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Original poster

Can (should) children eat Christmas pudding?

103 replies

Dampfnudel · 12/12/2016 10:26

We are going to relatives for Christmas, and there will be Christmas pudding. They always drench it in brandy and set fire to it, plus it is home-made and I think there is a fair bit of alcohol in it too.

My 9 year old loves foods like that - dark and full of dried fruit. I know she'll want to eat a big portion of Christmas pudding, and I am worried about the alcohol content.

Am I being ridiculously over-protective? I am considering buying a mini size non-alcoholic pudding just for her.

This has never come up with any of the other children in the family (who are older), they always have ice cream or chocolate sundae or something instead because they don't like Christmas pudding. Last year I only let DD have a very small portion because I was concerned about the alcohol, and the rest of the family told me I was daft, and DD was upset.

Am I worrying about nothing, or is it too much alcohol?

OP posts:
MrsMattBomer · 12/12/2016 16:36

ObsidianWinter

Our kids are in a similar position. Where they're from it's the norm but we started at about 10 letting them have a bit of mulled wine or egg nog. Now they're 15 we basically just let them have a glass of wine with christmas dinner.

I wouldn't worry what other people say - it's just that in this country it's odd. I must admit I was a bit confused when their grandparents told me it's normal over there, but I just went with it and they've turned out fine.

KatherinaMinola · 12/12/2016 16:41

I would definitely give a 9yo Xmas pud with brandy in it (I would give a smaller child a tiny taste of it, topped up with ice cream).

I would also give a 15yo a glass of wine with Xmas dinner if they wanted it.

I wouldn't give a 3yo a taste of beer or wine though - and I am pretty relaxed about these things.

Dizzybintess · 12/12/2016 16:46

I ate Christmas pudding from the age of 4 covered in brandy butter and courvoisier cream! Last time I checked I'm not a raging alcoholic.
A friend of mine had crazy overprotective parents and wouldn't allow her at the age of 17 to even drink shandy or walk past a pub. Her dad was a policeman and he would get every sighting fed back to him. On her 18th they told her she could crack on and have a drink. Needless to say she went nuts. A few weeks after her 18th I literally found her passed out in the gutter outside a pub!!
It's not wise to go buying your child a litre of vodka at the age of 11 but a relaxed view to the odd glass of wine means they don't go nuts at 18 x

Bluntness100 · 12/12/2016 16:48

The Xmas pud is fine, even if she has an adult portion,

The three year old is something different though, I come from a Mediterannean family and wine with out meals was common, even the kids, trying to remember back but it was a tiny amount in a wine glass and topped up with lemonade, probably about nine or ten years old, maybe younger, and the amount grew as we aged, so maybe up to half a glass by the age of fifteen topped up with lemonade.

Not a three year old though, I'm sorry that's very worrying indeed. I seriously hope that's a troll post.

PollyPerky · 12/12/2016 16:48

Alcohol is burned off once it's set alight.

Idiotxit · 12/12/2016 16:50

If you aren't going to lose your marbles over kiddies eating Christmas pudding then you don't get to lose them over dribbles of alcohol in water/lemonade

I think most people would recognise there's a difference between a nine-year old eating Christmas put and giving a three year old alcohol to drink.

I'm fully aware of parents letting 10 + children try bits of wine. It's completely familiar to me from the places I lived. But 3 years old? Nope.

Plus, obviously, it's actually against the law. I wonder on what basis you're dismissing all of the research behind that.

PberryT · 12/12/2016 16:50

[😂

OP you have reminded me of a woman who said to her husband (when I was running a cake stall) that he "wasn't allowed to have any chocolate Guinness cake because he was driving". There's about half a can in the whole cake!

ppeatfruit · 12/12/2016 16:53

Obsidian I live part time in a country village in mid Fr. you said there is n't much of problem with alcohol here well' Our policeman neighbour- was sent to a specific hospital for the police to 'dry out'. Our other neighbour hung himself at age 73, he was depressed, caused by the amount of alcohol he used to put away (he lived in the village bar). The policeman couldn't keep up with him! .

They too drink heavily and drive drunk esp. on Sundays after the special lunch. (they kill more people than we do on the roads).. It's quite a large problem actually. The famous drinks before supper that is popular is them putting away strong wines. My water drinking is looked on as being "wussy" or the fr. equivalent.

Artandco · 12/12/2016 16:54

Mrs - that opium/ heroin from eat poppy seeds has been completely debunked. They tested and you would have to had eaten about 10kg of poppy seads alone to even detect a trace. So if your husband tested positive for heroin it definitely wasn't because of a few seeds on his sandwich!

ppeatfruit · 12/12/2016 16:55

Oh not to mention our postman who was 'dried out too. The cheese man and butcher too Xmas Confused.

Benedikte2 · 12/12/2016 16:56

When I was a lass I was given cough mixture with alcohol in it and
Dinnafords? for colic which also contained alcohol and was intended for infants. Thinking has changed somewhat over the years but a tiny amount of alcohol doesn't appear to be harmful, at least to older children. I doubt most families give a second thought to serving trifle up the all the family unless it's a family joke that the maker uses lashings of alcohol.
Let your DD enjoy her Christmas pud, she won't eat enough to cause her any problems.
BTW no one in my family has developed problem drinking habits and in fact we drink very little and I have gone years without anything more than a glass of wine at a wedding and as an additive to puddings.
Have felt quite "warm" and on the edge of tipsy drinking a cup of gluhwein at Christmas markets.

ChuckGravestones · 12/12/2016 16:57

Alcohol isn't burnt off once it is alight! However a tiny amount will not harm kids.

GrandMarmoset · 12/12/2016 17:00

Goodness, it's never even occurred to me. We always had Christmas pud, sherry trifle etc. as children, as did our children. We all survived.

Agerbilatemycardigan · 12/12/2016 17:06

My kids loved my homemade Christmas pud, and it contained so much alcohol that I risked burning half the neighbourhood down when I lit it Grin

The alcohol gets burned off anyway, so they chance of your youngsters turning into lairy drunks over the festive season is pretty slim Xmas Wink hic

MrsMattBomer · 12/12/2016 17:06

Artandco

To be fair, it didn't scream heroin, it just said he had trace amounts of opioids. As he's in the RAF, these are really sensitive tests. First thing they asked him is if he'd been prescribed anything like Diazepam, which he hadn't. Then they asked what foods he'd eaten and they said straight away "Oh that'll be it then."

They said it was a really tiny amount, nothing to trigger off a warning but enough that they could actually detect it.

See here: www.snopes.com/medical/drugs/poppyseed.asp if you don't believe it happens!

PerryHatter · 12/12/2016 17:09

Surely you can't even taste a dribble of wine in loads of lemonade? So the exercise is pointless.

MrsMattBomer · 12/12/2016 17:12

Idiotxit

To be fair, I think three is a bit young too. A 6 year old is probably OK to have a little tiny dribble of wine mixed with lemonade or something.

As kids, we used to drink the foam off my dad's pint when we were about 5 and we turned out fine.

Artandco · 12/12/2016 17:13

IT was on myth busters they tested the poppyseeds

Lindy2 · 12/12/2016 17:14

Maybe it's just me but I've actually really noticed the alcohol in some Christmas puddings. I could feel the affects quite a lot on the boozy m&s pudding we had last year. I think buying a little alcohol free one is actually quite a good idea for taste and booze content.
Both mine hate Christmas puddings so will be having Christmas tree shaped ice creams instead. No alcohol worries there!

RubbishMantra · 12/12/2016 17:22

But doesn't the alcohol in the wine in, say, a beef bourguignon, (2 bottles of burgundy), simmered slowly over a long period make the alcohol evaporate; as alcohol evaporates at a much lower temperature than water? Just leaving the taste of the wine?

BoffinMum · 12/12/2016 17:26

You probably get more alcohol in the wine you have in communion after confirmation at 11 or whatever. Not an issue.

Artandco · 12/12/2016 17:26

Rubbish - yes a beef bourginion would only have 10-20% alcohol remaining after slow cooking. Baring in mind most would put say a glass of wine in, and dish for 6 people. It would be 10-20% of a 1/6th glass of wine left in per portion which is tiny

BoffinMum · 12/12/2016 17:27

PS I noticed a few weeks ago that the vicar had to down quite a lot of wine after the service as they had too much (in the C of E once it's consecrated someone has to consume it). Since then the swigs have got bigger and I am trying to avoid having to chug loads down at the altar rail. Thank God I am not AA. Or 11.

Kithulu · 12/12/2016 17:31

My parents often tell me how they used to put a bit of brandy in with my milk as a baby, if I was unsettled, calmed me right down they said!! Ffs Hmm

HeCantBeSerious · 12/12/2016 17:32

I'm of the generation that had cherry brandy added to our milk to help us sleep. I drank the froth off my dad's homebrew from toddlerhood and had the odd sip of wine with a meal throughout childhood. I barely drink as an adult and my liver is fine. Hmm

I don't see any harm in my kids having a tiny sip of what we're having. I don't like them having caffeine more than a tiny sip of prosecco or homebrew once in a blue moon, especially when they helped make it!