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Eating and tantrums...Hipp organic chocolate pudding.

5 replies

TediBersMorRad · 09/02/2010 22:39

My DS is nearly 20 months, is just beginning to talk, and is very willful, always has been.

I'm beginning to feel a bit crap about one issue. He eats well, a nice varied diet, gets a proper lunch at nursery two days a week and also at my Mum's. But we have a problem with Hipp Organic Vanilla and Cocoa dessert. (Basically chocolate blancmange...!) I used to give it to him as the occasional treat. He won't eat any jars (that's fine - he used to get jarred dessert or fruit puree but not main meals). But the Hipp organic chocolate thing has become an obsession.
Of late, he's demonstrating that he's very keen on it. Very keen indeed. He tried to persuade me to give it to him for breakfast one morning (he didn't get it!) and he normally wants it most times of the day. I don't give it to him between meals or anything like that, but it's becoming clear that he won't eat any dessert at supper time other than this. He won't eat yoghurt or fruit now, and if I try to give him something other than his favourite 'chocolate' pudding, he has a tantrum.
All well and good, but what should I do? Go cold turkey on it and see how long until he forgets? Let him have his tantrum but not the pudding? I want to make sure he eats, but I don't want him to become chocolate mad or obsessed by it or develop any food-related problems.

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MrsSawdust · 09/02/2010 22:53

I think you should, as you suggest, go cold turkey on the choc pud. To give in to his demands would be to teach him that he will get his own way as long as he tantrums for long enough.

Pudding isn't an essential part of the meal. As long as he's eaten his main course with plenty of veggies, I wouldn't worry if he refuses to eat the fruit or yoghurt you offer him. Keep offering it anyway, he might decide to eat it eventually.

TediBersMorRad · 10/02/2010 09:33

OK, thanks! Wish me luck - there's going to be rather a lot of screaming in my house this week...

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Zaziedanslemetro · 10/02/2010 11:27

Just wanted to add that we had a similar situation with our 18month DD: my Mum bought her some chocolate buttons for Christmas and we were giving her one or two after her evening meal, but quickly got to the situation where she was demanding them straight away... Cold turkey the only solution, I'd say!

Could you offer him a different type of yoghurt (different colours or pictures on the pots?), or present the fruit chopped up in a different way? Sometimes this works for us, to make it seem more like a novelty.

It's so hard refusing something to a small child who doesn't really understand, and then seeing them get really upset! But I guess it's just one of the hard parts of being a parent. Good luck.

mazzystartled · 10/02/2010 11:34

yeah, had similar with ds when he was wee

we cut out all "pudding" entirely for a while. still offered fruit for snacks or on same plate with main meal. he got over it in a day or two.

pudding - when it is offered - in our house is now pretty much a piece of fruit, or soft fruit and plain yoghurt, and occasionally something special like crumble or cake at the weekend if the whole family are having it

other flavoured yoghurts etc not going to be substantially more nutritious, so I wouldn't bother substituting them

DaftApeth · 10/02/2010 11:59

Don't buy anymore.

Tell him it's all gone.

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