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Original poster

What do you think about feeding sweets/chocolates to toddlers?

40 replies

TurkishDeelite · 03/04/2007 13:58

With Easter coming we have been blessed with lots of chocolate eggs/bunnies from family and friends- I don't know what to do with them all! I have 2 daughters, 2 and 3 years old. We don't normally buy them chocolate or sweets, they do however eat them at parties from time to time. I don't want to completely cut off everything which I consider useless for their diet because I don't want them to be over sensitive to sweet treats as they grow up. (ie go crazy for chocs and sweets when they can get them or buy them when they are older)
Does anyone have advice for a "healthy balance"?

OP posts:
laudaud · 03/04/2007 16:46

everything in moderation

DD (2) also doesn't get chocolate much but we might give her a bit at the weekend. When she does have it she loves it. I think once they are not having chocolate and sweets as a part of their daily diet, it's okay. Mind you our DD gets plenty of sugar in all the yoghurts she eats.

MIL was going to send her an egg but DH suggested she get a book for her instead.

MrsBadger · 03/04/2007 16:59

stockpile them and hand out as treats occasionally?

(if you start eating from the back of the cupboard and hand out to them from the front they'll be gone in no time )

Mumpbump · 03/04/2007 17:00

I am thinking of buying ds a kinder egg because they are only little. Used to think no sugar, crisps, sweets at all, but I figure that everything in moderation is okay...

MilaMae · 03/04/2007 17:01

I'm going to let my 2&3 y olds have the odd bit at the moment(I'm normally miss organic)as I don't want them to miss out on the fun and pleasure of choc eating. They got given an egg each at toddlers today. I let them have the buttons in the middle after lunch then they will have 1 half tomorrow etc (if I can resist scoffing it before hand).I don't think a little hurts if they've got a healthy diet normally. I got them 1 of those small Smartie eggs each for Easter (3for £2in Woolies) just the right size and a small Lindt bunny. Just praying the grandparents don't go mad!!!!

Kelly1978 · 03/04/2007 17:15

Don't buy any for them yourselves, we never do, and just make them last. We still have sweets leftover from the christmas slection boxes

Kelly1978 · 03/04/2007 17:16

Oh and in case anyone thinks I'm mean, we still have chocs left over from our grown up chocolate tin too!

exbury · 03/04/2007 17:20

I buy DCs something non-edible from us. But your DC may surprise you - we let DS have free rein on his Easter chocolate last year (he was 3.5) and it took him 3 sittings to eat a small lindt bunny - the huge 2kg one ha won at a restaurant is still in the freezer . I know it doesn't work with all DC, but as a result I have decided that, for DS at least, self-regulation is a better approach than rationing.

chocolateface · 03/04/2007 17:27

I let my children know they have been given chocolate eggs, so they can say thankyou, then let them have as much as they want on Easter day (which isn't usually that much)The rest is put away in a cupboard and consumed by me after they are in bed each night. I consider chocolate to be a food. I don't like them having sweets ,though, and hastily and discretely dispose of any sweets that come in the eggs.

Bucketsofdynomite · 03/04/2007 17:39

Give them half an egg every couple of days, with reference to them showing kindness at some point that day.

ucm · 03/04/2007 17:40

Before I read this, I wish I had never let anyone give my son a chocolate button or a biscuit.

Bucketsofdynomite · 03/04/2007 17:40

PS I'm exactly like you TurkishDeelite, I don't bother buying them anything because other people do. (Although that's my excuse for not buying them for anyone else either!)

ucm · 03/04/2007 17:42

I have told my friends not to bother with Easter eggs this year for DS.

Original poster
TurkishDeelite · 03/04/2007 18:18

I just don't want them to be asking for "chocolate" or "craving" for it (like I do sometimes!) but at the same time I don't want them to grow up and scoff their faces with it every time they have an opportunity. So I agree with most here saying keeping chocs and sweets as "occasional" treats. (Easter, Christmas and birthday parties!) Thanks for sharing your views.

OP posts:
FrannyandZooey · 03/04/2007 18:20

Until they know what chocolate is and care enough to ask for it, they don't get it in my house

ds has it occasionally when he asks, now

he is quite fussy and will often say "I don't like this", he only seems to like certain types of chocolate

when he goes to parties he gets quite excited and takes loads of stuff to put on his plate, but doesn't tend to eat much of it

FrannyandZooey · 03/04/2007 18:23

Oh one more thing ds DOES tend to be quite sensitive to ups and downs in his blood sugar level and things like chocolate and ice cream definitely set him off

I don't know whether this is because his body has not had a chance to get used to them? Co-incidence? Or whether I just notice the effect it has on him more because he has it less frequently?

beansprout · 03/04/2007 18:27

Ds is 2.5, hasn't had chocolate yet, and I'm not planning to start him any time soon. Plenty of time for all that....!

mytwopenceworth · 03/04/2007 18:27

a little bit is fine. hide some, dole it out here and there. i have asked my relatives to not buy eggs, i said obviously i dont expect anything, but if they were planning, like other years, to buy the kids something, could it be a cheap toy, or a pack of crayons or something instead - i say it would last longer and they'd get a lot of pleasure from it.

they still get a couple, but most buy them a little toy and are happy with that.

dingdongjustforyoufg · 03/04/2007 18:36

My DTs rarely have chocolate, but when they get it they love it and know it is a special treat, they never ask for it unless they can see it. I have been a bit cheeky and 'redistributed' the eggs etc they've been given so far but I know they will get more at the weekend as we'll be at a family wedding. I am happy for them to have chocolate but I know they will eat themselves sick with it if I don't ration it in some way I prefer the mini eggs/choc chicks etc individually wrapped as they are easier to eat gradually.

Original poster
TurkishDeelite · 03/04/2007 20:02

Beansprout- does your ds go to nursery, playgroups, parties etc? How do you "protect" him from confectionery??

OP posts:
welliemum · 03/04/2007 20:12

F&Z, I think we're not really "designed" to deal with a major sugar rush. In neolithic times which is as far as we're physiologically adapted, the sweetest stuff available would have been fruit and honey - and not all year round either. So it doesn't surprise me when children get a bit hyper on sweet stuff.

Personally, I hate this time of year. dd1 has eczema which is triggered by dairy stuff, and if she eats normal chocolate she ends up scratching her face til it bleeds and crying all night that her tummy hurts .

Makes me mad when people think we're being mean not wanting her to have chocolate.

beansprout · 03/04/2007 20:15

Turkish - he is with a CM 3 days a week and I provide all the food. He has fruit / ricecakes etc on the 2 days he goes to playgroup. He has only been to a few parties but it hasn't been an issue. As he hasn't had it yet, he doesn't go for it if he sees it. Agree with F&Z, that when he starts asking, we'll take it from there but until then, he's not "deprived" of something he doesn't know about!

babygrand · 03/04/2007 20:16

Chocolate - fine.
Sweets - no.

welliemum · 03/04/2007 20:22

We did the same as beansprout - dd1 didn't miss chocolate as she didn't know about it, and was perfectly happy with other treats.

Where it then got difficult was how to handle it when she tried chocolate (at nursery) and liked it, and now wants it but is too young to make the connection between eating chocolate and feeling horrible later on.

TeeCee · 03/04/2007 20:22

I think it's totally unnessecery.

If my DD (5yrs old) is given choclate at a party etc I won't take it off her, but I don't hand it to her either. She'll eat fruit till it coems out of her ears, why would I give her chocoalte, or worse still imo, loads of sweets.

I don't buy chcolate for other kids at Easter, I have bought gingerbread rabbits and / or plant your own sunflowers and make your own easter bonnet kits etc.
I might let DD have 1 or 2 small eggs divided up over Easter etc but if she gets loads again I'll give them away again. Last year they all went to a local support group for young single mums.

Original poster
TurkishDeelite · 03/04/2007 20:44

I agree that confectionery is completely unnecessary and the only reason I am very carefully introducing it to them is because I don't want to them to have an emotional issue with confectionery in later life. My philosophy for them is for them to eat wholesome natural foods, as many organic ones as I can provide, and that all "confectionery" is totally not meant to be in our diets. But confectionery IS a fact of life so I am trying my best to deal with it and to get them to have a healthy approach. I also would not allow them to have things like ketchup, for example, full of sugar, or baked beans in tomato sauce. I would give them beans which I cook, chicpeas, lentils etc.. but nothing ready.. all home cooked.

I NEVER feel like I am depriving my children-there are so many other things to enjoy for them.

I agree with Wellie mum- we were never designed to consume so much sugary carbs (or other carbs for that matter!) I read somewhere that out bodies were designed to consume/digest only 2g of "sugar" per day. (Neolithic ancestors would get it from berries, fruit and as you say honey)

Speaking of which I have just had half a Thorntons Easter bunny which my friend brought for DDs- hope she is not reading this thread!

I AM SUCH A HYPOCRATE! (he he he)
;o

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