When did you give your baby sugar?

[TheBeesKnee]

As in, sugar from sources other than fruit?

DS is almost 11 months and the sweetest thing he's probably had is an orange. He was trembling with excitement and his head nearly popped off! He has fruit for dessert after lunch and dinner. He eats well. Is breast fed and drinks water sometimes. He's had Calpol, which obviously contains sugar but I'm not sure if that counts.

My parents and in-laws keep making comments about giving him a taste of chocolate or juice etc etc. I'm not comfortable but when I complained about this in my "mums" group I got lots of comments about how the babies have tried biscuits, chocolates, brioche etc and I'm now second guessing myself.

Am I being unreasonable? Am I too strict? I don't actually know how long I'm going to keep this up for, I know he will try sweets and chocolate etc at some point... but I don't know when!

Just looking for some experience, feedback, insight etc.

[PaminaMozart]

Nobody 'needs' sugar, least of all babies.

I can't remember when ours first tasted sugary UPF. Probably an ice cream in a park or birthday cake when they were about 3-ish?

It's all so long ago, but they didn't seem deprived and none of them grew up with a sweet tooth. And no fillings!

[UpsideLeft]

They normally eat cake on their first birthday so if he's not eating cake then, then that's just very sad

[UpsideLeft]

My DD in primary school had a girl whose DM gave her only healthy food for packed lunch

All the girls felt sorry for her so she would be given crisps and chocolates by them on a daily basis

[Meadowfinch]

I think ds had some chocolate buttons at about 2.5.

They became his 'treat', maybe twice a month.

[OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon]

If he has fruit twice a day, why did having an orange have him ' trembling with excitement and his head nearly popped off! '

[Delphina17]

DD1 on her birthday (cake, though it was a homemade low sugar cake). Nursery then introduced her to ice cream and chocolate without my consent.

DD2 9 months as we're on holiday somewhere that does the best ice cream in the world, so we gave her a tiny taste. Next time it'll be on her birthday then hopefully not until she starts requesting the same treats DD2 gets.

[LightDrizzle]

@UpsideLeft

They normally eat cake on their first birthday so if he's not eating cake then, then that's just very sad

How is that sad? Who is sad in that scenario? Not her son. I guarantee he won’t be disappointed not to have a sugary cake on his birthday at 12 months. Give it a few years and he might be.

With regard to your second bizarre comment there is a big difference between a baby or toddler and a primary aged child. The OP acknowledges that her son will try juice and chocolate at some point in the future.

Do you have a cake smash canvasses of your children at one years old on your walls or something? Why are you so keen for a stranger to introduce her
baby to refined sugars?

[UpsideLeft]

I don't have a sweet tooth so I didn't have sweet treats in the house when DC were growing up

Nursery and school was strictly water only no juice or squash thank god.

I don't get the obsession with no sugar for DC

Is this because parents are over compensating for their own lack of ability to regulate

If anyone gave my DC ice cream or chocolate I couldn't give a shit because they weren't having it at home or nursery or primary school. It would be a random rare one off.

At Easter and Christmas I buy chocolates, the only time actually, and when toddlers they had Easter egg hunts.

My DC will always choose fruit over chocolate

I guess what I'm saying is don't obsess over it unnecessarily ie if someone gives them a treat or on special occasions.

They learn and understand it's not to be part of their daily diet because it isn't

So don't worry about letting him taste it from other people he's not going to go on a sugar frenzy because it's not accessible at home.

They're just like oh this tastes nice, yum, at that moment in time. Then they move on to whatever they're doing.

Basically don't make a big deal out of it or even acknowledge if someone gives him a sweet treat. Just move on

It's not a gateway to anything unless you make a ridiculous big deal in front of them to not have any when offered

[UpsideLeft]

You don't have to be the one who gives him the sugary food items

I didn't (apart from Easter and Christmas) after age 4

But don't deny him when he's offered any

Don't get hung up on it or he'll really want it then

[excessivescreentime]

We started letting DD have the odd bite of our dessert when we were our for meals from when she was under a year old (can't remember exactly when). We thought it was nice to include her in what we were eating.

She now has the odd juice, biscuit etc, mainly when we are out. I think some of her yoghurts have sugar in unfortunately. And we all baked a cake the other day that had some sugar in it.

I don't think you are being "too strict": your approach is valid/reasonable and I think what books would recommend. But I also think it's fine for people to take a less strict approach than you are. As with lots of parenting things, I think there's a big range of approaches that are fine. So carry on doing what you are happy with !

[Ponderingwindow]

Cake on the first birthday.
part of why it’s such a big deal, it’s the first refined sugar baby eats. It’s signals the end of the extremely protected diet and on to one that is a bit more relaxed.

[MariaVT65]

In our experience, it’s the grandparents that insist on buying and feeding much more sugary crap than we do. It’s like the default present for them is chocolate.

I honestly can’t remember about sugar, i remember being more worried about too much salt tbh.

My DS has only iust started having weak squash at 3.

Everything in moderation. The (British?) culture to have pudding after every meal baffles me so we’ve never done that. Our nursery doesn’t do it either, but they’ll have cake for birthdays.

[Rosybamboo]

If I had an ice cream DD would get a few licks. If I had a milkshake she would get a few sips. We share these treats while walking around the park or a shopping centre.

[CrispsandCheeseSandwich]

They both definitely had some homemade cake on their first birthday, not sure if that was their first sugary thing.

I didn't really think about it to be honest, so it's possible they had some biscuit or a lick of ice cream or something before then. We eat pretty healthily, they only drink milk and water, we never have squash or juice, and don't have sweets in the house really. I do baking with DD1 (4.5) fairly regularly, which is probably their main source of sweet food. But that isn't all the time.

[Rubyrubyrubyruby123]

Trembling with excitement at an orange 🤣🤣🤣🤣 only on mumsnet.

[shearwater2]

DD1 - First Easter, so she was about nine months, had a couple of buttons or something. Then she would have had a bit of cake on her first birthday.

DD2 - Can't remember, though you are definitely more relaxed about these things when there is also a three year old charging about.

[Inyourwildestdreams]

DS had a very very small piece of cake on his first and second birthdays. Other than that, I went with “he can have it when he’s old enough to ask to try it” 🤷🏻‍♀️

At about 2.5 he noticed Easter eggs in the supermarket so I explained what they were and that the Easter bunny brings them etc. He was so excited! So I bought him one of the small buttons eggs to have on Easter Sunday. He opened it and had about 3 bites and gave me it back because it was “so sticky in his mouth” 😂 He asked for a bit a few times over the next couple of weeks when he was having his regular snacks but wasn’t bothered by it at all.

DH and I don’t really have a sweet tooth so don’t tend to have many sweet foods in the house. Occasionally when we’re out and about at a toddlers group/ on holiday or at the supermarket something will catch DSs attention (jammie dodgers/ice cream etc) and he’ll ask if he can try it. I have no problem with this. He’s a ridiculously good eater and always curious to try new things so we treat all food as equal at the moment and I wouldn’t want him to see me treating foods as “bad”.

We bake etc together - I just tend to opt for sugar free recipes.

At 3.5 he’s still never tasted juice. I just don’t see the need. We only have milk and water in the house anyway and he’s never shown interest in anything else so will continue water/milk until such times as he asks to try squash etc.

Ignore what family/friends think @TheBeesKnee - do what feels right for you 😊 I’m the “cruelest mummy in the world” according to my MIL for ‘making’ DS drink water and eat vegetables (both of which he loves 🙄) because she exists solely on tea/coffee/fizzy drinks and beige foods. And my own parents tell me all the time that it’s ridiculous that DS eats curry/chilli/stir fry etc for meals and doesn’t get “kids food” 😅

[Cbljgdpk]

My first had chocolate for the first time in her first birthday cake. Once they become aware of what you’re eating they want it and unless you eat no sugar then it becomes a downhill slope from there so I’d hold out. They didn’t have juice until about 3 at least and it’s still something they have with dinners out rather than at home as I just don’t think there’s the need.
my in laws were like that and I have to keep a firm eye on what they give my DC, they’ll buy the big bag of haribo for example

[Totterytumble]

Offered birthday cake on first birthday (spat it out!). I focused on nutritious and healthier foods for as long as I could get a way with as they literally do not know what chocolate or sugary stuff is before that (easier with first child rather than second!)

Around age 2 probably was more relaxed. Still only drink water and milk (apart from at parties they have juice if they wanted from about 3. Same with sweets, I never buy packets of haribo etc but they eat them at parties. Basically until they started noticing things and asking for them!)

To be honest My main concern is their teeth when they’re eating.

[mondaytosunday]

First nothing overtly sweet (chocolate or ice cream etc, and I don't think biscuits either) til after two. Must have had cake on his first birthday though.

[heatherwithapee]

I don't remember exactly but all of mine had small amounts, like a (tiny) bit of birthday cake on their first birthday, a lick of an ice cream on a day out from maybe 8-9 months etc. I used chocolate buttons for bribery when toilet training at 24 months. Whilst we didn't serve sugary food to them daily as babies or young toddlers, it wasn't forbidden either so if they were offered a biscuit when visiting relatives, they were allowed a small bit.

[Seeline]

I honestly can't remember - it really wasn't a big deal. We weaned at 4 months in those days, and I suspect they had ice cream, chocolate buttons, cake and biscuits at about 6-8 months. Along with home made meals, fruit and veg.
As young adults they both eat healthily and sensibly. Neither are overweight.
I really don't see the issue. Everything in moderation and then they are less likely bro go mad as soon as they are able to choose for themselves.

[Koalaslippers]

I'm not sure really, before 1. I just gave them very little bits, sweets and chocolates etc are treats for them and it takes ages to get through Easter eggs as they rarely ask for it.

[DinnaeFashYersel]

From 6 months we gave whatever we were eating so ours would have had some sugar now and again. As we have a balanced diet that would have meant a bit of sugar now and again.

I don't believe in forbidden foods.

[DinnaeFashYersel]

@Rubyrubyrubyruby123

Trembling with excitement at an orange 🤣🤣🤣🤣 only on mumsnet.

Isn't it just. 🤣