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Original poster

Do you give your DC sweets and/or cakes/biscuits every day?

67 replies

Snowstorm · 01/06/2008 11:14

I don't but I wondered whether I was in the minority or not?

I had food issues when I was younger and now have two DD's, so am trying to give them as happy and healthy attitude to food as I can, bearing in mind that they are children and that, IMO, children should have sweets, biscuits and cakes etc. in their diets but in moderation (but without them being aware of it IYKWIM). By that I mean that if we had cake in the house and they had cake after their lunch/tea one day, then I wouldn't offer them sweets on the same day (although if we were out and everyone else was having them then I would let them have some because I wouldn't want it to be an issue).

Anyway, I was just interested to know what other people did ...

TIA!

OP posts:
solo · 02/06/2008 09:00

No! Ds gets a dessert in his packed lunch and sometimes a small cake...he can't have yogurt as it sets him off with eczema. I don't buy sweets or chocolate anyway. Dd gets none of those things, but she can have yogurt.
They are better off with good decent food in their bellies than rubbish that'll make them fat, spotty and rot their teeth.IMO.
I wouldn't put them down as part of a balanced diet!

morethanmum · 02/06/2008 09:14

But... a balanced diet needs some fat and sugar, esp with small children. They won't get fat and spotty if it is not viewed as exciting and forbidden, but as something they eat every so often?

AbbeyA · 02/06/2008 09:20

I think a balance diet need some fat and sugar. What do they fill up with? My DSs are skinny with hollow legs! They need the calories.

glamourbadger · 02/06/2008 09:22

My girls have a "treat" if they eat their lunch or tea - a small biscuit or a square of chocolate. I know many parenting books are against this sort of bribery but it works for us!

It's interesting as I run a toddler group and we put out snacks for kids - fruit, breadsticks and plain biscuits. There are a couple of parents that don't allow their children a biscuit - it seems a bit silly to get so hung up over these things. I think everything in moderation is fine, as long as it's balanced with the good stuff.

Umlellala · 02/06/2008 09:32

All food is food in my book. They need a variety of different types to make them healthy but we don't do 'treats' (what worse way is there to make them not want to eat the other stuff? ).

Just like how I regulate my own diet, if she hasn't had 100 biscuits already, she can have another one. If she has, I will offer something else prob from a different food group (dd is partial to a bit of sweetcorn or prunes or apricot as a snack [halo emoticon] - but just like me, she loves crisps [reality emoticon]).

Umlellala · 02/06/2008 09:33

Eek, sorry, that was very judgey! Personally, I don't like labelling food as 'treats' but I can see that for some people maybe that's the only way you can get them to eat a variety of food...

solo · 02/06/2008 09:50

Yes, but they should be getting enough sugar in fruit and veg and fats in meat and fish. Extra sugars and fats are not necessary. They are the wrong types of fats in biscuits and cakes anyway.
A pudding of cake and custard on a Sunday is ok as is a fresh fruit salad and cream, but I wouldn't give it every day. Biscuits are full of fat and sugar and just not good for anyone, let alone a child.
I too may sound judgey, but I know for myself what is good and bad for my Dc's as do you all.
OP, you certainly aren't alone!

RubberDuck · 02/06/2008 10:00

Biscuits daily - it's a quick easy snack for them to have when they get in from school or to hand out to friends if they're playing outside. Sweets only if they eat everything at dinner (which works out around ... twice a week ish?) Cakes... only when I get round to baking them

Enid · 02/06/2008 10:01

yes they have cake (homemade if that makes any difference which I suspect it does not other than making me feel slightly pleased with myself) every day or some biscuits. Not actual sweets though.

SSSandy2 · 02/06/2008 10:07

not every week. She does get a lot of sweets from elsewhere though - activities she goes to or when a dc at school has a birthday and brings treats for the class etc.

I quite like baking (as opposed to cooking which I unfortuantely hate) so could quite happily bake cakes and biscuits a lot. Try not to though (mainly cos I would eat too much of it). We sometimes have a bowl of popcorn if we watch a film and with the hotter weather I buy her a cone of ice-cream if we're out and about quite often

I don't tend to have bought biscuits in and if I had sweets I'd eat them myself! So best not

AbbeyA · 02/06/2008 10:17

If they are going to get lots of exercise they need more than fruit.

Enid · 02/06/2008 10:22

yes I agree

think we transfer our own food worries onto our children tbh

my children would simply disappear into thin air if they lived on a diet of fruit veg and fish

Enid · 02/06/2008 10:23

on saturday we made 24 mini jam tarts

they ate the lot in about 20 seconds

OverMyDeadBody · 02/06/2008 10:27

No. I tend to only have that stuff in the house at the weekend (apart form my secret biscuit stash of course!) but if it's in the house it gets eaten and I'm not religious about limiting it from D if it's there.

It'a all about moderation and variety I think.

AbbeyA · 02/06/2008 10:28

I wouldn't give food as treats. I don't see a need for lots of snacks. If you eat regular meals then cake or biscuits can be part of the meal. A DC needs food from all the food groups-they are growing.

Enid · 02/06/2008 10:30

ah I disagree

I think some foods are 'treaty'

and completely refuse to accept that there is WITHOUT FAIL a connection between this and surefire eating disorder

Othersideofthechannel · 02/06/2008 10:30

Two snacks a day at our school, so I give one fruit based, the other sweet (nutella sandwich, biscuits, cake)

They eat in the canteen and sometimes it is a sweet pudding, sometimes yoghurt and fruit. Pudding at home in the evening depends on what they have had at the canteen to give a balance.

I suppose that works out as a couple of times a day.

Sweets and chocolate whenever they get given (birthdays etc) so less than once a week except for round Christmas/Easter.

OverMyDeadBody · 02/06/2008 10:30

Agree with Abbey too, kids need calories and fat.

OverMyDeadBody · 02/06/2008 10:32

Agree Enid, some foods are treaty.

Othersideofthechannel · 02/06/2008 10:32

Enid, I've read your post 3 times and don't understand which side of the fence you are on.

Can you elaborate please. (I'm probably a bit dim today - tiring weekend)

AbbeyA · 02/06/2008 10:34

Things like chocolate are a treat but you have to be careful that you are not giving the wrong message with them.

Enid · 02/06/2008 10:36

so, to briefly summarise:

I give mine cakes and biscuits nearly every day and never think twice about it

I believe that children need more calories and fat than us great big lazy heifers

but also believe that some foods are 'treaty' - ie a big squidy chocolate cake or sushi or chocolate covered popcorn are not the NORM but are 'special things' that we have on celebratory occasions and think that this is a lovely part of life.

FluffyMummy123 · 02/06/2008 10:36

Message withdrawn

SSSandy2 · 02/06/2008 10:38

How do you not eat this stuff yourself if you have it in the house?

Enid · 02/06/2008 10:38

well I do sometimes

but have to cultivate Iron Will

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