How often do you give sweets to your children?

[coolbeans]

I give ds (just turned three) sweets a few times a week, on the basis that I thought it was more sensible than banning them and turning them into the most wanted thing in the world.

However, he has now started asking and mithering me for them ALL the bloody time.
("Bon-bon, maman, bon-bon") morning, noon and flipping night and it's driving me loopy.

Should I just stop giving them to him altogether? I'm sure he'd protest, but I could cope with that if it meant less hassle in the future.
Or am I being unreasonable - is it just to be expected? Maybe I shouldn't have started with sweeties in the first place? (Probably true, but a bit late now, huh).

Every day.
they are older though.

DS 3.9 doesn't really have sweets on the basis that he is gluten and dairy free and has to eat halal. Its quite hard to find sweets that fit those categories. He gets sweets at Christmas and Easter and dark chocolate occasionally. He does however have a thing for sweet biscuits and cookies which we have had to cut down as the dentist told us his teeth are getting bad as we cant brush his teeth properly - he has ASD.

Why not get those little packs of yogurt covered dried fruit. You can get rasperry, strawberry, blackberry, etc. They're as sweet as sweets, but supposedly good for them and I'd bet your lo won't know the difference.

Never except when used to decorate a birthday cake.

But they have them at least once a week.
Shopkeepers and neighbours give them sweets, they bring sweets home from school every time there is a birthday in the class...