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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

toddlers and chewing gum <seethe>

11 replies

kitbit · 01/07/2008 17:42

Out with a friend today, our dc's are 3. In the car they were both making a huge racket "you stop talking...no YOU stop talking....mumeeee she won't stop talking..." etc etc so my friend turned to her dd and offered her some chewing gum. She asked if ds wanted any and I must have looked aghast, so I explained that I had it drummed into me when small that you don't swallow gum (doesn't digest etc) and also small child could choke as it doesn't break down (I know 3 is past choking stage but even so). She said "oh, she always spits it out when she's finished"...fine, fair enough, said nothing.

2 mins later her dd starts coughing, turns out she swallowed it by accident and had to be plied with about a pint of water. Friend turns to me and says "she NEVER does that, she must have heard you talking about swallowing it"

WHAT??? apart from being blamed I hate seeing toddlers chewing on gum ICK but I really thought I'd done my best to zip it except when offered some for ds... but anyway, am I old fashioned and being all PFB about this? ? !?

OP posts:
cornsilk · 01/07/2008 17:51

toddlers with chewing gum? The woman is a loon.

Aitch · 01/07/2008 17:55

euch, i hate seeing anyone chewing gum. it's revolting.

Lowfat · 01/07/2008 17:56

Eurgh no, DD is 4 and she has older friends who have it and I say NO

YANBU or Old fashioned FWIW

bonkerz · 01/07/2008 17:57

i wont let DS have gum and he is 8!

flubdub · 01/07/2008 18:01

yanbu

Love2bake · 01/07/2008 18:09

YANBU

Don't see any reason why you give a toddler chewing gum. Using it as a way to get your child to be quiet (at your friend)

OldLadyKnowsNothing · 01/07/2008 18:11

Lol when I was little my "best friend" told me if you swallowed chewing gum it would stick to your chest and kill you. How worried was I when my breasts started to develop...

But I don't like to see kids chewing gum all the time either, and 3 is definitely too young.

kitbit · 01/07/2008 19:04

LOL at OldLady's gum-boobs!
Thank you for the sanity check kind mumsnetters, glad to know I wasn't being all precious and fogeyish about it. Friend is otherwise lovely and parenting style is quite similar to my own in many ways, but mad departure on the food/treats/edible substances ideas.

OP posts:
Tas1 · 01/07/2008 19:17

She's lucky she only swollowed it, if she had inhaled it, it could have been very serious.
An absolute NO NO!!!!

bumpybecky · 01/07/2008 19:26

my kids have never had gum, they're now 10, 8, 3 (and 6 months). You'd be a madwoman to even suggest it to toddlers. I can just see the mess and the stuck together hair now.....

kitbit · 01/07/2008 19:42

hmm yes, had forgotten about the inhaling thing, feel even more vindicated now!
However also feel that I need to take friend aside and have a word... I have overlooked the Chupa Chups and chocolate donut obsession but the gum thing I think really needs mentioning. Ho humm, that conversation will be fun!

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