veg, eating fruit not chocolate cooking well seasoned and broad meals, and by doing that and eating the same as her you can slowly get more used to that food. Also there are good therapists etc for this, and sometimes it's a little like ERP which can be useful, it's used for OCD but ti's about alow exposure, some of the methods you might find helpful.

Also your mother sounds like she never gave you anything else, that is different to giving your child a treat here and then. Balance is key and you don't want her to think all x foods are bad either or feel guilty if she eats them etc.

But also I think more definition on a treat is needed, as some people might consider flapjacks or fruit and yoghurt a treat, so it's hopefully a lower number that's actually sweets etc. Apologies seen that OP has defined this, so that doesn't matter. I think the daily thing is the worse part, okay once a while (even thought it's not needed at all at age and can be easily controlled) but why on earth every day.

My little girl is 22 months old and has just had a chocolate chip mini muffin as a snack BUT she also eats pretty much every kind of fruit (except kiwi) she also eats all her veg before bothering with anything else on her plate (even brussel sprouts) but heaven fobid she has a chocolate chip mini muffin 🤦🏻‍♀️ none of my children are fussy eaters, they all eat fruit and veg daily so a bit of chocolate every now n then is fine imo xx

You sound abit superior and sanctimonious. Oh call social services because I gave my 16month old a bite of my Victoria sponge or a lick of my ice cream. There’s a world of difference between shoving crap and junk into your toddler and letting the have a bite of something. Even if daily

I assume she's your first? If you have another they don't take long to notice that a sibling is eating something they seem to be enjoying!

My eldest was weaned almost entirely on home cooked healthy meals, from the age of about 2.5 -5 he refused everything except cold baked beans then started eating eating a bit more of a variety but still not much. Only veg he would touch was peas. Now as an adult he eats everything.

All I have done is present scientific evidence to you which you choose to ignore because you're going to give your kids cake and custard everyday because you think it's normal.

You don't seem to understand what a lot of people are saying, it's not just limited to me. Please do feel free to.stop insulting me and calling me weird. Declaring I have an eating disorder because I think you're feeding you kids crap is also shitty behaviour. Please feel free to move on and leave me alone. You jumped on me remember?

Ok, then agree that’s awful. For adults too, frankly, not just toddlers!

It's the daily part that I do think can be quite damaging. And just unnecessary at 16 months.

Having frequent treats doesnt mean they are having a generally unhealthy diet though - for some kids it does, sure, but you can have treats within a healthy diet.

My 3 and 1 year old probably have a 'treat' most days but also eat homemade rissoto/bolognase/fajitas/vegetable curries ect. I dont think e.g one little biscuit will override all the other healthy food they have

I get the concern, and I'm sure there are many kids that eat umbalanced diets, but I think its hard to judge on just that statistic

(Edited to add - mine definately don't have chocolate/crisps/icecream every day, I agree that really isn't good)

You’re missing cake, which was included according to the gov survey linked upthread and that’s pretty significant because nurseries do not usually serve sweets, crisps or chocolate but will serve (low sugar homemade) cake and that will be skewing the data. Also lots of people make these things at home but technically they are cake so according to that survey would potentially count as a treat even if they’re a low/no sugar recipe. There’s a BIG distinction to doing a weekly batch of Annabel Karmel’s carrot and apple muffins and dishing out skittles at snack time IMO.

Lots of things aren’t necessary but doesn’t make them harmful. I would agree if you are giving toddlers crap all day but I don’t think a little treat is so damaging if the majority of what they eat is good. I’m a big believer in each to their own but my issue is you come across as judgy and the post is designed to make others feel shitty.

Correct - first and only. I can see how much more difficult it would be with more than one. I would have tried not to introduce junk food for as long as possible, but as you say, who knows how long it would last?

Once we did start to introduce sweets, it wasn’t often. Probably not even weekly. I reckon we would have lasted a while 🤷🏻‍♀️

You’re not overreacting daily chocolate for a toddler sounds excessive. Occasional treats are fine, but under-2s really don’t need sugar every day, so your shock is completely understandable.

I think birth order has an impact though. My first had no sugar at all apart from naturally occurring until three. My youngest is 20 months and has been having a rich tea biscuit or similar 3/4 times a week when his brother has one after his bath. It’s very difficult with a younger sibling!

Plenty of children eat a wide range of vegetables and enjoy them. It’s actually not unusual.

If you have a child then you are of an age to take responsibility for your relationship with food and change it. It will be increasingly unhealthy for your child to have a parent with orthorexia and as the adult, you need to be the one to take responsibility for changing that perception so they grow up with a balance food view.

Some crisps along the lines of melty sticks, veggie straws or wafers are a daily occurrence for both my 3.5 year old and 11 month old and I don’t feel bad about it at all, it’s just food and a part of a much wider diet.

My youngest has never had chocolate, cake or ice cream and is unlikely to any time soon/before 2, that’s complicated by him being dairy and soy free. They’re probably weekly treats for his brother that have started over the last year or so and I don’t see a problem with that either.

We usually enjoy a treat together when we go out or a hot chocolate a film of a weekend.

I also don’t see Greek yoghurt/coconut yoghurt and fruit as treats, just regular healthy food and I’m surprised others do! (And no, my children don’t have a problem with their weight and neither do we!)