HOW TO SENSIBLY LIMIT SWEET IN THE CHILDREN’S MENU?

“Candy is childhood, the best and bright moments that you wish would last forever.”

DYLAN LAUREN

SWEETS

For me, a childhood without sugar must be terribly sad. I understand moderation, healthy eating, a balanced diet, and an active lifestyle. I understand allergies and health restrictions. But I don’t understand the anti-sweet regime.

When Patrick started going to the Nursery, he was 10 months old. Parents can already choose from 3 different menus for children: menu no 1 – meat, menu no 2 – vegetarian, menu no 3 – vegan. Great choice and a great idea. Because now, in fact, due to children’s allergies or parents’ food preferences, the child has a good choice, and it is no different from his home diet.

But what do you think about eliminating sweets from your child’s menu?

In the same Nursery, very nice parties were organized for children, usually with small snacks. There was a costume ball, book hero days, spring day, and other attractions with sweet treats. And after one such event, I noticed that only a small group of children, about 5, including Patrick, had chocolate-covered faces.

I then approached one of the teachers and asked:
“Patrick ate all your chocolate muffins that his face is so dirty?”
“No, he ate one as previously agreed with all parents.”
“And these children with clean faces were not allowed to eat chocolate ones.? “
“The other children have their muffins made with whole grains, yogurt, and no added sugar. Now, most parents do not agree to sweet snacks for children. Did you make such a request?”

It was 5 years ago and I still remember Patrick’s chocolate face and his big smile. I also remember the teacher who packed a box for us on the way, saying:
“These chocolate muffins are very good, take them home because they will go to waste here.”

And only because this Nursery coped so well with the parents’ nutritional “recommendations” the children isolated from sugar did not feel too rejected and sad. There was always a substitute version of the chocolate muffin, birthday cake, or chocolate cookie.

To eat sweets or not to eat sweets?

It was impossible to survive at my children’s birthday parties without any problems and without chocolate and blueberry birthday cake. I knew which child had forbidden sweets. Her mother warned us that they would be late, so I had encoded in my head to clear the sweets from the birthday table.

I must add that my children are not fans of artificial, bar-based sweets, but chocolate tubes, cookies, and muffins were on my children’s menu. On the same table, there were also strawberries, grapes, bananas, and let me tell you, they were the first to disappear from the plates, then the chips, and when we divided the cake, all the children actually forgot about the chocolate treats on the table, so I forgot too.

And then Mom with her 3-year-old came. In this confusion, I opened the door for them, completely forgetting about the sweets, and it was literally seconds. She didn’t have one shoe off yet, and her kid, with shoes and a jacket, ran into one of the bowls with sweets and stuffed so much into his mouth. The rest of the kids stood frozen.

Do you think it makes sense to forbid children from eating sweets?

But don’t confuse the concepts of limiting sweets with eliminating sweets. When limiting food, my children really understood this confine, and if there was dessert, it was only after dinner, at a party with family or friends, of course, sweets were allowed. The most beautiful thing is that now, when Dora is three, and Patrick is 6, they will come and ask if they can have sweets. I’m shocked that I’ve never taught my kids to ask for sweets before, but somewhere around the time of sugar restrictions, it stuck in their minds. And unfortunately, we live in a world where the selection of sweets in every store is huge. I think that maintaining an anti-chocolate regime is extremely difficult these days for both parents and children. https://littlepuzzlesandme.com/do-i-really-look-like-what-i-eat/

Is this sugar elimination really necessary if the child does not have allergies or other nutritional diseases?

This is something each parent should think about for themselves. I only know one thing: the child will win his fight anyway, and he will learn not to eat sweets from the bowl if he has a chance to try at least once. https://www.calareszta.pl/czym-terroryzuje-sie-rodzicow-nowoczesne-tortury/#more-10762