Am I being mean?

At playgroup today, one of the mums had organised a craft activity that involved coating milk arrowroot biscuits in chocolate icing & sticking sultanas/a jelly snake/sprinkles on them. Another mum brought fairy bread for morning tea :o

I wouldn't give DS either of these things & I just gave him the plain arrowroot biscuit & some sultanas. (I had cut up grapes too but left them in the garage at home :doh:). DS was the only kid there who was not allowed to eat the lollies/icing/sprinkles etc. It's just not the kind of food that I think he needs (he's almost 15 months).

Am I being mean? (I was certainly the odd parent out!)

ni i dont htink so we are telling people to give our son friut for easter as he doesnt need choclate yet and if we dont do it he will get overloaded. he is 19 months and really loves his fruit sooo much.

i would have done the same thing-- your not been just ahve shosen not to allow there child to have that type of food just yet.
HTh

No... I don't really think kids, especially such young ones, need all that sugar! Sometimes I feel mean not allwoing Jazz to have those chocolate or caramel baby custards and fruit juice etc but she just doesn't need it! She's more than happy with porridge and water LOL!

Its your choice, and hey, at least you didn't have to put up with hyperactive children and sugar handovers!

Totally your choice & I hope you weren't made to feel bad about it.

So not mean. I am though, cos I wouldn't have even given my DS the arrowroot biscuit - still wouldn't, although I think he gets a couple when he's at Day care. The most my DS gets as a treat from me is a fruit bun (un-iced) from the bakery. I'm such a control freak when it comes to sweet things :)


BTW - I can't believe your gorgeous little man is nearly 15 months already, seems like just yesterday that he was born!

It's a cute idea, decorating biscuits, but I feel it would be more appropriate as a special fun treat for older children...like at kindergarten or school. At least then you can let them have their fun but also explain to them how it is a 'sometimes' treat.

bon I agree, its more a kinder aged thing.

DS did them at kinder, hes 3 and a half, and I still thought it was kinda young, but its not like he eats that sort of thing every day. theres no way Id have given it to him at 15 months though.

Nope i don't think you're mean Ezz. It is after all your choice- you're doing what's best for your munchkin. I probably would have let my ds (round the same age) have a biccie with a smidge of icing and some sprinkles, but only after he ate the packed lunch and was pretty full already.

Does seem like an odd activity for kids as young as ours though... are all the kids the same age, or are some older?

"I am though, cos I wouldn't have even given my DS the arrowroot biscuit "

LOL Jazz is currently eating an arrowroot right now :redface: Well, actually, its all gone! She made short work of it! :redface:

Are the other children older?

I think so long as you didn't make them bad if their kids did it and you weren't made to feel bad because you didn't, it doesn't matter.

Are the other children older?

I think so long as you didn't make them bad if their kids did it and you weren't made to feel bad because you didn't, it doesn't matter.

i think i'm on the outside here, but if it were mine i'd have let them have an arrowroot with sprinkles, it's a treat, and if it isn't being offered all the time, then i don't think it's a problem. my kids eat mainly yogurt, fruit and veges, but they also have sugary treats and it's not doing them any harm. just my opinion though, so don't shoot me.

No one will shoot you here Renee, its probably not something I would do but I honestly don't have anything against it. What I hate more is the fact that NO ONE should be made to feel bad for their parenting choices, there is nothing more appalling than a woman who looks down their nose at another for how they choose to parent their child xxx

I agree, it's your choice so don't feel bad about it. I probably would have let my DS have a piece of fairy bread though (if he'd already eaten lunch), but not a biscuit with icing and lollies.

I hated it when we went to playgroup and mum's would bring crap for morning tea. We had a list of things that rotated every week and the vast majority was supposed to be fruit, cheese, crackers, sultanas etc with the odd treat thrown in (chips or lollies sometimes) but the junk would always creep back in.

sorry Leasha & everyone else, - really didn't mean to sound judgemental about arrowroot biscuits - they're not bad, there's heaps worse to give them. It's just me & my methods, I'm just not good at buying snack type foods, even for myself, my food bias seem to flow more naturally towards fruit. I just wanted Ezz to know that there's someone much "meaner" than her out here.

Yeah - I thought it was an odd activity (especially since it's not a special occassion - birthday etc). The kids are a mix of ages - some older, some younger (the kids doing this activity ranged from 12 months to 4 years).

BG - I know you weren't being judgemental :) - we fit somewhere along the food continuum - I'm further down the healthy end than many - but obviously not as far as some!! (and in response to your earlier statement - yes, this year has flown by - almost time for a new little man I think... ;)).

Thanks everyone for your affirmations :) The other mums didn't try to make me feel bad (just asked whether he was allergic to the food - I said no, I just don't give him lollies etc).

Not being mean at all!! I was I think one of the last in our group to let Oskar have choc or anything like that. I think that the first time he even had any tiny bit of cake was his first birthday.

Leash, I never gave Oskar those baby custards either.

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bon I agree, its more a kinder aged thing.

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Yeah, we did it as an activity for grandparents day last year, really nice bonding activity - not for the little ones though, only the 3-5s.

I also agree is more a kinder aged activity.

I would never have given my either of my 15 month olds anything like that myself, but if they were at playgroup or a party or something like that I would probably have allowed it just so they weren't left out of the fun.

i really don't think your ds would even know what he was missing. I wouldn't have given my ds the lollies or chocolate, just the biscuit, although i agree a treat is ok every now and then, a 15 month old really doesn't understand the meaning of a treat etc so he really wouldn't think you were being mean at all.

Sirenz - you're right - he didn't notice at all! Was quite happy with his biscuit & sultanas! I think it was only the grown-ups who thought he was mising out!

No I don't think its mean.. I know with my first he didn't get anything like that till he was nearly 2.. Admittedly I have relaxed a bit with number 4 :blush: She has had that except fairy bread but thats my own personal choice..

I think the longer they can go without the junkier type foods the better..

you do what sits you :) your Ds doesn't know whats hes missing as he is young and also doesn't know what it is :)

nah not mean at all. Kayla has had tastes of chocolate but definitely not whole ones, and she hasn't had lollies at all yet. She does have plain biscuits tho :)

I probably wouldn't have let her participate in that either, and left it to the older kids.

When we threw a kids party the only lollies we had were on the cake, and I don't think Kayla got a look in at all with the cake or lollies LOL. She was in her high chair making a huge mess with fruit!

I think it's pretty easy to be discreet when not letting them have things like that, especially at this age, and really, they're none the wiser, so long as they have something in their hands to eat too hehe.

Nic - I've found with #2 I've been a bit more lenient with everything LOL. It's harder to be stricter with TV & foods when there's an older sibling around heh.

Very Liz.. We found we were more lenient with 3 and 4. there was still a decent age gap and school had started for 1 when 2 was at the eating age so was easier with number 2 to not goto the junky foods for a bit longer..

my excuse now is that Olivia needs fattening up hahaha ;)