Giving baby cake, biscuits etc

[LoobyLou33]

DS1 is 8 months old and weaned at 6 months, loving his food (mix of BLW and spoon feeding).

This is probably a silly question, but surely it's best to avoid giving babies sugary things like cakes and biscuits? I figured I may as well put off LO getting used to sweet foods that aren't really nutritious for as long as possible! I've been surprised to see other friends offering their babies bits of cake or pudding, and someone offered my LO some yesterday - I politely declined on his behalf! Seeing so many others doing that has made me wonder if my instincts are wrong....

Presumably there's no disadvantage in me keeping him off those sorts of things til he's old enough to want them, and then I plan to give them sparingly as a treat. With so many children overweight or obese by the age of 5 I'm keen to avoid him getting into bad habits.

Anyone with slightly older children who've managed to keep them relatively sweet/biscuit/cake free?

I have a DS who is 6. I have always let him try all foods including cakes and biscuits and had no issues with sugar etc. He is very slim and active and isn't bothered with sweet food particularly. He'll eat it, but never asks for it and is as happy with cheese as chocolate cake.

I know others will disagree, but I would be inclined to give as varied a diet as possible.

What funny says- i do moderate what dd has (eg only sweet treats at tea) but its part of learning to moderate your appetite

For my part, I think it's good to introduce a little of everything (as part of a balanced diet as they say on all the adverts) as I feel strict restrictions are probably the path to eating issues later on

I'm probably lucky, but my DS eats pretty much everything, stops when he's full (whether it's brussel sprouts or chocolate buttons), and has followed the 50th centile since he was born.

He's had veggies, fruit, baby biscuits and pudding in a balance since he started eating solids.

I think the whole sweet tooth thing is a bit of a red herring - have you tasted how sweet breast milk is!

I also agree with Funny.

DS1 had very few sweet things until he was one, his first piece of proper cake was a slice of the birthday cake I made him and he sat and ate it with his eyes wide and a huge grin on his face He had had the odd bit of pudding or biscuit before that though.

DS2 I am doing the same - he is 9.5 months.

DS1 is now 3.5, and he can have something if he wants it. We don't have loads of biscuits and sweets around at home, but if we are out then he can have whatever is going, or if I do make a pudding or we have cake then he can have some. He has chocolate from time to time, sometimes 2 days in a row or nothing for a fortnight. He likes it, but is just as happy or actually happier with fruit or a sandwich or a plate of roast dinner. We try very hard not to use food as a reward although we do explain that if you are hungry it is better to eat a cheese sandwich than some chocolate because it will fill him up more and help him grow.

I was pretty much banned from eating sweet things as a child, intake was very tightly controlled, sweets were only allowed on a Friday - all that kind of thing. Done with the very best of intentions, but the result was that I developed an obsession with sweet and sugary foods that I still struggle with in adulthood.

I don't give my 9mo DD puddings because I know she will like it and there is no need to introduce her to the taste of sugar.

But when she gets older I dont plan to say no either. If other children or us are having something sweet then she can have it. If she asks when we eat out, she can have it too.

I don't get it, what's so bad aabout liking puddings? Apples etc are also sweet? So if she likes that then she already likes sweet things? Personally I saws always brought up eating afters after dinner, sometimes cake, biscuit, fruit, yoghurt etc and I do that when poss with my dcs. Even under one.

I was brought up to never have puddings. Our school dinners never have puddings. We never have crisps, cakes, biscuits at home, now or when I grow up. If I was to offer pudding, I would have to go out and buy them especially.

FYI my family is from hong kong and we grew up in nz. It's not common for Chinese to have puddings after a meal. Except in a banquet. So it's really a treat thing.

DH has British parents and they have puddings every day.

It's just cultural.

I was reading these guidelines from the school food trust the other day and was actually quite surprised to find how many puddings and cakes there are on the menus for 1-4 year olds (although most of them have some fruit in them). Also, very little meat, but a good mix of fish, meat alternatives, eggs, beans and pulses. I guess nutritionally a little bit of everything is best?? Personally I have let my DS have small tastes of choc etc. and to be honest he hasn't been that keen!

There's nothing wrong with sweet food, there's nothing wrong with cake, there's a lot wrong with too much food. And I really think making a big deal of anything is a bad idea "don't eat cake", "just have cake as a special treat" makes cake something different from normal food, and associates it with treats. When it shouldn't be, it's just food, treat it as such and I can't see it becoming an issue.

Surely it's actually a good food for small active children - they have small stomachs and much higher calorie needs (for their size) than adults. Calorie dense food is needed.

My HV insists I should give puddings after every meal. So I'm not surprised the school dinners have lots of cakes. But I just don't see why it is a must to give a sweet course.

Trust your instincts, you sound spot on to me. Theres loads of variety to be had without sugary stuff. Dates are lovely with apple. Lots of fruit is sweet. Keep doing what your doing!

Its a funny one, I restricted dd with food intake like sweet and sugary things. She is possibly a one off but is very fussy and I wish I had just let her have whatever was on my plate as I am sure she would have liked it. Ds allowed to pick from my plate/dh's and eats everything put in front of him currently sweet and savoury.

Interestingly, was told by someone in the medical profession that sugar when they are young isn't actually that bad, the problem with sugar is tooth decay and lack of tooth care.

And ice cream is very very nice for teething babies

Actually talking to my DH about this. We don't think of puddings the same way at all. He pointed out we have sweet and savoury courses all at the same time when having yum char. (That's our equivalent Sunday roast in a pub. It's always in a restaurant and its done every Sunday lunch time with family). It's like serving your sticky toffee pudding with your yorkshires and roast beef, letting everyone pick their faves onto their plates.

Anecdotally btw - friend who kept her child sugar free for 2 + years now has a manic child whenever she sees chocolate/sweets/things her mum wouldn't like her to have. She goes manic stuffing them in and then goes on a sugar rush, whereas some other children I know (admittedly usually no2!) will have one biscuit and walk away so there is no rhyme or reason really.

DD was a poor eater. When she was 8 months old I almost had to force her to eat, so there was no way I was going to give her cakes and puddings because she would then absolutely refuse to eat anything else. She finally discovered an appetite at about 18 months so I used to let her have fromage frais after meals. She is 11 now and isn't greedy with sweets at all. She likes them, but still has quite a few left over from Halloween.

I try and restrict sugar intake until they can properly brush their teeth.

I don't outlaw any food though, I don't think it's a good attitude.
11 yo DD's friend is only allowed sweets/chocolate etc on special occasions. DD said when they went to camp her friend spent £20 in the vending machines gorging on crisps, chocolate and coke.
She also has been labelled scrounger at school as she is constantly asking others for some of their food.
DD had her first 'treat' on her first birthday, a piece of chocolate cake.

DS1 had his about 9 months two chocolate buttons courtesy of DD.

DS2 aged 5.5months popped open the bag on DS1's unwanted doughnut and had a whale of a time munching it until I caught him!

Ali same here. I was very restricted with sweets etc as a child. I had a sweet tin and was occasionally allowed a sweet. Having a 'sweet day' which some of my friends did on a Saturday made me very indeed. We also didn't have a telly and I was rather obsessive about both! Consequently I don't restrict my DC in either area, and they have shown that they have a natural balance. DS1 will turn away an extra biscuit/sweet because he just doesn't want to eat any more. I wish I had that natural self control

notso but why outlaw sugar for teeth brushing reasons? Many starches are also broken down by mouth bacteria into the acids that cause tooth decay, and are often worse as starchy food is often sticky so doesn't get washed away as easily.

I don't outlaw it but I do keep an eye on how much they have.
I realise that sugars are not the only cause of tooth decay, however as other foods are more important for a healthy diet it makes sense to restrict the ones which are less needed a developing body.

by a developing body.

Why can't there be an edit function.