Humzingers - what are they..?

[Pennies]

...? and are they OK for a 1 year old?

Yup. Sort of dried fruit all mushed together into a long stick. Pretty much everything free, so great for children with allergies.

they're dried fruit rolled up into a stick, quite soft and not too chewy, and yes I have been giving them to my ds from about 1.

Cool - do they have added sugar then?

no, they're all fruit. but dried fruit is terrible for the teeth.

They're as bad as raisins. I wouldn't give them all the time, but once in a while is fine.

I saw an article today from humzingers themselves saying that were are not suitable for under 2's

Are raisins bad then ??

Raisins are not so good becasue the sugars become concentrated and because they are sticky they stick to the teeth which means the sugars are on the teeth for longer meaning that the teeth can stat to decay. It the same for sweets.

Raisins do at least have nutritional value though, I am not sure we should lump them together with sweets. You should clean your child's teeth after they have eaten dried fruit in the same way you should after anything sweet or that adheres to the teeth. It doesn't mean you should stop them having dried fruit (IMO).

Franny, am with you! Seems to me that when so many kids live on a diet of cola and crisps, getting at the parents who are at least trying to do their best with raisins / fruit juice / whatever MN doesn't like this week is counterproductive, I end up feeling well if my best isn't good enough I'm off McD's then.

2 of my 3 love humzingesrs, is the only thing ds3 will eat at breakfast. DS2 hates them, has a good general diet so is allowed school bars. A good BALANCED diet!

Oh for goodness sake! So is only fresh fruit allowed now for snacking??

It is healthy with no extra additives or sugar - eventually everything would wreck our teeth if we left it on there.

Hurumph. All in a huff now (and yes, I am hormonal )

Humzingers are fab -at least they are not crisps/soft drinks/choclate/jelly babies...I could go on. I totlaly agree withthe comment about BALANCED diet. I also think that if you deny childern everything - they will crave it more.

flamesparrow, nobody said you're not allowed to give dried fruit to your child - however, from a nutrional and teeth point of view chocolate is healthier than raisins - it has more useful nutrients and doesn't stick to teeth. Also, some people might think that raisins are a good thing for children to snack on throughout the day when they're in fact dreadful for your teeth. What's so bad about knowing that raisins are bad for teeth? At least you can then make sure you brush afterwards. Would you rather live in blissful ignorance and deal with cavities?
I also think humzingers are a nice product and do give them to my children.

I said humzingers were as bad as raisins. I give humzingers and raisins to my 4-year-old (in his lunch), and give raisins to my 1-year-old, from time to time.

I don't think either of them are evil. They're not as good as a carrot, but better than crisps, or children's chocolate. I'm not sure about any chocolate being better than raisins, but if any is, it would be the really good dark 70% + stuff, which isn't what most people give kids, anyway (and isn't what most kids like, I think?).

I may have gotten a little stroppy

I seem to spend all my time reading about paranoid mums worrying about if their child "is ok" to eat anything from dairylea to curry, and it just felt that one of the better snacks was being attacked - I'm a big believer in going with your heart, and feeding a child what you want, and I get a little worked up with oooh no, thats bad too type threads.

This is probably the genuine reason for needing the hooter noise rather than just the rude one - I get all flustered even when there is nothing to be flustered by.

I am interested in the thing about good quality chocolate being better for your teeth than, say, raisins. Anyone got any links?

I can see both sides btw, think it is good to be balanced and not too anal about food, but also important to actually have the relevant facts so you can decide. Our grandparents' 'gut instinct' would be to feed children lots of lovely fatty foods and sweets, to give them energy. Well meaning, but totally wrong.

Weel, choccy (dark) does contain iron for straters, not sure what else though. I have to eat it from time to time as my diet often V poor due to allergies. Unfortunately, not keen on choccy.

Wasn't having a go at anyone in particular, it's just that after the fruit juice thread... I mean, as longa s you clean teeth! I've seen so many kids live on a diet of crisps and cheap cola. And then there was that research back along wasn't there, that middle class kids were often malnourished because of low fat diets?
Not sure our grandparents DID get it wrong... peoplefamilies rarely bought sweets, couldn't afford it, that's a thing of surplus income. Shepherds pie, stew, growing your own veg, applie pie... I think we've lost a lot from our past at the hands of ready meals and fast food chains. Me as much as the next Mum, btw!

personally I think they are fine and dandy!