Does your baby have something sweet at each meal?

[polo_princess]

Sorry to play devils advocate here but ... do you not think that in not giving them sweet things you could be causing a problem later on? Bingeing on sweet stuff to make up for lost time so to speak? You know what the whole thing is like about wanting stuff you cant have, makes you want it even more

Brooke will eat anything and everything in moderation, i believe its more the eating habits than the actual food that is important

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

that's an interesting q ....

I totally agree everything in moderation, but...I was allowed sweets only very rarely when I was young and this has really stuck with me, that you don't sit and stuff yourself with them everyday! Because I am never ate much sweet stuff, I have a limited tolerance for very sweet tastes, I find them quite sickly and not that pleasant apart from in very small quantities.

I will give Ruby the odd sweet thing but I will not be feeding her puddings routinely from weaning age, that's what I personally think is likely to cause problems.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

It's like if you go on a diet, then 'treat' yourself to some sweet food and you're like, 'ugh, this is a bit much'. Because you're not in the habit of having very sweet flavours, you're more sensitive to them.

 

[Lu28]

PP that's definitely a good point. My friend's boyfriend was never allowed anything sweet while growing up and if a packet of biscuits appears, he's incapable of just having one or two, the entire packet is demolished. I do think it's important to have everything in moderation.

I think for me, I want to try not to give a pudding after every savoury meal just so she doesn't get into the habit of always having something sweet after her savoury - again because that's not how DH or I eat. I'm more than happy to let her have fruit or yoghurts etc after one meal a day and as a treat between meals. For things like chocolate or ice cream etc, I'd be much more comfortable waiting until she's past the weaning stage, maybe after she's a year old.

 

[polo_princess]

Its interesting huh? Just wanted to add a different spin on it, we all have it kind of programmed into our brains that by not giving something we are doing good iykiwm, but you never really think if it could have the opposite effect.

 

[LaDY]

Iv always given sweet as a treat...iv always given my LO fruit mainly x

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I guess that's like my mum's attitude to alcohol when I was younger. She let me have tiny glasses of watered down wine with my sunday dinner from when I was really young, so I saw it being enjoyed in moderation in an appropriate setting.
When my parents broke up my Dad got a girlfriend who banned any alcohol until her kids were 18, you can guess what they went out and did as soon as they could

 

[Pyrrhic]

Sorry to play devils advocate here but ... do you not think that in not giving them sweet things you could be causing a problem later on? Bingeing on sweet stuff to make up for lost time so to speak? You know what the whole thing is like about wanting stuff you cant have, makes you want it even more

Brooke will eat anything and everything in moderation, i believe its more the eating habits than the actual food that is important

I got desserts when it was a special occassion, and when we went out for a meal growing up, as did my 3 siblings.

None of us binge on junk now, never have. We still carry the same eating habits through. I don't have sweet things after most meals now. If out for dinner, someone coming over, birthday, etc then it's a nice treat

On the other hand, my OH and his brother had access the sweets whenever they wanted and after every meal. Even now my OH wil go rooting around in cupboards after a meal to get his sugar fix. His brother had 8 cavities when a child, and although OHs teeth are fine, he did put on a lot of weight as a child.

I realise of course there is a medium between the two, but nothing I've seen about encouraging healthy eating and abstaining from unnatural sugar has caused children to binge eat when they're older.

My MIL wouldn't agree though, she thinks it's cruel to deprive kiddies of sweets and hates the fact Niamh isn't getting chocolate buttons and coke I think

 

[mari72]

I give Ellis a pudding (usually natural yogurt and fruit or rice pudding with fruit) after her dinner but only if she eats all her dinner-which makes me sound like a right cow, standing over my nine month old saying no sweets unless you eat it all up!!!!-but sometimes ellis can be a bit fussy and turn her nose up at dinner and while its tempting to give her an alternative or pudding to fill her up i try to resist as all it'll teach her is that if she holds out long enough the good stuff turns up.
Again we don't have dessert with our dinner so she's in for a bitter disappointment when she starts eating what mum and dad have!!!
I give her fruit with lunch too but not as dessert, just as part of the meal (its finger foods)
I think a little of everything is fine but sugar is definitely something that you seem to build a tolerance and need for, the more you have the more you want. I have a terrble sweet tooth though so i'm a bit of a hypocrite.

 

[polo_princess]

We had a bit of everything as kids, and im more of a savoury than a sweet person tbh, but that could just be my bodies setup as opposed to what we were taught about eating as children. Though i did suddenly acquire a sweet tooth during pregnancy which i found quite odd

 

[Faerie]

Good point PP, but it seems to depend on the person.... I have 3 sisters, we weren't allowed any junk food at all whilst growing up, had my first fast food at 14... Two of my sisters went the way you described, as soon as they could have junk food they gorged, they're both still over weight and will never have "just one".
Myself and another sister don't do this. Sure, every now and then we'll both eat more chocolate than necessary which I got into whilst being pregnant and trying to stop but neither of us gorge or eat crap. Well, actually I'll eat crap every now and then, she won't ever!
Maybe it just depends on the personality? I will try and instil healthy eating habits with Sofia, and she will be leading an active lifestyle which I think is very important.

 

[Faerie]

Oh, and another thing I've noticed from having lived in UK and Switzerland - in Switzerland people will eat chocolate etc but their main meals are healthy, there is a lot less processed foods on the markets and the families I know just don't eat them. It's also a lot more difficult to get takeaways etc, as there are hardly any. People eat proper lunch rather than food on the go.

 

[nessajane]

I dont see nothing wrong with given LO sweet things after a meal, tyler will have bananna, pineapple or some kind of fruit mostly everyday after dinner and he always has a yougurt after tea, its not as if we are feeding our kids with chocolate, giving them fruit is setting a good example for when they older

When i was younger if i wasnt aloud a treat from the naughty draw i would hold my breath

 

[Fossey]

We just give a yoghurt after lunch which is normally her main meal. At night time she doesn't have pudding.