Do you give your toddlers pudding?

[NapOfTheDamned]

I don't, never have, but see many people do a proper pudding on the what's for toddler tea thread.
It takes forever for DS to eat his food as it is, and he gets fruit for snacks and yoghurt for breakfast with dry cereal and yet more fruit and toast but I never ever do puddings for lunch and tea because DH and I don't ever have them and I don't see the need, I would rather he ate extra savory stuff because there's more good things in it.

Am I depriving him? Should I other making crumble and custard and what have you, just for him? I don't bake and am a bit wary of sugar which most pudding seems to contain, although he has the odd scone or toddler biscuit when out and about and as I said, fruit and Cheerios are always on offer.

[cutegorilla]

Why puddings are good. Saying that mine don't generally get puddings but they do get cakes and biscuits and other goodies as snacks. Sometimes after dinner. None of them are fat at all but they are all active so I guess they burn the calories.

[TuttoRhino]

Only on special occasions as DH and I don't generally have puddings. Every once in a while I'll make fruit crumble. If she's still hungry after her tea she gets offered yoghurt. We don't normally have ice cream in the house, although I'm lusting after an ice cream maker at the moment.

I've started baking more but tend to offer her mini muffins as a mid morning or mid afternoon snack.

[ThePinkNinja]

Generally we are relaxed in our attitudes to food here. DH is a little more uptight about offering sugar/ puddings etc but I am laid back about it....

Pudding here is generally fruit, and custard with maybe cereal on top (his idea... He loves cereal,). Some days it's just yogurt or just fruit. If we are out and having a treat, we share everything.... I think when theres no mystery there's less of a draw to it. so prob once a week or so we all share a slice of cake or two. I do a lot of baking (private catering ) and we are foodies.... Life is to be enjoyed, in moderation :)

When he has finished his main we ask if he is all done or still hungry. If he wants more I usually whip out the fruit and or custard... He was having it 80% of the time and lately says he's done after main....

My ds1 eats fruit and veggies and meat like crazy... And likes cake when it's on offer.

Might sound odd... But what I don't really allow is juice... I just think that's plain sugar. I know everyone seems to do it, so I feel like a weirdo with double standards, but I feel like because it's liquid it'd be so easy for him to develop a habit with that multiple times a day.... We allow it occasionally and if DH and I are having some then ds1 has a few sips too.... But the only time he has cups of it is when he's ill. :) weird but IMO just teaches a quick way to take in empty calories multiple times a day... I offer milk and water and he knows DH and I sometimes have pop or coffee.

[StealthToddler]

3 kids 5 and under - they all eat what we eat as a family. If pudding is on the menu then they have that and if its fruit/yoghurt that's what they have. But only if they eat a (sensible size) portion of the main.
That way they eat well, as a family from an early age.
Ds3 actually doesn't like chocolate etc. he likes the savoury stuff. I don't make out that pudding is anything particularly special so they don't see it as necessarily the best bit. Tonight they were most excited about jacket potatoes and turned down the left over birthday cake (which I scoffed as it was delish)

[crackcrackcrak]

Not always but I offer it if dd has eaten everything and I thi k she might want more. She more often than not declines even though I offered an ice lolly.

[BooBumpDaddyandMe]

For his main meal if the day, whether that be lunch or dinner time I always offer 2 courses. Ds eats fruit throughout the day but loves Greek yoghurt and either fresh or stewed fruit as a dessert too. Maybe 2 or 3 times a week esp if we eat out or have dinner with the Grampies he will have or share some "proper" pudding ie crumble & custard. I rarely make that sort of pud for dh & me but if I do I would always put some aside or share some with ds.
Everything in moderation!! Either that or go to the park afterwards and get them to run those empty calories off!

[ScampiFriesRuleOK]

DS1 is 17mo and has never been a big eater (and at times he goes whole weeks on just a breath of fresh air, a bread stick and a beaker of water, much to my endless stress and worry). He uses food as a bit of a weapon bargaining tool, and as much as I try to keep a consistent strict line on it, I fail miserably in the face of his iron will.
He tends to always eat the same things (mostly just bread-related, or porridge), and I do admit I fall into the trap of caving in and giving him these things, as I know at least he won't fling them.

I usually end up giving a little pudding even if he's hardly had any main course, because I worry about him not getting any calories at all (he's very thin). It's usually fruit (banana, chopped apple or satsuma), or a petit filous (it's like crack to him), or a pot of Ambrosia rice pudding. Occasionally it'll be some custard, or a rich tea biscuit. Funnily enough, these never get thrown on the floor.

Sometimes I am mystified as to how he doesn't have horrendous medieval diseases and vitamin deficiencies.

[catus]

Why is pudding bad? It's just a part of the meal. Nothing more, nothing less. So DS usually has some. I alternate between yogurt type things, raw or cooked fruit, rice pudding and cake if I baked something (usually once or twice a week).

[NotGeoffVader]

Mine is a glutton and often demands pie. (Usually apple pie - a very thin slice, which gets served up with sugarless fromage frais or yogurt).

[GimmeIrnBru]

On the same note DS2 won't eat chocolate or anything else sweetie wise so if he eats a pudding that's giving him a bit variety in his diet.

[GimmeIrnBru]

DS2 loves rhubarb crumble with Mackies ice cream (has to be Mackies!), and plum crumble or apple crumble. anything home made basically! But these are limited to special occasions. I don't have the time or inclination to do a pudding every night!

[loveandkids]

MIL makes lovely pudding but..... dw is away with the boys i dont know what they are eating now as im not allowed near them .poor kids may allah guide my wife and bring her back with my boys (ameen).

[MamaBear17]

I always offer fruit after a meal, and a yoghurt after tea x

[pigleychez]

Will sometime have a pudding but its only ever a yoghurt or fruit. Very occasionally a fairy cake etc if ive been baking or a Crumble after a roast.

DH and I dont tend to have puddings so I guess they arent used to have one.

Thankfully the girls cant get enough fruit and will have a piece with Breakfast and Lunch too. If they have happy enough with fruit then they dont need anything overly sweet.

[QTPie]

Very very rarely - only generally if we are out for lunch (and then usually ice cream).

He does have fruit after lunch and dinner: naturally sweet.

I was brought up to have a proper pudding each night and it was a big factor in me being a tubby child and teen. Not tubby now, but still have an "after dinner sweet tooth" - not a good habit to have .

Occasionally is not a problem (and actually banning such things altogether cold later be a problem), but habit is not a great thing.

[BoysBoysBoysAndMe]

I was beginning to feel like a super slack mother bbface - glad there's another foodie around

[bbface]

Boysboysboysandme..... EXACTLY my approach. When you look atnyour child, and they are a perfect weight, clear skin, good teeth, eat every bit of veg going, super active..... Why not?

[bbface]

We always had a dessert after dinner, always. Could be s fruit crumble and custard, or could be a mars bar ice cream. My bro, sis and I were incredibly sporty and very skinny, but ate like horses. Mao I guess my mother figured, why not? Mehen they have eaten all their main course and now fancy something sweet.

So now with my ds (2,2) I always give him dessert. Yoghurt, fruit purée pot, oat bar, crispie cake, hit of ice cream in winter. The boy is a veg fiend, and pretty much hovers up anything and everything. He is also slender and does, not. Stop. Moving. So just like my mother, my approach to dessert, is why not?!

[notso]

Yes, he eats what we (DH, DD, DS1 and I) eat.
We don't have pudding everyday sometimes its just greek yog and honey or stewed fruit, or just a piece of fruit.
Other times it's cake or apple pie and cream or sticky toffee pudding.
All DC eat well, and (when school are not interfering) have good attitudes to food, and if they are full they will generally refuse pudding or ask to have it later.

[CMOTDibbler]

No, we don't have pudding. Unless out, when we (as a family) might have one

[scootle]

I never understood this either and never gave dd pudding when she was a toddler. I do now - because they have learned everyone else has it. I often give them plain yogurt (which they love) or fruit, but they frequently get a piece of chocolate or similar with it.

[OstrichSizedShrunkenHeads]

No unless it is a special occasion and we are all having it.

Dinner is tasty enough imo.

[beela]

Yoghurt or fruit here, or sometimes rice pudding if I want to get a bit of extra starch into him in the desperate but mistaken assumption that it might help him to sleep better.

However, he doesn't really like sweet stuff apart from chocolate. Yesterday I offered him a bit of his birthday cake after tea and he was most affronted because he wanted the leftover cold pasta instead.

Strange child.

[Sparklyboots]

We have something if dinner didn't go well or he hasn't eaten much in the day. But they are always fresh fruit blended with something like coconut butter or tahini, and usually have something 'super' added like a green powder supplement or gogi berries. If there's nothing 'super' to be added, I pop in some broccoli or kale or beetroot - something with a good nutritional profile. We eat quite well so I never worry about him putting off his dinner for pudding, or what he does or doesn't eat. I honestly can't name anything I don't think he likes but that's probably because I don't really take much notice of what he has/ hasn't eaten - he just gets served whatever's going. Some days he will gobble something down that he completely ignores next time, so I figure he hasn't settled on a strong set of 'likes/dislikes' yet. But the puddings were just for him and to keep me chilled, because I have a tendency to be controlling/ anxious especially around food. I say 'were' because we all get some now, they're delish.

[AngelDog]

No.

I grew up with a pudding every day and even now after 11 years of a marriage which started (and continued) on a no-puddings-unless-a-special occasion basis, I still have sugar cravings at the end of every meal, and I do have general ishoos with way too high sugar consumption. I didn't want DS (now 2.9) to end up the same way.

He does get some if the rest of us have one e.g. if we have visitors or a meal out and has fruit after lunch, and occasionally after dinner.

I think anyone who has time to make special puddings for toddlers must be superwoman - it's hard enough to find time to make the main course here!