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Help with my greedy girl :)

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  • 06-11-2012 2:06pm
    #1
    CarMe
    Registered Users Posts: 677 ✭✭✭


    Hi all,

    I've got a lovely 17month old girl and so far we've given her a really good diet of nutritious, homemade grub but Im worried we've been a little bit too cautious with treats. The only "treats" she would have had were lovely fruits, crackers, etc and drinks were just milk and water. She's been really happy with this but Im worried we've been a bit too strict limiting -well totally excluding- chocolate, crisps, juice etc because I've only in the last few weeks allowed people to give her little treats eg. chocolate buttons etc mostly because I got so sick of people raising their eyebrows or saying I was over the top. Well it seems they were right because now she doesn't seem to know moderation, I gave her a beaker of no added sugar juice this morning and she knocked it back so quick she was stumbling around with the hic-cups.
    How do we introduce these things without our little one thinking they're so few and far between that she needs to gobble up so fast she can't be enjoying them!

    I know this sounds like a non issue but I just feel all our hard work has backfired on us!


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    #2
    Moonbeam
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 18,953 Mod ✭✭✭✭Moonbeam


    I was so good with my 1st and treats,my 20 month old has been getting them since she was 1 as of course big and little sisters have to share and she still gobbles them up like they are disappearing.
    Do not worry there is plenty of time for treats:)


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    #3
    bbam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,410 ✭✭✭bbam


    Firstly try not to worry too much what people say or think.

    With the treats give them in small quantities, say with the buttons take four or five from the packet into a small cup and let that be the treat.
    In time she'll figure that's all there is and to savour them.


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    #4
    Boober Fraggle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 238 ✭✭Boober Fraggle


    I wouldn't make parenting decisions based on raised eyebrows, the same people will raise their eyebrows because you are giving treats!

    A button is a treat, you don't need to give a full packet. Time enough when they know about the full packet!!


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    #5
    CarMe
    Registered Users Posts: 677 ✭✭✭CarMe


    Thanks for the replies!
    Yeah it's true that decisions shouldn't be made based on peoples opinions it's just hard because we're first time parents and tried to do everything for the best and with so many different people giving different opinions sometimes I just don't know what to do be doing!
    The juice this morning just shocked me how fast she guzzled back and I wonder how we'll get it to a point where she doesn't treat these treats like gold if you know what I mean!

    Thanks for the replies :)


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    #6
    wmpdd3
    Registered Users Posts: 9,624 ✭✭✭wmpdd3


    Sometimes my 2 yr old does things like this, if she skulls her juice and asks for more, I give water.

    Same as above with the buttons, 5 in a cup.... she still has 2 easter eggs in the press.

    She just gets sick if she eats any more sugar.

    I'm too busy looking at my kids to see raised eyebrows. :)


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    #7
    Lola92
    Registered Users Posts: 2,192 ✭✭✭Lola92


    I am trying to avoid food based treats with my daughter who is almost 2. Rather some bubbles/stickers/a new book/baking together or do an extra activity together and so on. She does get some sweet foods but in moderation maybe a couple of times a week. I try to always offer it as just a snack (she will get a choice ie. yoghurt or a digestive). Her favourite sweet 'treat' is dried mango, she would have that, grapes or berries over chocolate any day!!


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    #8
    lounakin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 699 ✭✭✭lounakin


    Interesting thread! I would agree with most here saying you shouldn't take those reactions to heart and do what you feel is right. I think most babies/toddlers have a sweet tooth anyway and do not know moderation in anything, you have to teach them moderation, patience, selflessness... I don't think it has anything to do with you not giving it to her. Also, it has been shown that crisps is the most addictive food there is and sugar is not too far behind so you're right to be careful.
    I'm from france, and I remember being horrified when I came here first to see toddlers in their buggies munching away on crisps or chocolate candy (different from proper chocolate with a high cocoa content and a low fat and sugar content). When I was young, we'd have crisps once a year on our birthday and on long drives across the country, same with sodas. It was a special treat. We'd have good chocolate almost everyday with bread for a snack and sweets were an occasional treat but only after a certain age. So when my daughter gets a little older, I'm going to have to keep those away too and I know people are going to raise eyebrows... I also know that she will see other kids eating things that she can't and it will cause issues.
    But I believe it's important not to introduce such bad and addictive substances to my child too early and I'm going to do it no matter what.
    Be careful with cadbury chocolate... it's actually quite bad!


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    #9
    pwurple
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,449 ✭✭✭✭pwurple


    I didn't know that about the crisps lounakin, but mine is an olive fiend, so it is making sense. Must be the salt/brine thing. She would walk through a wall to get to an olive I'd say. Sweets/chocolate she would take or leave.

    Maybe I should ease up on the olives, I buy them on saturdays at the olive place in the city and she eats maybe 3 or 4 a day over saturday, sunday and monday.


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    #10
    lounakin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 699 ✭✭✭lounakin


    pwurple wrote: »
    I didn't know that about the crisps lounakin, but mine is an olive fiend, so it is making sense. Must be the salt/brine thing. She would walk through a wall to get to an olive I'd say. Sweets/chocolate she would take or leave.

    Maybe I should ease up on the olives, I buy them on saturdays at the olive place in the city and she eats maybe 3 or 4 a day over saturday, sunday and monday.
    How old is your child? Be careful with olives as some of them can have an unbelievably high amount of salt in them. They are after all kept in salt for weeks or months to get them to an edible stage. A few olives is ok though. I think everyone is bound to have one thing they are hooked on!


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    #11
    CarMe
    Registered Users Posts: 677 ✭✭✭CarMe


    Thanks everyone for the great replies!
    It seems her funny little stage is more than just food, total personality transformation in the last couple of days!
    "Ready for bed" and were greeted with a huge shake of the head and a grumpy nahow! Sees a nappy and runs off throwing herself on the floor, "Can i have a hug" shakes her head, Peppa Pig ends and there's uproar.
    Im shocked! She's usually SUCH a smiley happy little thing, could this be the terrible twos already?


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