Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Original poster

Feeling guilty about what I'm feeding my baby

77 replies

lookingforadvice2402 · 03/12/2023 14:01

I went round my cousin’s yesterday.
We both have young babies but don’t get to see each other that often.

She feeds her DS absolutely anything. (13 months) He eats chocolate bars, McDonald’s, loads of frozen food put in the oven, pastries for breakfast, golden syrup in his porridge.. He even has an advent calendar! (Although don’t get me wrong, some fruit and veg are thrown in there too, it’s not all complete junk) (e.g processed sausage rolls with carrot & cucumber sticks a standard lunch)

My daughter is 11 months. I am that ‘organic mum’.. nearly everything is organic & made from scratch so I know exactly what’s in there (I even make my own stock cubes!) I am maybe too over the top.

She couldn’t believe my DD hasn’t even eaten a chicken nugget or a bit of chocolate since birth. And was almost sad she didn't have an advent calendar like she was missing out.

My mum was exactly the same with me growing up. ironically, I grew up overweight as I was snacking in secret whenever I could. And my healthy weight friends were always allowed the chocolate & sweets.

Do you/ did you let your baby eat ‘treats’ ?

Am I being too over the top?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Chipsatsunset · 03/12/2023 17:23

Happy medium every time for me. That way certain foods aren’t forbidden or viewed as ‘bad’ and therefore become more desirable. Two pieces of chocolate with some fruit, as part of a meal makes chocolate just another food . I don’t use food as treats, just serve a little bit of all sorts as part of a generally healthy diet. An occasional meal including chicken nuggets is fine imo. Kids I know that have not been allowed to have so much as a sip of Pepsi or some haribo have ended up eating loads of junk as soon as they were away from home.

AlwaysGinPlease · 03/12/2023 17:27

BadBadDecisions · 03/12/2023 17:08

This is the most embarrassingly transparent humblebrag I've seen on here in a while 😆

😂

SouthLondonMum22 · 03/12/2023 17:27

Moancup · 03/12/2023 17:14

DS is 16 months. He doesn’t have treats as that’s a ridiculous concept for a child of his age. He does have baby biscuits a couple of times a week. He’s tried dark chocolate and loves it. He’s tried cake and didn’t. He likes processed foods like a greggs sausage roll and tinned spaghetti hoops, but they’re not staples of his diet. Nursery do seem to give him baked beans a lot. He eats fish fingers at least once a week. He also eats a lot of lentils. He doesn’t care for potatoes but will eat celeriac, the weirdo. My priorities have always been calories in and variety and I’m probably a bit to lack on salt.

My DS had his first sausage roll recently and he loved it so much. Disappeared very quickly! 😂

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

9-12 months old Babies & sleep Christmas Families
TortoisePlayingMinecraft · 03/12/2023 17:30

I'm also getting a humble brag vibe from this post! Who feels guilty that their baby has never had a chicken nugget!

That said, you are doing the best thing I think. Babies/toddlers need to get a taste for proper foods and learn to eat decent family meals before their world widens and they get a taste of chicken nuggets. At a certain point it gets harder to hide stuff from them so you might have to share a bit of your chocolates at some point!

bucksfizz23 · 03/12/2023 17:38

Definitely a humblebrag but I'll bite.

It doesn't have to be extreme. You can do both. My dc eats loads of fruit and veg daily. She also has, on occasion, eaten some McDonald's fries. Everything in moderation I would say.

Nutrition is important but so are healthy eating habits and attitudes around food. Not labelling things 'bad' because as you've seen from experience, restricting whole food groups like that can actually end up being counter productive.

QueenofTerrasen · 03/12/2023 17:43

This is a terribly covered humble brag.
No one here cares if your baby is inhaling chocolate buttons or parsnips - you very clearly judge your cousin. Just focus on your baby and stop with the nonsense.

Refbuckethat · 03/12/2023 17:46

Just wait til you are back at work full time with 2-3 kids then report back

Torganer · 03/12/2023 17:48

If you are honestly feeling guilty, then give them a chicken nugget!! It’s just chicken breast covered in breadcrumbs and fried, I don’t see what the deal is. Call it a goujon if it makes you feel better. I’m sure you can make one whilst you use the chicken carcass for your stock!

HYDEY55 · 03/12/2023 17:54

CurlewKate · 03/12/2023 17:18

You're not feeling guilty at all. This is the ultimate humblebrag.

my very first thought

Hobbitfeet32 · 03/12/2023 17:54

Stop referring to foods as treats. Foods simply contain different amounts and types of nutrients. Some are higher in fat or sugar than others but if parents keep talking about these foods as treats you are not helping yourselves. It is more helpful to think of it that foods that are higher in fats or sugar are best not eaten in large amounts or too frequently rather than banning them altogether or talking about them as treats!

wineoclock90 · 03/12/2023 17:55

My son has home made healthy food plus chocolate crisps. Takeaway when we have one just chicken nuggets and chips.

erikbloodaxe · 03/12/2023 18:06

Here, have this massive Pat on the back for being the bestest ever

MammaTo · 03/12/2023 18:07

I feel like this is a stealth brag. Look at how well I feed my child compared to this kid living off turkey dinosaurs and microwave meals.

Notmetoo · 03/12/2023 18:11

At 13 months I don't think there is anything wrong in treats.
I actually think moderation in everything is best. Children never allowed chocolate or sweet treats often oveeat on them when they do eventually encounter them

MyCatIsPlotting · 03/12/2023 18:16

I think avoiding sugar at this age is a good thing, but I’d agree balance is important. I certainly allowed mine to have sugar in social situations around 1, eg a biscuit or a bit of birthday cake when others were having it. Mine had certainly had ice cream at 11 months but I think DC1 had chocolate for the first time around his first birthday when he got some in a party bag.

I do think there’s something to be said for normalising moderate sugar consumption as part of a healthy diet, to avoid sugar becoming an issue later on if it’s heavily restricted. Personally, I was keen to avoid habit creation, eg feeling as though you have to have something sweet after a meal, which worked quite well until DC1 started school when they were offered pudding every day….

Unexpectedlysinglemum · 03/12/2023 18:18

My son is the same age he has lots of pre prepared baby food but it's organic - no junk and nothing with added sugar and salt. He'll discover junk food when he's older no need to introduce it to him when he's a baby!

WhamBamThankU · 03/12/2023 18:23

Can they not have a little bag of cadburys buttons spread out across a few days at Christmas as a treat? I was very much like you with my first but found it hard once other people looked after him. I was furious my mum gave him a lick of her ice cream at 11 months old and then realised how ridiculous I was being when I had my second Blush

Phanta · 03/12/2023 18:33

I think there's a middle ground but can't help feel this is a stealth brag. Quite frankly the benefits of organic fruit and veg are minimal at best. And homemade stock? I've better things to do then boil up carcasses and veg every time I need to use stock and I'll use a zero salt stock cube like everyone else in the real world.

VivaVivaa · 03/12/2023 19:22

Gosh, how do you sleep at night?

I think you’re fine. I think your cousin is in the wrong. But I think you know that.

takemeoutonight · 03/12/2023 19:34

erikbloodaxe · 03/12/2023 18:06

Here, have this massive Pat on the back for being the bestest ever

I have been known to make vegan banana bread from scratch now and again, where do I get one of these pats on the back for being better than everyone? #humblebrag

On a side note I haven't heard the term humblebrag in ages and I'd forgotten how accurate it is for threads like this 😄

ThatMrsM · 03/12/2023 19:47

Personally I think you and your cousin are both over the top. My kids (3 year old and 20 month old) mostly eat (and enjoy) homemade meals, fruit, veg...but they also sometimes have a little chocolate, cake, crisps, processed freezer food. But no, we don't call them treats - it's all just food.

Try not to care or compare yourself to other parents in the way they feed their children! It just doesn't matter what anyone else does.

Dartmoorcheffy · 03/12/2023 19:49

I was brought up with the view that everything was fine in moderation (despite my mothers own issues eith food) .

WhatFlavourIsIt · 03/12/2023 20:15

Does anyone have a spare chuffty badge they can send to the op?

Thehokeypokey · 03/12/2023 20:40

They'll all be eating jam sandwiches at birthday parties in a few years whatever you feed them now.

recyclemeagain · 03/12/2023 20:42

Ah the baby years, when it's so important to feel like a better mum based on food choices. Come back when they're teens and let us know how you're getting on then...