So chocolate definitely is a stimulant then...

[Differentfrom]

Wow, we made the mistake of letting our DD (2.4) eat quite some chocolate yesterday, it being Easter Sunday. We're not food puritans and she has had the occasional taste before but, like I said, she did eat a fair amount over the course of the day. Put her to bed as usual at 7pm and she sang, chatted, made funny noises until 10:45pm! She was physically exhausted but just couldn't switch off. I did know that chocolate is a stimulant, but seeing as it has no effect whatsoever on me, I never considered it would have serious repercussions for my DD. Thing is, she was up at her usual 6:10 am this morning and is, predictably, a grump today. Did anyone else notice a chocolate-induced mania? Just interested...

I have just put my four year old to bed because she is knackered from not sleeping last night

The chocolate-induced sugar rush is a nightmare in this house

Amazing that the vast quantities of Dairy Milk I eat doesn't seem to do a thing! Is it the sugar or the lecithin that's the stimulant? Never sure...

I think there's caffeine in chocolate too.

Ah yes. All round perfect toddler food then

Not noticed the behaviour thing particularly (though DD is currently scoffing an entire Creme Egg so we'll see).

It does seem to have a more or less instant effect on the bowels though, can always be relied upon to induce a poo.

Hmm, have to say that the chocolate / poo thing has gone unnoticed here (and probably best not to get me started on poo - suffice to say, inducement of poo is entirely uncalled for this child!).

Not sure about chocolate, but Stephen Fry did a thing once and went on about e numbers.
Saying that it was just the belief of the parent that was passed to the child, that e numbers would set them daft. IYSWIM

ie 'Don't drink too much of that ...what are they called? mind freeze.......Fruit shoot!
Don't drink too much, it will set you daft.
Cue a crazy child.

I gave my DD ice cream. No, my Parents gave it to her after dinner once. Against my wishes but I indulged them as her GPs, warning them that she would be all high. We took her home, talking and singing all the way, a nightmare to get to bed.

The next time I was there, I had heard this theory.
So I gave DD the same ice cream saying, 'it is a load of old nonsense, this won't affect you darling. You will still be sleepy in an hour. Enjoy'
Sure enough, silence in the car and a normal night time routine.
I couldn't believe it!

Not saying you are wrong OP your DD was clearly bouncing. But I could not believe the difference in DD when I fed her mind with getting high, she got high, fed her with not getting high and she didn't.

I still limit her intake, of any nonsense, though

That's an interesting theory and I quite believe in the whole power of suggestion idea. Applies to so many behaviour traits so why not food? And, as a theory, it does score Derren Brown(ie) points. Note to self: chocolate makes me thin

twinkling fairy, how old was your DD at the time?

DS had too much chocolate. It does contain caffeine, a stimulant, and theobromine and phenylethylamine, mood stimulants, and anandamide which has effects on the endocannabinoid receptor that is also affected by cannabis...

He was a bit hyper. It is not in my mind, nor his - he is too young to know that it could be (2.4) and I don't suggest it to him anyway.

how much do people think is too much then? For toddlers that is.

In my case (and I stress, mine only):
DS normally has one or sometimes two squares of Cadbury's in a day, and maybe half a penguin-type biscuit, because DH and I are chocoholics ourselves and because we don't want to set up any dodgy "treat" connotations with chocolate. It's just food.

However, yesterday he ate half a large chocolate bunny, a 3" chocolate egg and a few minieggs with turkish delight centres (we are in Oz so have these exotic choices!)

That was too much.

I'm not sure about the effects of regular chocolate but sometimes I add chunks of green + blacks dark choc to home made banana muffins and my toddler dc's go a bit loopy. AFAIK dark choc is higher in caffiene though, although lower in sugar.

She was not too long 3yrs.
Perhaps old enough for it all to affect her less/be more able to be swayed by the powers of suggestion? Is that what you mean?
My story was not choc related (she eats about the same in a day as you thumbchick)

Just an aside story, cos I thought it was mad, the change.
Does sound like a choc orgy though Yummy! But would defo affect them, I would think.

I believe that DD had 2 mini creme eggs, 2 chocolate lolly type things, small slice of my mother's dark chocolate cake, a single smartie (!) - way more than usual (but not particularly excessive for Easter?). Evidently too much for her anyway. She probably sneaked bits from her little cousin's supply too.
Meglet, didn't know that dark choc was higher in caffeine. That's why dark, dark choc goes so well with proper coffee.

yes, that was why I was asking TF - but I hope to goodness she doesn't eat the same amount of choc as I do, because she would be higher than a kite! (I have a serious problem with choc, I probably have 10 times what DS does in a day )

Meglet - yes, dark chocolate is higher in all the mood-altering substances as they are found in the cocoa solids, so the higher the cocoa content, the higher the caffeine etc.

Similar story Differentfrom, ds is nearly 3 and had half a hollow egg yesterday, he was both hyper and grumpy and had a disturbed night's sleep, grumpy again today. Definitely something in it

My dd (just turned 3) turns into the toddler equivalant of a benign drunk when she's had any chocolate ie talking non-stop, laughing at her own jokes, giggling at nothing. She had a friend over today and something possessed me to help them make chocolate cakes. They were quite entertaining together but thankfully asleep now.

LOL at thread title

No chocolate today for dd and, thus far, all is quiet upstairs. I did pilf a small handful of her chocolate buttons today - obviously for her benefit.