There has been a lot of items in the news this past week about kids and their ‘treats’ consumsion. 
Irish Times Article  

It is stated in the article that 40% of parents admitted to giving their child sweets every day . It was also widely reported that 1/5 of children’s calories are coming from these types of foods with 73% of parents not considering chocolate and crisps as treats! 

At a young age it is much easier to avoid ‘treats’ but as your child grows up and becomes more aware it certainly gets harder. I was never a complete sugar nazi and I would say it was only really at Josh’s first birthday that he got his first proper taste of sugar in the form of a bun or some such other party food. I love baking and as a result Josh now does too. I’ve always felt if we are all sitting around scoffing cake then there is no harm giving him a little taste.

He also went to Creche at 14 months and a little biscuit would sometimes be offered as an afternoon snack, at first this bothered me a little but I quickly realised this is the norm and just to go with the flow.

We live in a society where children do get spoilt by various means. As Josh has gotten older the demand for ‘something’ (his code word for treat) has definitely increased. If I’m honest with myself, does he probably get a treat a day in the form of a fruit pouch, small biscuit or pom bear snack, probably. He also gets the odd ice cream on a sunny day and some chocolate sometimes if we go to the cinema but I bulk up with the healthier alternatives too. However he also enjoys fruit, bread sticks and natural yoghurt said for me it’s just about balance.

After a ‘sugar scare’ show a few months ago I did review some of the items Josh was eating, Glenisk Kids Yoghurts was one he was eating daily and out and about we were resorting to fruit pouches and Ella’s kitchen bars. This got curtailed and we have become more aware. This is why safefood are campaigning against #breakthehabits and making small       changes. 

We all know sugar is bad for us but like a lot of things it’s part of the world we live in. Is it right that a 2 year old knows how to use an I pad, probably not and if you were honest with yourself does your child watch a little too much TV, most probably. Do we sometimes use these things to parent, defuse a situation or make getting out the door/doing the shopping easier, perhaps…Just like anything parenting is a journey and the best thing you can do is keep yourself informed have some healthy snacks to hand and perhaps refrain from shoving a refresher bar in your child’s mouth when the going gets tough but my opinion would be everything in moderation is ok and making your child understand that too is key.