Just curious - when would you introduce chocolate?

[saraendepity]

Daisy wont be gettin choc till atleast a year - if not older if i can help it....if anyone needs a reason tell them the caffeine in it inhibits the uptake of Iron in foods and even tho they dont actually have teeth yet it causes damage below the gumline so there

 

[saraendepity]

Didnt mean that to sound bitchy to anyone who's LO's have choc btw - just a reason to give to MIL's/SIL's who wanna be choccy pushers

 

[Foogirl]

I have no plans to "introduce" chocolate into Abby's diet. I'm a raging chocaholic and eat far too much of the stuff.

I'm all for everything in moderation but when it comes to junk, she'll come across it at some point in her life, probably at someone elses house, but I'm not going to make a conscious decision to introduce it. But if the issue comes up, my family members will be told she isn't having it until she is at least 2 years old. If they want to call me a mean mummy, they're welcome to it.

 

[kirsten1985]

I agree with Foogirl.

I am hoping to never give Freya chocolate/sweets, I won't deny her it when she is older but I will never consciously give it to her. If that makes sense! I don't want to do the whole 'you can have chocolate if you're good' situation, I don't want her to think of it as a 'special' food, so that equally means not banning her from it, lol.

She will be at least 2 before I let anyone else near her with it though.

 

[Foogirl]

I don't want to do the whole 'you can have chocolate if you're good' situation, I don't want her to think of it as a 'special' food, so that equally means not banning her from it, lol.

This is a good point, it is all about how they are taught to deal with food psychologically. Just as she won't get chocolate as a treat, she also will never be taken to Mickey D's for a special occassion or as a treat. IF (and it is unlikely) we ever do take her there, it will be because there is absolutely no option, not as a choice.

 

[kirsten1985]

Yeah we feel the same about that one. I hate it when I hear people in town saying they will go there if they behave themselves. Eugh.

 

[Foogirl]

Yeah we feel the same about that one. I hate it when I hear people in town saying they will go there if they behave themselves. Eugh.

We are looking to do it the other way round. If she ever asks to go, we'd respond with a, "well, if you really want to, but how about we go to beefeater for a nice juicy steak instead"

 

[purple_socks]

I agree with Foogirl.

I am hoping to never give Freya chocolate/sweets, I won't deny her it when she is older but I will never consciously give it to her. If that makes sense! I don't want to do the whole 'you can have chocolate if you're good' situation, I don't want her to think of it as a 'special' food, so that equally means not banning her from it, lol.

She will be at least 2 before I let anyone else near her with it though.

thats exactly how i feel abt it...he can have sweets and things at parties etc because i don't want him to feel like its something hes not allowed and therefore make it something special and desirable but i don't want to ever offer him it at home...or at least not 4 a very long time. i would like Kian to grow up being more intersted in healthier foods. OH and I have a very bad realtionship with food and both struggle with our weight. I'm terrible for 'treating myself' with unhealthy foods. i dont Kian to have the same attitudes towrads foods as we have....i know it'll b hard tho because the whole world is sweets, choc and 'treats' for children mad!!! expecially at times like xmas and easter....i dunno how long i can avoid people saying things like 'have u been a good boy? do u deserve this *sweets of some sort*?'!!!

 

[elmaxie]

Nathan has had tastes of chocolate for about a month or so. Not loads, not everyday(as we dont eat chocolate everyday) but he has a tube of milky buttons he is working through very slowly.

He has an advent calander which he gets 1/2 of the milky bar chocolate. He also gets his toothbrush with a bit of paste on after for his teeth.

I dont want my child to end up like my friend who didnt allow her daughter to have chocolate until 3....she was at a party and raided the sweets and was manic hyper.

Emma.xx

 

[Rydia]

I am going to wait until he is old enough to ask for it (at least 18 months+ I hope). I dont see any point in giving him sweets when he is happy with fruit and doesnt even know what chocolate is anyway. I know there will be some point when he sees his cousins or someone else having it and will be old enough to demand it though. When that happens, Ill let him try it. I dont want deny him sweets completely when he is old enough to want them and realize what they are--I will just teach him about moderation.

 

[Babydance]

Nathan has had tastes of chocolate for about a month or so. Not loads, not everyday(as we dont eat chocolate everyday) but he has a tube of milky buttons he is working through very slowly.

He has an advent calander which he gets 1/2 of the milky bar chocolate. He also gets his toothbrush with a bit of paste on after for his teeth.

I dont want my child to end up like my friend who didnt allow her daughter to have chocolate until 3....she was at a party and raided the sweets and was manic hyper.

Emma.xx

Hey sweetie just wanted to say try leaving it an hour after chocolate before brushing his teeth, it can make it worse if you brush immediatley as it can damage the enamel.
My cousins were like your friends wee girl and when they were at a party of at christmas they were crazy!! xx

 

[elmaxie]

Oh thanks I never knew but luckily its usualy about that after he has it he brushes (or chews his brush!)

Emma.xx

 

[faille]

Violet will no doubt have a little taste over Xmas because everyone else will be eating it. We do BLW so she's used to eating what everyone else does. There's no way I'm going to let her sit there and watch everyone else eat it and not "let" her join in as that's saying "it's ok for me to eat it, but not for you, because you're not 'x' enough or 'y' enough for it yet".

If I knew nobody else would be eating it then I wouldn't delibrately give it to her but I'm not going to consciously exclude her.

It's not a regular thing in the house but I don't see the harm in letting her taste it and have a little bit over Xmas and Easter - a little taste is hardly going to get her addicted! I'd rather her have little bits then grow up seeing it as a desirable food because mummy never let her have it, therefore it must be so bad for you it's good.

 

[Jkelmum]

My friend gave lily an animal biccy the other day and although its not what i would give her ..i didnt say anything but took it off her after a few sucks lol ..didnt want to upset my friend and i guess a little is ok ...lily is 6m

 

[im_mi]

i dont understand the obsession that older family members seem to have with giving babies chocolate. my MIL used to guilt trip me CONSTANTLY about not letting my son have any chocolate (bearing in mind he was only just 1 at the time, lol). he just started having chocolate every now and then when he was about 18 months old.

 

[Lulu]

Thanks everyone Somewhere between 12-18 months seems to be the general consensus.

Like most have said I don't intend to deliberately give Euan chocolate but at the same time I don't want to deny him either. I just don't intend to make a big thing of it, but won't intentionally give it to him until he's at least 12 months.

I agree with im_mi, there is definitely an obsession with older family members to give babies sweet food and I just don't get it!

 

[Foogirl]

I agree with im_mi, there is definitely an obsession with older family members to give babies sweet food and I just don't get it!

Is it maybe because once they have had it, Grandma will be able to "treat" them with it?