Just curious - when would you introduce chocolate?

[Lulu]

Hi I'm looking for opinion to satisfy my own curiosity.

When would you consider introducing chocolate to your LO? I'm not planning on doing it anytime soon but my dad and my in-laws seem to have a fascination that Euan will be able to have chocolate soon. We've only been giving him solids since he turned 6 months so barely 3 weeks so far and giving him chocolate is that last thing on my mind just now.

But I've got a feeling that someone will try and feed him chocolate on Christmas Day and I just want to be able to say it's not recommended until x months old or whatever.

Not wanting to start a debate just interested in your views.

Thanks

 

[Kitten]

I believe general consensus is a year old due to caffeine and potential for allergies: https://babyparenting.about.com/od/startingsolids/f/chocolate.htm

So I'd tell relatives a year cos of the risk of an allergic reaction, just leave out the conflicting evidence lol.

 

[Kayleigh09]

You shouldnt need to tell them facts, they should respect you if you just say ''I'd rather not give him chocolate and get into that habit just yet'' I wont be giving my daughter chocolate for a fair time yet (i'm thinking 18+ months). My sister in-law tried to tell me to give my daughter a cadburys finger which i refused to do. She said she gave her daughter one when she was about a month old! hmm... not going to happen here lol.

Just tell whoever tries it that you will decide when your baby tries new things and would like people to respect that decision. Its out of order for people to go behind your back or undermine your authority and just give it without your consent.

Not saying your family would be like that but i just have a very strong opinion on people not listening to parents and what they want for their children xx

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I would say once they reach age one, they can have everything in moderation really. Personally I won't be giving it until she is quite a bit older though, so won't eat it in front of Ruby either. I'm lucky in that my family wouldn't dream of trying to feed Ruby junk, everyone is very health conscious, expect MIL who sent Ruby a stocking full of choc buttons needless to say she won't be given them.

 

[Babydance]

Soph is 6 months and i let her lick my advent choc but actually eating chocolate im really not sure! probably a year or just over xx

 

[mumtosam]

I've let Sam have a milky bar button but worried I shouldn't have now!

 

[Babydance]

I've let Sam have a milky bar button but worried I shouldn't have now!

hey hunny i wouldnt worry xxx

 

[Lulu]

Thanks ladies I've not really given it much thought but I reckon it will be when Euan is one at the earliest. He really doesn't need to be filled up with caffine and sugar!!

Kayleigh that's exactly what I expect my SIL to do, go behind my back when I've said no. Thankfully DH is also fully in agreement with me so she's his sister, he can tell her no!

It just gets really annoying at times, last night my SIL was round and asking how Euan was liking his food and then asked 'has he had chocolate yet?'. Like it's the be all and end all of all foods!!

My MIL last week appeared with 2 jars of baby food - rice pudding and egg custard! I was like 'eh, hello he needs to get used to savoury food before we start introducing sweet food' Some people just don't get it and then they wonder why they're overweight!

 

[Lulu]

I've let Sam have a milky bar button but worried I shouldn't have now!

I wouldn't worry

I'm also not saying that Euan won't get a little tiny taste of something at some point, I just don't intend to start giving him chocolate as a standard food group like some of my relatives seem to want to

 

[kelly2903]

people gave lilly chocolate at about 5 months i didnt..... i tryed to keep all sweets away from her but they learn what they are very quickly i think she was around 10 months ish...... but even now i dont give her chocolate regular but if we drive or walk past a shop she says mummy shop sweets lol xxxx

 

[kelly2903]

oh she has hd one small piece everyday since her calender started so im lying i think that would be regular but once its gone it wont be lol xxx

 

[freckleonear]

1`1``

 

[Lucy_lu_84]

My Lo had a tiny taste of a milky bar the other day because he got it in his party bag. One little bit tho ...not the whole bag! I have a suspision my Mum had put a bag of buttons in Joshua's advent train for thr 24th ...He won't be getting many from that I can tell you!

Think tastes of white choco now and again but not often!

 

[Pyrrhic]

I posted a similar thread recently, as Niamh has never had anything sweet other than fruit or yogurt. She has water, not juice too.

I'll be giving her a taste of cake on her 1st Birthday I've decided, but after that I'm not sure. I don't keep sweets/chocolate in the house, and I don't really eat much of it so if it's not something my family normally eats I don't see the need to go out of the way to give it to her.

 

[nessajane]

Tyler has some chocy but mainly due to it being in the house due to xmas, its not something i will be giving to him on regular occasions as we dont normally keep it in the house xmas aside x

 

[Lu28]

I haven't given her any yet and I won't until she's at least one. I'm hoping she won't get into the habit of it because I'm a total chocoholic and I'd like to spare her that! I agree though, there seems to be some obsession with it, my SIL is constantly asking if I've 'tried her' on chocolate yet and I feel a bit uncomfortable trying to explain a good reason why I haven't - except that there's absolutely no reason why I should give it to her! My MIL does the whole Mean Mummy routine too but no surprise there...

 

[Lulu]

I haven't given her any yet and I won't until she's at least one. I'm hoping she won't get into the habit of it because I'm a total chocoholic and I'd like to spare her that! I agree though, there seems to be some obsession with it, my SIL is constantly asking if I've 'tried her' on chocolate yet and I feel a bit uncomfortable trying to explain a good reason why I haven't - except that there's absolutely no reason why I should give it to her! My MIL does the whole Mean Mummy routine too but no surprise there...

I'm the same Lu, got a really bad sweet tooth and I don't want Euan to start that!

I feel the same, I should ask them to explain why should I give him chocolate, instead of trying to explain why I shouldn't. I get the mean mummy routine too - does my head in

 

[mamalove]

Chocolate is very dangerous even for older children and adults,let alone babies. It's a choking hazard,and that worries me more then the fact that theres huge amount of sugar and god knows what in 1 chocolate button.

However,i gave twins Hipp dessert which is like a chocolate pudding with vanilla,but real chocolate no ..even my 2 and half year old hardly ever comes close to chocs.

 

[dizzyspells]

My eldest did not have chocolate until about 2yrs old ish.She has it as a treat now maybe once a week if that and she does not really bother about it to he honest.We dont really eat it and its no good for them really so dont see why we need to make it a regular thing.We will do the same with LO.My best friends MIL is trying to get her LO to have chocci and she is going mad!Everyone has there own opinons it and its totally up to you.xx

 

[MrsBop]

Mailie has a teeny tiny taste of her advent calendar, thats not through her choice but Noah gives her the bare minimum so he can eat the rest lol! She's 8 months.