Did you give your baby ice cream???

[peachsmuggler]

MIL wants to give DD (9 months) ice cream and chocolate at xmas. I said no. That's ok isn't it, or am I being an ars*y spoilsport?

I thought I'd wait till she is a lot bigger for that kind or stuff, which she can have as a treat sometimes. At the moment she doesn't know it exists so surely I should just leave it like that.

What would you do??

hello peach wave

Anyway, DS has had a bit of icecream but we've held out so far on the chocolate. Most people we know haven't though. He has sugary things, its just the caffeine in chocolate that bothers me.

That said, I suspect he'll have a little at Xmas.

Its up to you though, if you're not comfortable with your baby having those things, your MIL should respect your wishes.

My dd2 would be sitting on my lap at christmas dinner and stuffing handfuls of whatever she could lay her chubby paws on

It wouldn't worry me

both ds's have had most things by 1. Yes I would in answer!

DD was sucking Magnums over the summer at 6mo (not given by me) and I was planning to let her have one or two chocolate buttons at Christmas (11.5mo) or hold out for her birthday in Jan but it wouldn't worry me if it's once in a while and not all the time.

Hey Chairmum - I hadn't even thought about the caffeine thing. Suppose they would only have tiny quantities. Don't want it to be a big deal, but know that she will probably be giving DD's little cousin it as he already has had ice cream and his face was "a picture". Don't want to look like an old sour puss, but aldo don't think I should give her it if I don't want to..

I'd probably give both - in small amounts of course. Ice cream is a source of calcium too so not all bad.

Yes you would be an arsey spoilsport not to let her have it

Gave both my ds's everything we had. Dont see the issue

Give her christmas pudding instead (non-alcoholic variety)- it's got fruit in and she'll love it.
Most commercial ice creams have lots of rubbish in them.

dd had a bit of icecream at 11 months and loved it, she had white choc buttons at 1, have never given her milk choc yet and she is 16 months cos i think there is more cafeine in it but i'm prob wrong.

Ds had his first chocolate button at 8 months on Xmas day - he spat it out. Will let dd have a choc button then too - I suspect she will wolf it down
I would let them try ice cream but will be amazed if a 9 month old likes it. Ds was over 18 months before he got into the idea of such cold food.

DD had her first bit of ice cream at 6 months (a big lick of my spoonful)
and her first chocolate buttons at 6 months - by nanna who was dying and who I promised could be the first person to give her chocolate.

She is not damaged by it, and is not obsessed with sweet food. In fact she prefers pasta and pest to chocolate cake.

DS was deeply suspicious of ice-cream. He ate it, but with a slightly disgusted look on his face.

"You've forgotten to defrost this, Mum," he seemed to say.

Your child, your call; but I don't think your MIL is being unreasonable to want to give her that stuff. It gives Grandparents a kick to give their Grandchildren treats.

What is the worst that will happen if gps indulge your LO? Seriously, LO will not refuse to eat anything else ever again if he has chocolate/ice cream once. If you don't give it to her yourself, she will soon enough forget about it.

DS had icecream when teething. (a bit off my spoon) He seemed to like it!

DD's first solid food was ice cream (not deliberately -- DH was eating an ice cream while holding her and she lunged for it. I guess that's BLW in action...)

Not unreasonable of your ILs to want to give it to her. Not unreasonable of you not to want her to have it. And you're the parent.

With my first one, ds, he had nothing really with sugar in it until he was well past one. I was probably a bit overprotective. With dd it was quite different. Although she mostly eats healthy stuff I give her ice cream and chocolate buttons etc sometimes and she probably had had these by 9 months. It was more difficult with dd because she could see ds having ice cream etc and I thought it was a bit mean. I agree with eachpeach, some ice creams are better than others.

DS has had the odd mouthful of good quality ice cream, loves it! I keep on meaning to make him some frozen fullfat yogurt with fruit swirled in...

Maybe a taste, but not a whole bowl.

I think I gave my PFB his first taste of ice cream at about 1 yr old. he bloody loved it, btw!

I have been through exactly the same, don't be pressurised, it's your choice. Everything in moderation but if you aren't ready just say no! 9 months is still very young. Make the most of being able to make decisions for your child, there will be a long time where you can't! I don't know what it is about the older generation, they think you are a freak if you say no to forbidden fruit!

morningpaper - lol @ your description of chubby little paws. Sounds like my ds

DS was 9 months at Christmas last year. I distinctly remember him sharing a piece of Christmas bauble with me (don't worry it was chocolate not a glass one!) and it was about a week before Christmas. I wouldn't have given him icecream though - unless I'd checked the ingredients and it was 'poncey'-type ice-cream. Mr Whippy seems to contain an awful lot of additives and junk.

To give you an idea, I'm a little picky about what he eats even now, but special occasions and eating out he will sometimes get GOOD QUALITY sweet things. I am still a bit precious about some things though (for example, crisps/Quavers/etc) where some mums have been giving them for months by this stage.