Sweet Treats/Desserts

[mom31257]

How often do you let your kids have sweets? We've got some issues with this in our house. I want to know how other families handle it.

 

Thanks so much.

[BikeBookBread]

I replied, "we don't regulate it" only because it isn't an everyday thing, but it isn't a restricted thing either. Our family is very active...my dh commutes by bike, the girls are outside playing all the time. I cook very healthy meals, and they get plenty of fruits, veggies, whole grains and fiber. I bake my own bread, bake all of our baked treats from scratch. We do let them have candy, but not huge amounts. For example, they like suckers, so I buy "Dum Dums" which I keep around for treats...they are nice and small.

 

There are families in our circle of friends who don't have ANY refined sugar whatsoever, and that's great for them but it just isn't something we want to do right now.

 

We really do follow the adage "all things in moderation" at our home.

[angela in ohio]

I voted 2-3 times a week. Usually it's not us giving it to them. I don't mind them getting sweets then, though, as they eat very well at home. We do have dessert after a meal when we have company. "Treats" here are popcorn, apples, sunflower seeds, cheese, etc. :001_smile:

[HRAAB]

That's a hard one to answer. We've had something sweet almost every night for the last couple weeks: peach shortcake, peach pie, peach cobbler, and of course, whipped cream (the real kind). Normally it would be more like once a week; mom controls the sweets.

 

Janet

[Ellie]

You need an "other" choice. :-)

 

I rarely fix dessert for dinner, and I rarely have sweets around the house, either. So I voted that we don't regulate it.

[Desert Rat]

We make food a nonissue in our house. I come from very obese people and try to present food as sustaining for the body and enjoyable but not necessary to feel better, have a good time, etc. We have desert but explain it as a sometimes food. Desert can be strawberries with whip or a pudding cup. So I voted we don't regulate it.

[Sputterduck]

We never do. Sugar is a non issue here.

[danybug]

I picked that we don't regulate. The kids have a dish of ice cream almost every night or a baked dessert if I have made one.

 

We do however rarely have any candy and I try to cut our refined sugar out of other places that it does not need to be loaded into (like sauce, ketchup, dressings, and snacks). I feel like they should enjoy treats when they want it within reason because we are really active and eat most all our food from Trader Joes and Whole Foods. I am more into insuring we are not eating any high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, additives, MSG and the likes.

[runamuk]

We have dessert or sweets a couple of times a week only if they're in the house. The kids and I make a dessert twice a month and we eat on it for a few days. When it's gone, we having nothing until we have another cooking session.

[MamaT]

I picked that we don't regulate. The kids have a dish of ice cream almost every night or a baked dessert if I have made one.

 

We do however rarely have any candy and I try to cut our refined sugar out of other places that it does not need to be loaded into (like sauce, ketchup, dressings, and snacks). I feel like they should enjoy treats when they want it within reason because we are really active and eat most all our food from Trader Joes and Whole Foods. I am more into insuring we are not eating any high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, additives, MSG and the likes.

 

This is how we eat as well. I buy whole grains, bake my own bread etc. We eat a lot of fruits and veggies. I voted daily, because I usually have something that I have baked for dessert at night. If I don't, we eat ice cream also. Our family is very active and no one has a problem with their weight or is fixated on food. I also let them have candy occasionally as a special treat (usually the kid that is helping me shop for groceries).

[ChristusG]

I didn't vote....because I'm not really sure what to vote.

 

We do not do sweets that have high fructose corn syrup or dyes. Two or three times a week, if my kids eat their dinner well, I'll give them ONE single cookie after dinner. The cookies are small, and organic.

 

On Saturday evening, we all pick a "bad" snack LOL. Something that's totally loaded with HFCS and/or dyes. I'm too much of a candy-a-holic to give it all up completely. So my kids, my husband, and I will each choose a candy bar, or chocolate chip cookies from the local bakery, or a small container of ice cream, etc.

 

But the only actual sweets we keep in the house are the organic cookies that they have 2 or 3 times a week after dinner.

[myfunnybunch]

I voted "We don't regulate it" but realized that what I really meant was "We don't have a hard and fast rule." We regulate sweets by not having them as a part of our regular diet. Sweets are an occasional treat. So one week we might go for ice cream, make a pie and have root beer floats on movie night. Or we might go 2-3 weeks without really having much in the way of sweets.

 

Cat

[Carrie12345]

It depends on how you define sweets. We're munching on homemade granola right now. It has brown sugar and honey in it, so it's pretty sweet, lol, but I don't look at it the same way I look at brownies.

 

Between "good" treats and "junk" treats, I'd say 2-3 times a week, but they're rarely of the cake/pie/ice cream variety.

[Wyndie]

We have sweets but it's never sugar. I use xylitol, lakanto and rarely agave nectar. So the kids have sweets but not what most people consider sweets. As far as our brand of sweet, we probably have something daily with xylitol in it and once a week we have coconut ice cream which is made with agave nectar.

[HarbourLights]

It depends on how you define sweets. We're munching on homemade granola right now. It has brown sugar and honey in it, so it's pretty sweet, lol, but I don't look at it the same way I look at brownies.

 

Between "good" treats and "junk" treats, I'd say 2-3 times a week, but they're rarely of the cake/pie/ice cream variety.

 

 

We're the same here... our "treats" are typically granola, dried fruit, fresh fruits, etc. We don't keep alot of "junk" in the house (ie chips, soda, candy, ice cream etc) I do freeze fruit juices into popsicles, and maybe frozen yogurt on occasion. As a family we will occasionally go out and get ice cream together, but that is maybe once a month. I do bake sometimes (especially during the holiday season) and then I will allow them one cookie a day usually after dinner. This is just the way it was while I was growing up and I guess I have adopted the same policy along the way. HTH!

[Pamela H in Texas]

We change my answer regularly. Sometimes it's daily. Sometimes it's weekly. Whatever...

 

The two ideas I like best:

 

1) dessert is part of going out. Problem with this is that we're generally overeating anyway so dessert isn't usually on our mind or at least shouldn't be. Also, we go out WAY too much.

 

2) A special night weekly (Fri, Sat, or Sun depending on what your family does those nights). This could be part of a family game/movie night or something for Sunday evening or whatever.

 

Currently, we haven't had any dessert or sweets in weeks unless you count sugarless gum. But we usually overdo it. We go in spurts :)

[HollyinNNV]

How often do you let your kids have sweets? We've got some issues with this in our house. I want to know how other families handle it.

 

Thanks so much.

 

My observations from my family-

more regulation=more craving of sweets. So we do not regulate.

 

That's just my family

Holly

[gingersmom]

I replied, "we don't regulate it" only because it isn't an everyday thing, but it isn't a restricted thing either. Our family is very active...my dh commutes by bike, the girls are outside playing all the time. I cook very healthy meals, and they get plenty of fruits, veggies, whole grains and fiber. I bake my own bread, bake all of our baked treats from scratch. We do let them have candy, but not huge amounts. For example, they like suckers, so I buy "Dum Dums" which I keep around for treats...they are nice and small.

 

There are families in our circle of friends who don't have ANY refined sugar whatsoever, and that's great for them but it just isn't something we want to do right now.

 

We really do follow the adage "all things in moderation" at our home.

 

 

:iagree:

 

 

I don't want my children to have all the food hang ups that my mother had and passed on to me and my brothers.

 

Both my children are very active and healthy (height/weight proportionate).

 

We constantly have a cabinet full of stuff that I am sure is banned in other houses. My kids don't obsess about it because it is always there and they know they can eat it. I have always told them everything can be eaten in moderation.

[ChristusG]

See, I grew up in a house where junk food was readily available and was not regulated whatsoever. I would eat debbie cakes like they were going out of style. I never ate fruit, rarely ate veggies, and devoured chips, cakes, candy, etc. It was only due to my very active tomboyish nature that I was not overweight as a child/teen.

 

I do NOT want that for my children. That's why I limit treats, and I push fruits and healthy snacks. And we define treats as junk food. To us, fruits, granola bars, yogurt bars, etc are not treats.....they are healthy foods. So when I say treats I mean candy, cookies, cake, brownies, ice cream, etc.

[coralloyd]

I voted We don't regulate it because my kids have treats maybe 2-3 times a month.

[Dawn in OH]

We don't buy junk food. But I usually make something every week. It's not unusual for us to have homemade cookies, cake, brownies or ice cream in our house. I don't mind the kids having a homemade treat as much as a processed one.

 

I also tend to give really small servings when we do have these items. It's just enough to satisfy everyone's sweet tooth, or mark a special occasion without having a huge calorie and sugar overload.

 

Many of my desserts also have reduced sugar amounts or sugar replacements such as honey, molasses or agave nectar.

[Wyndie]

See, I grew up in a house where junk food was readily available and was not regulated whatsoever. I would eat debbie cakes like they were going out of style. I never ate fruit, rarely ate veggies, and devoured chips, cakes, candy, etc. It was only due to my very active tomboyish nature that I was not overweight as a child/teen.

 

I do NOT want that for my children. That's why I limit treats, and I push fruits and healthy snacks. And we define treats as junk food. To us, fruits, granola bars, yogurt bars, etc are not treats.....they are healthy foods. So when I say treats I mean candy, cookies, cake, brownies, ice cream, etc.

 

Exactly the same here. If we have junk food here, I will eat it; the kids would never get a chance. I cannot control myself so I find healthy alternatives to be a better option to keep laying around. I think it's wise to know your limits and my kids are learning good habits by watching me set limits on things I cannot control for myself.

[newbie]

Daily, if you count Skinny Cow Ice Cream for dessert once a day.

[DawnM]

We allow one small dessert per day.

 

Usually it is 4oz ice cream or 2 oreos or something like that. It isn't anything large.

 

Dawn

[dirty ethel rackham]

I voted here as 2 -3 times a week, but, I didn't read the find print about how much we regulate it. We don't really regulate it, and I don't make sweets, nor do I buy them. Dh buys the ice cream. I do back, but they are usually healthy muffins. So, I guess my kids have sweets 2 -3 times a week, but it is not because I regulate it, but because that is how often they have it.

[Danestress]

I think my kids find something sweet to eat pretty much every day. I make desserts some, but more often it's a bit of candy, a couple of cookies, some ice cream, chocolate soy milk.

 

I never buy soda, I avoid HFCS and I feed my children plenty of fruits and vegetables. I'm not personally tempted to over indulge in sweets, so I don't eat them every day myself, but I would be lying if I said my children didn't.

[LibraryLover]

We don't regulate. My kids make cookies or brownies a couple of times a week. It''s not an issue in any way. None the kids are overweight, (I could lose 15 lbs, & dh as well) , and none of us have needed an antibiotic in well over a decade, and more for some of us.

Edited September 23, 2009 by LibraryLover

[mom31257]

Thanks for the replies. This was my first poll, so I see now other options I should have given, such as 1-3 times a month, other, etc.

 

I didn't want to say much about why before seeing responses. Our dd goes overboard about sweets. She isn't grateful for the amounts we give her. She actually complained to me last night that everyone else is the family gives her more. I said of course grandparents or aunts/uncles are going to spoil her a little bit, but she kept an ungrateful attitude and ending up getting none at all. She's always wanting more. She isn't diabetic. She actually was having some night sweating last winter. We had her tested and the dr. thought it was hormonal. We do let them have sweets if they've had some fruits and veggies each day. She really isn't active of her own choosing. Everything she loves to do is sitting (mainly reading and writing, also computer, nintendo ds, etc.).

 

I don't want to obsess about it, but she is. Would limiting or having her "earn" it cause her to obsess even more? I've thought about adding exercise to the requirement besides fruit/veggies. I'm not sure what to do. She is close to 5'7" and weighs about 135. She looks nice, not skinny, not fat. She's always been around 90th percentile for height and weight at her past well checkups (not had one in a couple of years).

[gardening momma]

I voted 4-5 times per week, but 4-5 days would be more accurate (sometimes they might get a treat more than once in a day).

 

They might get 1 brownie or 1 Smarties roll or 1-2 Hershey's kisses or 1-2 Tootsie Rolls, etc... We just finished the Easter candy they got from my MIL. Halloween candy takes a while to get through too.

[eternalknot]

You need an "other" choice. :-)

 

I rarely fix dessert for dinner, and I rarely have sweets around the house, either. So I voted that we don't regulate it.

 

That best describes my home, too.

 

Once a year we make a batch of red plum ice cream since it's our favorite and we can't buy it locally, but other than that our sweets/desserts are typically associated with a birthday or holiday. I don't have a sweet tooth, so sweets and desserts never really register as part of our day to day life.

[Carrie12345]

Thanks for the replies. This was my first poll, so I see now other options I should have given, such as 1-3 times a month, other, etc.

 

I didn't want to say much about why before seeing responses. Our dd goes overboard about sweets. She isn't grateful for the amounts we give her. She actually complained to me last night that everyone else is the family gives her more. I said of course grandparents or aunts/uncles are going to spoil her a little bit, but she kept an ungrateful attitude and ending up getting none at all. She's always wanting more. She isn't diabetic. She actually was having some night sweating last winter. We had her tested and the dr. thought it was hormonal. We do let them have sweets if they've had some fruits and veggies each day. She really isn't active of her own choosing. Everything she loves to do is sitting (mainly reading and writing, also computer, nintendo ds, etc.).

 

I don't want to obsess about it, but she is. Would limiting or having her "earn" it cause her to obsess even more? I've thought about adding exercise to the requirement besides fruit/veggies. I'm not sure what to do. She is close to 5'7" and weighs about 135. She looks nice, not skinny, not fat. She's always been around 90th percentile for height and weight at her past well checkups (not had one in a couple of years).

 

Well, based on those stats, I'm guessing she's a teenager? If you don't want her to have a lot of junk, just don't bring it into the house. Announce that the family is taking on a healthier lifestyle. Food is fuel, not a reward.

 

5'7" and 135 sounds nice to me. I was 5'7" and 135 when I was 13. Thanks to my poor choices, I was 5'8" and 160ish by graduation.

[LibraryLover]

I do think making kids earn treats puts too much emphasis on treats and can lead, depending on the personality type, to the child spending time trying to figure out how to get more. I also think some kids wonder why the adults are trying to keep him from such good things, which in turn can lead to the 'healthy' options as being seen as less desirable. (How come mommy freaks over M & M's and not bell peppers? )

 

My kids eat fruits and vegetables daily. My nephew, who is 4, can have a cookie one moment, and ask for an avocado or a plum the next. In fact, the other day my sister texted me and said she thought he was coming down with a little cold and could I give him some garlic. As I was reading the text, her 4 yr old said, "Oh, my mommy said I might be getting a cold and could you give me some garlic." My 10 yr old crushed him two cloves and he ate it with a few tsp of vanilla yogurt. lol

 

My kids are the same way. When they were little we talked abut growing food, and I only ever bought food I could stand to have them eat. I didn't take them to Burger King and we don't buy foods with HFCS. At birthday parties and such, I had a hands -off approach. they can eat whatever they like, although I would tank them up with good protein before we left the house so there wouldn't be blood sugar issues.

 

I never bake, but they bake. They can make brownies in the morning and make a veggie stir fry for lunch and then have a huge salad for dinner. My 10 yr old loves roasted brussle sprouts. My nephew loves brocooli. My teen sons prefer veggie nori rolls over McD's. My dc rarely eat fast food. Even my son in college limits his 'fast food' to pizza near campus. Of course i am not there, but when he is home, he packs his own lunch for work rather than even use the $1 menu at a fast food place.

 

So, my limited experience of 5 children shows that offerring healthy foods dailly, and not making a big deal out of sweet foods, has resulted in children (ages 4-college age) who make excellent food choices for themselves, even when mom is not offerring her two cents.

Edited September 23, 2009 by LibraryLover

[Emmy]

To me there is a world of difference between a home baked dessert and junky sweets (little debbie snacks, candy, etc). My mom and I bake cookies for my boys frequently and I have no problem with them eating them 4-5 times a week for snack. The junk and true candy treats my kids only get about twice a year (that would be halloween and easter...)

[RoughCollie]

My kids are teens. They eat everything in sight. I bake cookies, cakes, pies, and so forth.

 

I do regulate intake, solely because if I do not, they will inhale an entire double-batch of cookies in the time it takes me to bake them.

 

So, for cookies, I allow my family to eat 1 dozen per day, which works out to 2 apiece, plus an extra couple for DH's lunch (if I don't eat my share, which I try not to do despite loving cookies).

 

For cakes, I let everyone go at it and in my head, one cake should last 2 days. If it doesn't, too bad. I'm not fond of cake.

 

I buy various ice-cream items when I go to the grocery store, usually a two-week supply. If it is all eaten in the first day or two, that's too bad. I don't like ice-cream much, either, so it's no skin off my nose.

 

So, since I do all the baking and buying, and I don't have much of a sweet tooth, it is okay with me if the (mostly) males in this house are pigs. I regulate intake by how often I feel like baking and shopping. I voted "daily".

[Snickerdoodle]

We never do. Sugar is a non issue here.

 

More or less.

 

 

I would say maybe once a month. We don't do juice or anything like that either.

[Snickerdoodle]

The Halloween candy I bought last year to hand out is still in the cupboard.

[BikeBookBread]

I do think making kids earn treats puts too much emphasis on treats and can lead, depending on the personality type, to the child spending time trying to figure out how to get more. I also think some kids wonder why the adults are trying to keep him from such good things, which in turn can lead to the 'healthy' options as being seen as less desirable. (How come mommy freaks over M & M's and not bell peppers? )

 

My kids eat fruits and vegetables daily. My nephew, who is 4, can have a cookie one moment, and ask for an avocado or a plum the next. In fact, the other day my sister texted me and said she thought he was coming down with a little cold and could I give him some garlic. As I was reading the text, her 4 yr old said, "Oh, my mommy said I might be getting a cold and could you give me some garlic." My 10 yr old crushed him two cloves and he ate it with a few tsp of vanilla yogurt. lol

 

My kids are the same way. When they were little we talked abut growing food, and I only ever bought food I could stand to have them eat. I didn't take them to Burger King and we don't buy foods with HFCS. At birthday parties and such, I had a hands -off approach. they can eat whatever they like, although I would tank them up with good protein before we left the house so there wouldn't be blood sugar issues.

 

I never bake, but they bake. They can make brownies in the morning and make a veggie stir fry for lunch and then have a huge salad for dinner. My 10 yr old loves roasted brussle sprouts. My nephew loves brocooli. My teen sons prefer veggie nori rolls over McD's. My dc rarely eat fast food. Even my son in college limits his 'fast food' to pizza near campus. Of course i am not there, but when he is home, he packs his own lunch for work rather than even use the $1 menu at a fast food place.

 

So, my limited experience of 5 children shows that offerring healthy foods dailly, and not making a big deal out of sweet foods, has resulted in children (ages 4-college age) who make excellent food choices for themselves, even when mom is not offerring her two cents.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree:!!!!!!!

[6packofun]

Yes, our house is the same. It seems that the "don't regulate it" option could be taken to mean that sweets are readily available, but that's not the case here. I just choose not to make desserts to go with our meals more than a few times a year and we only rarely bake or buy cookies and such. My kids are thrilled when I need to bake something for a church function or whatever and I leave 1 serving per person before or after. :D

 

Sometimes we get donuts for breakfast. Our kids consider things like pancakes or waffles with syrup or yogurt or even low-fat pudding as "sweets" so that's another kink in the poll. lol :)

[Laura Corin]

The boys have a single sweet/small piece of candy or a square of chocolate with breakfast every day. After dinner, they will have a couple of biscuits/cookies. I make a dessert about once a month.

 

Laura

[freeindeed]

I don't regulate it. It's not an issue for my dc. They'll pick cookies and cake some days, and then other days they prefer fruits or veggies and ranch. As long as it's balanced, I don't worry about it.:)