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

[Snowstorm]

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!

cod

yer on

Mine have something sweet (chocolate or biscuit etc) more or less every day but their ultimate treat food are: DD - beef jerky (bleurgh) and DS - tinned sweetcorn in a dish ts don't necessarily have to be sweet and unhealthy.

That's TREATS don't have to be etc etc

yes mine pee their pants if I buy a coconut or watermelon tbh

Yep treats don't have to be sweet ro unhealthy, just food that you wouldn't usually have that is yummy and special, or stuff you have on special occasions or on holiday.

DS's untimate treat is pistacchio nuts and ginger beer.

Chocolate is a neccessity in this house, not a treat!

yes I find watermelons do make one pee a lot

yes most of the days. If i dont ds1 keep asking for some thing sweat to eat.

Nope, hardly ever. Poor deprived things that they are.

Yes, DS has some kind of sweet snack pretty much every day - could be a biscuit, small piece of chocolate or cake. But he has other snacks too eg fruit, cheese, breadsticks etc so there are some days when he doesn't have sweet stuff, it's not very organised. Sometimes has pudding, sometimes not - depending on how hungry he is.

Hardly ever actual sweets though, as we don't eat them ourselves and they don't seem very well suited to small children IMO - hard to eat and pure refined sugar. At least with cake or a biscuit you get a range of ingredients which aren't actually unhealthy in the main (flour, egg, and some sugar and fat which small children do need) so I don't see those snacks as "unhealthy" actually.

It makes me larf when slightly precious parents I know stuff their kids to the gills with raisins and dried apricots and then are shocked if DS has a cake or a chocolate biscuit because it is "full of sugar". Well not half as full as a box of raisins it isn't.

Thanks Enid, I agree with you.

Also agree that treats don't have to be sweet or fatty.

Although for me they are usually sweet and/or fatty and/or alcoholic and/or expensive!

When ds2 was under the care of a Dietician she told me to stuff him with the fattiest things I could - so everything was fried and had extra soya marg added and I was told to give him as many cakes and biscuits as possible. He was a skinny wretch then and he is still a skinny wretch!!!

god yes pistachio nuts

the Holy Grail

oh Enid I do agree with you, and tbh I have a vague overview of dd's diet but generally don't worry about it. Especially when dd has jst shown me a biscuit she is eating that she found on the floor, oops.

I guess a treat would usually be something expensive in our house though as we have 'naughty' things all the time. There is def a difference between the way I would ideally raise my child and the way I raise her given the society and culture (me choosing egg and chips every time I go to a cafe ) we are in.

I must admit though, the awful, screaming constipation dd got at the beginning of our holiday (after just eating stodge) made me realise I do need to keep a bigger eye on her diet (prunes sorted her out )

I let DS have chocolate/biscuits/cakes as part of his overall diet. He doesnt actually like sweets apart from the odd lollipop if its somebodies birthday at school.

I want him to have a healthy attitude towards things, he loves fruit and hs a huge bowl of grapes, apples and oranges a night so its not as though the sweet items replace something thats good for him.

Children who are led to believe that sweets/chocolate etc are bad for you tend to be the ones who have food issues later in life. No food is bad for you if eaten as part of an overall good balanced diet.

I remember a party where a little boy was never allowed any kind of treat at home, he stuffed his face with anything he could get whilst he was there and was sick. Now, if he had those items at home it would never have got to that stage.

No wonder so many girls believe size zero to be the norm and eat lettuce all day.

Gosh! My boys (9 and 10) have "pudding" three times every day.

We don't actually have biscuits in the house and they rarely have sweets, but "pudding" covers anything from cake, rice pudding, scones, toast with jam/honey, muffins, whatever. They generally have something from this category at the end of every meal and when they get in from school.

They are good eaters, have a healthy attitude to meals, and are not overweight (ds2 is quite skinny). They eat lots of fruit and dairy as well, but they need fat and sugar in their diet too.

yes - biscuit/cake on offer each day I think

yes