AIBU to give my children a treat everyday?

[Flossyknicks]

I’m wondering what other parents do when it comes to giving their children treats. They are 8 and 4 and will have a biscuit like a digestive or a custard cream, or a Mr Kipling Angel Slice, every day. At the weekends, it might be two treats.

YABU one treat a day is too much
YANBU one treat a day is ok

Shocking! How can you afford that - there’s a cost of living crisis don’t you don’t. Shame on you!

Well done OP. Youve achieved peak MN status.

Yep of course, people choose to consume food for lots of other reasons, which is why I said in my previous post they should be limited rather than removed.

We don’t use food as a reward. We do have biscuits, cake, chocolate in moderation but don’t make a big deal out of it.
My one kid would pick strawberries as a treat over something processed any day.

Wish i could get DD down to a biscuit a day…I’m waay too soft!

My 2 children train in their chosen sports for 10-12 hours a week, plus the normal kids activities on top (bike riding, swimming etc). Pretty sure they could eat an angel slice a day without becoming ‘podgy’.

Well of course you're right that there are far more extreme views around here 😅

But imo what you said is still extreme because it's so absolute. Without any exceptions, like most absolute statements, it's untrue. The biscuits I made with my kids yesterday were not UPFs. They also have nutritional value, given that anything with calories has nutritional value, as it gives us energy.

In my view it's unhelpful to keep presenting absolute views like this to people who are clearly already concerned about finding the right balance with their children's diets, and their own. People joke about the Mumsnet "hive mind" but there is absolutely a strange culture around food on here, and it's very worrying, especially to those of us who've been around people suffering from orthorexia.

I take your point and I could have been more specific in my comment. It’s great that you have baked home made biscuits with your kids but the issue is that a lot of people don’t/can’t do this.

As for nutritional value, I don’t know what ingredients you used so I’ll leave it there on those. For UPF biscuits, yes they give calories so would be necessary in the absence of all other food but I will add a nuance that it is nutritional value relative to other (more nutrient dense) foods/ingredients.

Hey, what does this mean? Sorry, I’m a bit clueless with MN. I haven’t posted in years and now I remember why. Some people are crazy!

I’m not fretting or worried, I was just curious what others do. I’ve never had issue with food as some have insinuated, it really wasn’t that deep :) x

But OP said her DC are 4 and 8. How old are your DC?

It would be interesting to know as I feel like some posters on here have older children and are applying their standards to OP's whose youngest child is 4.

It means people are being bitchy and making snide comments.

God forbid you (gasp!) ask the opinion of other parents on a parenting forum.

Jesus. What a time to be alive

I was one of those people so sorry I misjudged! And to answer your original question, no yanbu with what you give your children 🙂

I’m sure they could, but lots of children don’t do much exercise.,

I fully agree and am more than aware of the health dangers of processed foods. But a handy proxy for if you’re eating too much of them is if you start to look a bit tubby.

Yes, definitely. My previous comment wasn't meant to be aimed at you specifically. I was just putting it out there as so many people on this thread seem to be misinformed/ignorant to these things.

Previous posters have mocked @Floppyearedlab for referring to biscuits as a treat and pondering whether one a day is too much when various health sources have, in fact, referred to biscuits as treat foods and recommended having half to 1 standard digestive, once or twice a week.

It's a shame people couldn't be polite when expressing their opinions.

I agree with you, it’s a very emotive subject unfortunately. I find the whole idea about not restricting foods or designating certain foods “treat” foods quite strange and misguided, but I’m quite a factual person.
An angel slice is a once a week food as far as I’m concerned, just given the UPF nature of it, never mind the calories.

It is, and probably more PC than fat

Our gym has an outdoor pool, usually adults only but made an exception for half term and the hot weather for a few hours a day.
The amount of podgy children was scary. I am sure there weren’t as many 30 years ago. Rolls of fat bulging over swimsuits, chubby legs, low energy. It was really sad to see.
But of course they were cramming junk into their mouths on the sun loungers between dips.

I know - I always wonder why parents don’t take action. If my kids had waists that went out not in I’d ensure they weren’t eating too many snacks. But a lot of people seem to think restricting food is damaging, rather than good parenting. Ah well. My kids aren’t the fat ones with a higher risk of cancer and CV disease.