How strict are you about treats/sugar?

[discotequewreck]

My dc are allowed treats most days, so for example my ds will get a small chocolate bar with his packed lunch and then a biscuit after school.

But that is it. Any other snack or pudding is fruit, chopped veg, oatcakes that kind of thing. I might be more relaxed on birthdays or holidays.

But I seem more strict about it than others and I don't want my kids to have issues. I try to have the philosophy that treats are fine in moderation.

I don't think you are particulary strict - I know plenty of parents who allow only a treat per week.

I am exactly the same as you - a treat after school (I prefer not to give sweets, but a biscuit/ice lolly when hot), and then a healthier pudding. Then on Friday night they are allowed sweets/pop as an end-of-week treat.

Really hope that this is not storing up any problems for them in the future, but uncontrolled they would go mad on rubbish.

*particularly

I wouldn't call myself strict but we just don't have biscuits or chocs in the house so it's not an every day thing to offer. And puddings are for a special occasion only - it doesn't require me to be strict, as such, it's just that these things are not on my radar. Sweetie day for us is a Saturday but there is probably some other sort of treat at the weekend as well (if we have a picnic there might be a treat for example or if we visit my mum there will be a lolly or a cake).

I'm not as strict as anyone here (I eat quite a lot of treats at the moment, bf two DC!), but wish I was!

Mine have never had sweets eg haribo, they are 1&3, and they don't have crisps or chocolate except at parties. They do have organix/plum bars and snacks though, fruit flakes etc and loads of sugary fruit like strawberries and grapes. They usually have water or milk to drink but I do occasionally do hot choc/ flavoured milk, they don't have squash or juice, and in the hot weather they were having a pure fruit ice lolly or mini milk quite often.

I try to be careful, and make treats treats, not everyday. I'm sure they will eat loads more rubbish as they go to school etc, but I do want to help them make healthy choices and protect their teeth etc.

I think that by talking about being 'strict' and potential 'ishoos' about food you're being a bit uptight. Let them have as many treats as you want them to.

My DS7 has school dinners, so routinely has a small pudding following this meal. He usually has a small piece of chocolate or similar following our evening meal. Weekends are usually more treat-filled - visits to Nannie's house are sugar nightmares, but I tend to turn a blind eye, because Nannies love to spoil their little boys, and I know he's eating a balanced diet otherwise - we don't have any problems with him eating a wide variety of fruit and veg, for example or olives, snails, mushrooms, and other things that some kids turn their noses up at . He's an active little one, though, and he easily burns off his food, and doesn't seem affected by moderate amounts of sugary things. I don't think that I'd be so blase if he wasn't so outdoors-y, or if I felt he was reacting negatively to sugar.

I try not to give the message to dd that treat foods are treats, if that makes sense? It is all just food. She loves fruit so snacks are always fruit or yoghurt. She has 1/2 packet of crisps if she has sandwiches for lunch (usually on a weekend). She drinks water throughout the day and Juice with a meal. Every now and then (usually at the weekend when she is with her nanny) she gets some chocolate or a biscuit as a snack instead of fruit. I think the best approach is to ensure that all foods are offered, the healthy foods more frequently than the crap.

I was very strict until DD was around 14ish months old. She would only have yoghurt or fruit, never anything else. Now she is 20 months, I have relaxed a bit, but the majority of her snacks and desert options are still fruit and yoghurt. I have no problem with her having an ice cream desert if we are out as a treat though and she has little ice creams for hot weather days (although not much call for those so far!). If we have baked a cake together, I give her a slice afterwards. But generally I try to give her the best possible start in life with her nutrition and so far she loves various berries and yoghurt, so everyone is happy!

Unbelievably slack. Have just pulled things up slightly so that ds is not having chocolate cereal and chocolate yogurts on a daily basis

I was not strict at all, I tried not to make anything a 'treat' as I think it creates the idea that normal food is 'boring' and sweets and chocolate are desirable. I tried to offer everything, lots of fresh fruit, veg, yoghurts as well as chocolate, crisps etc.

If she asked for crisps, she had crisps. Often she'd ask for fruit though, just as much as she asked for 'treat' foods. I suppose maybe it depends on the child, some kids crave sugar and salt more than others? If i'd had one that wanted sweets all the time I possibly would have tightened up, but not too much.

I don't see the point in being very strict, as soon as they get their own money they'll buy crap and undo all that effort to keep sweets away from them.

No deserts here though, I'm usually not hungry enough for one so didn't think to give one to DD.

its not about being strict. It's about encouraging healthy eating habits. It is unhealthy to be overweight and therefore it is unhealthy to eat too much sugar.

I encourage my dds to eat like I do, then hopefully they will also grow into healthy adults.

The point of food is nutrition first and foremost so why eat loads of crap with no nutritional value (or let the dcs?)

But the odd Icecream, few crisps or chocolate bar won't harm them.

I try not to make treats into a big thing, so we have them, along with a variety of other things. Some of the things we have as snacks are actually fairly healthy - e.g. rice cakes, or crumpets, and we treat fruit in the same way as cake or chocolate in order to try to even things out. I have to admit we don't have sweets in the house because I don't like them, but I'm sure DC will discover them in time...!
When I buy them, I make a small effort to buy the healthier (imo) options, eg. the ice cream we have at home is one that is nearly entirely made from full fat milk, rather than skimmed milk powder and other random factory stuff. But then I'm not sure decent ice cream is such a bad thing anyway.
My own parents were incredibly controlling around certain foods, and I have definite issues. I'm not saying it's all their fault and I shouldn't have grown out of it, but it might have been easier had I not started on hiding/stealing/aching to have chocolate as a child!

Our only rule is fizzy drinks and fruit juice are kept for meals out.

They know what they do to teeth - they are 10 and 12 and have seen their friends all go through filling after filling.