I think I've dealt with food in the wrong way with my dc's, is it too late?

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I restrict sweets to after school on a Friday and again on Saturday afternoon (often with a film). We occassionaly crisps and fizzy drinks, but certainly not regularly. The drink fresh juice or water, lots of fruit and veg, brown bread and in general I try to give them 'healthy' food. So far, so good but...

When they are allowed sweets/crisps/fizzy drinks they act as if I've booked a Disney holiday, very excited and grab as much as they can as if they are deprived. DD1 had a friend to play this week when my DM arrived with some small packets of sweets for the children. DD1's friend lives in a family where they don't restrict 'treats' like I do and sure enough she hardly touched the sweets - just wasn't bothered.

So, I'm wondering if I've inadvertantly created a problem now. I worry that as soon as they have control over what they eat they'll go mad for sweets/crisps and perhaps I should have been more laid back. What do you think?

I think I'm quite strict with food but my dc often have biscuits, sweets etc but after their main meal. I think there is a balance and perhaps you should try being more laid back, however if they are having lots of sugary stuff every day they will crave it even more!

Sorry no advice really!

we hardly ever have these things and ds will get excited about them, sometimes will eat too much of them, or other times have a small amount and leave the rest
I have seen children who are allowed to have them whenever they want be very laid back about them, and I have seen children allowed to have them whenever they want, who have appalling diets and are obese

I think you should stick with having the kind of food that you want them to eat, and try to encourage a healthy attitude towards food

beyond that what can anyone do?

I agree with deprivation. I was severly deprived of sweets as a child and have grown into a healthy adult who does not really eat much of them now. I LOVED and craved sweets as a child, was exactly like your dcs (and mine now too ), but I grew up thinking of them as treats, just that, and not everyday fare. It is the kids that have sweets as everyday fare that often grow up to buy and have them every day as adults - with all the attendant problems that this causes.

You doing the right thing.

We are pretty strict about sweets and dc are actually pretty moderate; they like them, but they don't go nuts over them.

Visiting children are often not bothered whatever you serve because they're too excited and nervous to be around at someone else's house.

Do you know if the other child is normally 'fussy' about food? Often when children turn down something (anything) in my house the parents later tell me that they are in fact very fussy about food in general.

My DC are 'deprived' like your of all things junk too apart from weekends and treats and Ds goes ballistic if near a bag of crisps or sweets and is embarrassingly greedy at parties. DD1 is much less so although lives under the same regime, I think its probably personality driven. i dread to think what it would be like if i took a 'relaxed' attitude with junk as DS who is a skinny runt and wouldn't put on weight if he ate sweets morning noon and night , would die of malnutrition as he would choose nothing else. DD1 would rather eat fruit.
DS is however just as greedy with strawberries and raisins, the only fruit and veg I can get into him without a fight, so i think its just he's greedy about things he likes

I do the same. We eat well all week they can choose what they want for dinner on a saturday night and sweets are restricted to fridays and saturday nights. I did give them sweets everynight as long as they cleared their plate but I soon realised my youngest especially seemed to get what seemed like withdrawl symptoms most days. So I imposed this new rule, they seem to have taken to it well and they look forward to it.
They call it a sweet festival and are allowed 2 standard sized sweets. It sounds alot but they only have it 2 nights a week.

I grew up "deprived" of sweets and chocolate. I am a total chocoholic now as an adult. My two brothers are totally unbothered by chocolate or sweets. Make of that what you will

i wouldn't have specific sweet times tbh. that way they will have them even if they aren't hungry for them cos they know otherwise they will miss out for another week. what about saying you can have 2 sweets each week but you can eat them whenever you like - so if they want to they can eat them all in one go or they might choose to have a little bit each day?