Why do so many parents offer pudding to toddlers?

[CaroBeaner]

I never got into the habit of offering two-course meals to my children, probably because I work, don't have time to think about it, and consider routine yogurts to be expensive, and heavily packaged. I'm not evangelist about any of that, I just got on with making sure they had a balanced main course.

So, whether my kids ahve been good eaters or not, none of the have ever made a fuss wanting pudding in favour of main course. Pudding was never there as a bribe or incentive, either, so maybe for this reason they are not especially fussed about sweet things as treats - they enjoy them if they get them, but they don't clamour for them, or stuff their faces with the leftover Christmas chocs out on the worktop, just have a little if they feel like it.

I am often puzzled when I see people weaning toddlers always offering something as dessert. What is the purpose?

Why? Because puddings are yummy and an opportunity for more variety! DD (2) had blackberries, satsuma, banana & plain Greek yogurt for hers tonight, if she asks for fruit, why would i say no?

I don't understand the work thing, I work too, but managed to wash some fruit & put it in front of her!

I give fruit with breakfast & lunch, and yoghurt as and when, but I'd not class them as 'pudding' and DS has never had 'pudding' at 13 months. But we only have a pudding as part of a meal if we have visitors. I don't have time to be cooking nice puddings from scratch (which is the sort of pudding we'd eat).

I grew up on a proper pudding after every dinner (and cake with every lunch) and now I can't eat a meal without gorging snacking on chocolate / biscuits / cake afterwards, and I don't want DS's taste buds to be conditioned to also want that sort of thing as a matter of course.

Obviously as he gets older he'll have puddings when we do. But I'd also wondered why people offered toddlers puddings, so this was interesting reading.

We rarely have dessert/pudding as a family, and providing one for every meal seems like a lot of hassle and hard work. And the worst thing would be if they come to expect it. What if I run out of youghurts or whatever, and they just sit there, screaming 'Where's my pudding?'
No way!
They eat plenty of fruit as a snack between meals, and youghurts if there are any. I try to provide nutritious, healthy meals and I think that's enough. I'm not running restaurant!

I agree, they do expect it. Sometimes they are too full after their main course and don't want it but most times they do.

It is rare that we have run out of yoghurt and fresh fruit and cake and tinned fruit and dried fruit.

I think that one of the reasons for pudding originally is that it's quite a cheap way to fill up, being generally fruit or milk based. So more economical than a main meal. At least that's what my mother always told me. She always provided pudding when we were growing up, and it was always home made (she made yogurt and icecream too). I really enjoy pudding, but I don't have a sweet tooth at all and rarely snack. I'm slightly sad that my dh didn't grow up with pudding and often isn't really hungry for one, so we don't have the same tradition. Now we live somewhere with lots of fruit trees we tend to have fruit puddings at the weekend, and I really enjoy making crumbles etc. I just have to add the planning into my meal timings, it's not really very much effort.

So I guess I'd be thnking why not give pudding to a toddler really.

"I just wondered about the work issue because I didn't have time to prepare pudding, or think about it - disorganised!"
Take one apple from the fruit basket or a yogurt from the fridge does not require being very organised, you do not even have to think about it until the Dcs finish their meal and ask if they can have a fruit/yogurt.