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.

Yes, but that's partly because I always have a pudding too.

Usually fromage frais, fruit, ice lolly on hot days, sometime a choc mousse for a HUGE treat or a biscuit if the cupboards are bare.

I made them tiramisu the other day. I was a very popular mummy that day.

Mil always makes a chocolate cake when we were round for Sunday dinner, it got to the point where 22 month old DD refused her dinner in favour of cake at their house and asks for cake (but doesn't get it) at home.
We've asked Mil to hold off the cake but she refused so now we don't go for dinner (plus I can't stand the woman).
At home DD has fruit/yoghurt/home-made biscuits or choc from Easter

Puddings for my boys (including a toddler) include:

-Petit filous-on own or on top of strawberries/blueberries/raspberries, or put in a bowl with mixed seeds on top
-fruit
-custard-on own or on top of bananas or with a digestive to dunk in
-mini Kipling cake like a fondant fancy
-tinned peaches
-rice pudding, sometimes with a teaspoon of jam
-mini milky bar
-couple of biscuits, maybe cookies or Jaffa cakes
-ice cream
-ice lolly
-cake and custard, cake and cream (usually only on a Sunday after a roast)
-chopped apple/pear/melon

Which pudding they have depends on how healthy and well they've eaten during the day tbh.

I'm very relaxed about all food and my boys eat everything, have great appetites, have great teeth and are healthy weights. Life's for living and food should be enjoyed.

Yes, I always give her a pudding - often this is some fruit or a yogurt or leftover or scavanged bits. As dedicated toddler puddings I can extend to -

Banana and ambrosia custard. This is a special pudding in her eyes because I give her a knife and let her try to slice the banana onto the custard.

A pancake with lemon and sugar. Which I toss, of course. She bloody loves this. There isn't a lemon in the world big enough to satisfy her lemon cravings. I keep the rest of the batter and make pancakes for me and DH later in the evening.

Sometimes a yoghurt or fruit.
During the summer, very good behaviour wins a cone from the ice cream van.
But we only have a proper pudding on a Sunday after the roast, so both children will have some of that.

Maybe 75% of the time she gets a yoghurt and/or fruit. Very occasionally something if I have baked, small brownie, slice of cake etc. She is at nursery two days a week now, they get a pudding (something like carrot cake or a lemon based cake/tart) after lunch and tea. Surprised me a bit.

DS usually gets pudding, but his pudding is usually cut-up fruit or yoghurt. Occasionally a biscuit or two. If we're having a special pudding, he usually gets a bit, but that's not a regular thing.

DD, 1, gets fruit with / after lunch and a yoghurt after dinner but I don't consider that to be pudding as such.

I've never made a special pudding for her. We don't tend to eat them at home. Unless you count the weekend glass of wine and bar of chocolate once she's in bed

If we eat out or have guests over and have pudding then she is allowed to share ours.

Daily- fruit, yoghurt
Occasional -jelly, ice cream, trifle, custard, rice pudding, dried fruit, tinned fruit

If we are having chocolate cake or a proper pudding she'll have a bit. Life is too short to bake an apple crumble just for a toddle though!

I confess she DS like crisps/ chocolate/'biscuits as occasional snacks -I find it hard to refuse her when her older brother (or mum or dad!) is indulging. If no-one else is having any she is just as happy with grapes, raisins, Satsumas though.

Fruit, yoghurt or cheese and biscuits offered daily. Once a week they will have cake and custard or ice cream.

Oh, I occasionally give DS an Ella's kitchen for pudding. I hand him the pouch and he slurps it himself.

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!

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.

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.

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

Dinner is tasty enough imo.

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.

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

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.

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?!

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?

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

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.

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

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).