Toddlers and Pringles

[CeruleanBlueX]

Has anyone else noticed how many parents are giving toddlers tubes of Pringles as food? I've seen children in pushchairs, barely able to talk, being given tubes of Pringles to just eat.

They are incredibly salty, and with little nutrition. To me it seems reckless to the point of neglect. Why not carrot or apple...

It's not even parents that look like they can't afford decent food, the clothes they ware and the pushchairs they have seem reasonably expensive....

I have NEVER seen anyone give a tube of pringles to a toddler. What are you on about?

Not just Pringles, Haribo, chocolate etc. Honestly, kids under 2.5 shouldn’t know what chocs or sweets are

Reckless to the point of neglect 😂😂😂
Do you know what neglect actually is?
Get a life.
P.s my kids love a few Pringles, I only let them have a few each then I finish the tub.

I had to do a 4 hour, multiple changes, train journey today on my own with my DC. Completely unavoidably.

My 4 yo had a mini tub of Pringles spaced out across the whole journey as he loves them and they are a very rare treat. Didn’t watch a single screen, other food was fruit/veg/sandwiches/crackers, was really well behaved and I was complemented on his behaviour by another passenger. Walked all the way home from the station despite a long day of travelling without complaint.

But sure, my parenting is reckless to the point of neglect due to the tub of Pringles. I’ll call social services now.

@NC10384 he sounds like a great wee boy! I hope everything is ok now xx

I have also never seen a toddler with a tube of Pringles ever!

Jesus Christ. Get a life.

Yep. Saw it whilst on gate duty.
A year R child , collected from school in a buggy and given a tube of sour cream and onion Pringles.
Mentioned this to the teacher to be met with " every single day."

Ahh thanks! Like all 4 yo he can have his moments but generally he is a gem 🥰 sadly someone ploughed into our car outside MILs house which led to the train journey! Although to be fair I think the train was a massive treat for 4yo. He thought Birmingham new Street was fantastic 😂

You're kidding, that is neglect.... every e knows paprika Pringles are the best!

You know toddlers need calories right?
So yes, we should be feeding our toddlers fruit and vegetables, and yes, there’s a lot of salt in pringles so a whole mini tube on a regular basis is not good from that angle, but a carrot is not an equivalent substitute for the calories that tube of pringles is providing.

My 17 month old has a mini tub of Pringles occasionally because I believe in balance and not completely restricting food because I don’t believe it’s a healthy approach to take with children.

He gets carrots for a snack sometimes too, it doesn’t have to be one or the other.

It is neglect. A Greggs sausage roll is more filling.

I'm glad you said this because I have a toddler who struggles to gain weight. She isn't interested in food, not a picky eater as she will eat almost anything however next to nothing of it to the point where she actually started losing weight so we had her referred to the dietician. The dietician suggested tricks to encourage her to eat more, most of which go against the usual advice so I went from not letting her watch TV much at all, to sticking her in front of the telly to eat because she would eat far far more that way.
The dietician also suggested lots of ways of upping her calories so even if she isn't eating a lot, the calorie content is higher. She eats loads of fruit and veg (about the only thing she will eat lots of) but obviously that doesn't give her enough calories. So there's days where I'll take her out to get her a doughnut or cake to get more calories into her and I always worry about people judging me for it. Threads like this tell me that plenty are judging.
If you know someone who gives their child loads of pringles for no reason other than lazy parenting, then fair enough judge away, but if it is someone who you see passing and have no idea their lives or situation then you are being very unreasonable to pass judgement. Maybe it's a child that for some reason needs the calories, maybe it's a child who eats next to nothing and the parents are demented trying to feed them and are resorting to feed them the only thing they know they will eat, maybe it's a child who almost never gets it but is having a one off treat, maybe the parent is really struggling or has had something difficult happen in their life and they want an easy day for a change so are giving their child something they wouldn't usually just to keep them happy so that the parent's day is a little bit easier. If you don't know then don't judge.

Are you sure they're actually eating them? I gave mine an empty tube of pringles with some dried pasta, rice, and a couple of pennies in. Glued to the lid shut and it was his favourite toy. It would go everywhere with us, and he would play and cuddle it in his stroller.

Life's too short to be so judgemental. Not your kids, not your problem.

People do seem to forget that nutrition isn’t just about micronutrients. Macros matter too and cause more issues more quickly if your child is not getting enough! You also can’t protect against insufficient calories or fat or protein by giving a multivitamin like you can with micronutrients. OP would have a better point if she was suggesting a cheese sandwich or peanut butter spread on low salt crackers or a slice of bread as nutritionally superior substitutes for pringles.

Do you regularly exclude toddlers from social occasions where snacks and sweets are provided?

They arr not dumb, they know what others eat. And there is no point in waiting for children to start school and pig out to a state of sugar overdose as they have never tried sweets before.
I have toddlers that are more sensible around consumption of sweet food than many adults. Yes, they will eat one ice cream but continue to eat fruit, meat and cheese after it. Not like many on MN finishing family pack of sweets as normal evening.

Mine love a mini tube of Pringles on a flight. Their diets are great; snacks in moderation are fine.

Never seen a toddler in a buggy with a tube of Pringles.

Banning things outright leads to as many issues long-term as giving too much, IMO.

I have never seen a toddler eating pringles out and about, but if I fancied some and I was offered apple or carrots instead I would have a right fucking tantrum.

Giving green Pringles to kids is just fucking wrong. Do better parents. Paprika or salt & vinegar washed down with lemonade going forward.

I'm not sure what planet some of Mumsnet live on, but years of working in early years in Castlemilk and Easterhouse mean that, yes, I've seen many barely toddlers eating whole tubes of Pringles, greggs sausage rolls and sucking on bottles of irn bru in their pushchairs in the morning.

Yes, it's deprivation to an extent. Yes, I do judge the parents. But many of these children live in houses with junkies and drug dealers and worse. A tube of Pringles is the least of the problems.

You can’t judge someone on a snapshot in time. My kids I’m sure will have tasted Pringles, not something I ever buy and apparently only 42% potato so I expect they’re quite unhealthy as well! Quite an expensive snack if it’s a daily thing as well.

That said, feeding kids is so hard these days with all the junk food constantly in their faces (and ours). And most parents are working as well so fairly ‘time poor’ and just trying to survive the day. I’ve given my kids all sorts of crap to eat over the years, but I am very conscious of healthy eating and I try hard.

This 🤣

I want some now 😩

Never seen kids eat Pringles here. It’s all about the Pom Bears 😊