Kids - Sweets and Chocolate

leiela

As i whole my family eat very well, i don't buy anything processed and i make all meals from scratch, i don't often buy cakes / biscuits or any other sugery foods and when i do they are concidered a treat.

I do have a sweetie bowl (which is currently more like a sweetie cuboard) which i allow my kids to pick 2 sweet's from after dinner (only 1 if they pick something big like a chocolate bar), if and only if they've made a very good attempt at eating thier dinner.

I never buy sweets or chocolate and i find that as a rule the sweet/chocolate they get at christmas lasts till easter, easter eggs last till halloween, and Halloween sweets usually last WAY after christmas.

However recently i'm having 2 problems firstly the kids my children are playing with all seem to eat ALOT more junk, sweets and other crap than my children and my kids are starting to notice.

One little girl went home for her lunch on saturday having played in my garden for a few hours, only to return 5 minutes later with her lunch (2 chocolate bars, a packet of cheesy puffs and a bottle of coke... ugh)

So my first questions is am i being mean?? i don't think i am as they are allowed 2 sweets per day as long as meals are eaten, with the occasional added treat if i make something homemade (i often make suger free jelly, or suger free intant whip and have even been known to bake occasionally, sunday i made a whole batch of spidermen cakes)

Secondly ... my sweetie cuboard is overflowing, they are getting more sweet's than i allow them to eat ... Halloween they came home with 2 massive carrier bags full, which are less than half empty even now, not to mention all the christmas goodies that got added on top. I sware if i stick to the 2 sweets per day rule it will take them 3 years to eat it all.

It's really getting silly, is i wrong of me to throw some of these things away? as they are the kids they arn't mine, or should i increase the amount i let them eat??

I don't want to be a mean mum, but i also think moderation is important??

How much sweet stuff is enough and how much is just too much??

vik6525

Ooooo, my son would KILL to live in a house like yours!

My son gets none. No sweets or chocolate off me at all. If we eat out, then he's allowed a desert, but thats only once in a blue moon. And if he goes to his Grannys, she lets him have ice cream. But other than that, nothing. Not here anyway.

We do, however, have an overflowing fridge, chocka block full of fruit, which he can help himself to any time he fancies.


As for chucking sweets and chocolates away, Id say do it!

If its not there, they cant have it!

fernliebee

Personally I don't think your being mean at all, you are being a good mum, looking after your children's health until they are old enough to do it themselves! If you explain the situation to them they may still moan about it but at least they understand. Try telling them why you don't want them to eat a lot of rubbish eg tooth problems, diabetes, heart disease etc it may be shocking to them but they will at least know why.

I would throw away some of the stuff as it gets too old, or give them a choice ie which are your best/ worst, which ones shall we get rid of? etc.

Keep strong they may moan now but they will appreciate it when they are older- believe me, my mum was very strict over sweets and chocolate when we were younger we were allowed them once a week. At the time I thought it was unfair but as an adult I am very careful over my DD diet, and my brother is strict with his DS too!

Alikay

Try not to take any notice of what other families give their kids. I rarely had sweets in the house and if I packed something sweet with their school lunch it was generally a piece of plain-ish cake. We went to the sweet shop on Fridays as an after school treat so they did have sweets, just not every day. Fizzy drinks were a special treat on trips to MacDonalds etc and they drank water, tea, milk and weak squash at home. They are now 20, 18 and 15 and have never needed any fillings in their teeth.

moneypooh

You're doing fine.

My DD (14) and DS (11) are in the same boat. They were restricted on sweets when they were small and allowed as much as they wanted of fruit etc... instead.

Now they just don't want sweets, and I buy a small grocers every week

Many sweets & chocolate bars have actually gone out of date recently. This Christmas granny gave them stuff they will still have next.

They both have a healthy attitude to food and I'm hoping that'll continue, now I'm not strict on them, they just don't want it anymore

becs

I think what you are doing sounds brilliant. It allows your kids to have something that all other kids have but to appreciate it as a treat. The danger of banning them altogether makes them more attractive and could lead to problems when they are old enough to get sweets themselves. I think your way teaches them discipline and restraint and means they appreciate it. A little of what you fancy is fine, it sounds like you ensure they have a well balanced healthy diet so 2 sweets a day won't undo that.

RoseFairy

I don't you are being strict. You care for your childrens health and teeth,. You can explain that to them too ie all the pros and cons -children can be understanding if you explain every step (when they are calm!).

I too have a 'junk/sweetie' cupboard with: apart from just chocolates ( which i prefer to keeping sweets), which also includes some other ok choices like pain au chocolat; or those chocolate filled crepes (individually wrapped), fruit bars, mini raisin boxes, some cakes and crisps, fruit puree in pouches, (which i rotate shopping wise as i can't keep all at the same time) etc.

i don't think 'sweets' usually go out of date - though chocolate do, so i think they should finish in good time. if you felt like it, you could wave the rule during weekends?! (eg i let my kids only have the cocopops cereal on weekends).

RoxieW

I'm same as you and let my kids have a treat after dinner. They have a school dinner with a pudding too though so I actually worry that they're getting too much sugary treats!
That said, same as you, I try to balance it with wholesome meals and 5 out of 7 days of the week I cook from scratch. I wouldnt call it 'healthy food' - things like roasts, homemade pies, pasta dishes etc but at least its not processed. Once a week (when their dad works late) they'll have something easy like fishfingers and chips or pizza - and generally once a week we eat out (about half and half between a proper restauraunt and fast food ie fish and chips). They also eat alot of fruit and veg so I like to think I keep it balanced. However, they also have lots of sweets left over from xmas that are cluttering up the kitchen!

Gingham_Ribbon

I stock up on fruitbars (100% dried fruit) sesame snaps, yogurt raisins and dried fruit at the wholefood warehouse every few months and they eat them. I also get a large bag of chocolate 'beans' that I use on baking and for occasional treats.

The oldest won't eat other sweets incase they have gelatine in them as he's a vegetarian. And neither of them eat anything with artificial food colouring in.

We have pudding when we have a smallish main course. We bake buns, biscuits, cakes and have them as and when.

Crisps are for picnics and parties. No discussion. Chocolate bars (finger of fudge, milky way or freddo) are allowed in pack-ups very occasionally. Last time was end of last term I think.

Food is just food. I dont' want it to be an issue. But I don't want them eating rubbish either.

Shellybee

You are not being mean.

I have a drawer in the fridge with treats in and my 2 boys (5&7) are allowed to choose one thing after meals.The rest of the time I have ample amount of fruit, cereal bars and yoghurts...if they are peckish. Quite often they won't even choose a treat as they are so full up from a homecoooked dinner.

I thought that was sad when you mentioned your child's friend's lunch was basically junk. How long would it have taken for the mother to make a sandwich??

You will be thanked by them when they are older and have perfect teeth

thriftlady_2

Being mean or not is irrelevant. As a parent your job is to do what's best for your kids which in this case is to limit their intake of sweets -that's a no-brainer. Being a parent isn't about doing everything your child would like is it?