Candy

I am not a big fan of candy for kids either, but one piece a day isn't over doing at all. Especially if he is a good eater. You are the mommy--your decision!! Good Luck!

I don't think you're being the candy nazi. I think your husband should support your decsion. Candy shouldn't be somthing that anyone eats on a regular basis. Ask a neutritionist or your pedi.

I support the Candy Nazi! LOL

My "kids" are 12 and almost 17 now. They have just about the best diets one can ask for. They eat candy in moderation, when it comes up around holidays and parties, etc. They chose really healthy food and pack their own lunch every day.

So how did we get here (which I feel is a good, balanced place)? I was a "candy Nazi". I think it is fine. It teaches a better bred palate, and reminds us all that food is functional primarily, and a pleasure secondarily. In my belief system, that is what our Creator intended, and our earth needs. Conscientious consumption. There are so many blessedly delicious healthy natural foods!!!

i'll just share a few thoughts on the subject of candy and kids.

candy, for any age, is not good for the teeth. in fact, our pediatric dentist said it is much better to let a child eat lots of candy on 1 or 2 days after halloween/fall festival than to have 1 a day, everyday for an extended period of time. she says that is where she sees the cavity development because the sugars eat away at the enamel.

also, we all know that candy has no redeeming value in the area of nutrition. we don't have candy at all.

now with all that said, we are a family of 'sweet tooths'. so, our child does have a dessert after dinner most nights, if she eats a well-balanced dinner (i typically always serve two portions of veggies, 1 fruit, meat & wheat bread/roll). if she eats particularly most of her veggies & fruit, along with her meat then she gets to eat a small treat. for us that is usually a cookie, brownie or piece of chocolate (not a whole candy bar, but maybe a few kisses or a piece of a hershey bar or dove square).

while these desserts have sugar in them, they are not pure sugar and most do not tend to stick to the teeth the way that candy does, especially hard candy, gummies, etc. also, chocolate, especially dark chocolate does have beneficial attributes when consumed sparingly.

so, i hope this helps some, just to have another perspective. we don't ban treats/dessert, but we don't do candy AND we only have treats/dessert when we've eaten a balanced meal. i will say that i try to continue to emphasize to my daughter that God has given us natural desserts in the delicious fruits we have to pick from (i.e. strawberries, bananas, etc.). however, as you might expect, she still loves her chocolate more. i sometimes combine the two to encourage even more fruit consumption (strawberries dipped in chocolate or bananas in nutella).

Take care. Many Blessings - L.

i completely agree with you! this is how we do it at our house... we too have special occasions such as holidays or birthdays that we let the kids eat a little more candytho.

My nephew was a skinny little boy so my sister let him eat whatever he wanted. She said that he needed to put on some weight. Well now at eleven, he is struggling with his weight. He is way too chubby for an eleven year old. Stick to your beliefs. sp?

I guess you could consider me a candy nazi too. I know lots of people that use candy as incentive for potty training. I have gone the sticker route because I don't think my 2 year old needs numerous M&M's in a day. I don't think you're being too harsh. I think, as you said, your son needs to learn that eating dinner is a part of life and that it isn't always followed by sweets. If you use it sparingly, there isn't anything wrong with a little candy now and then, but I think every night is excessive, especially for such a young child. Stick to your guns! You're doing your kid a favor whether he knows it or not.

:-)

I'd say be the candy Nazi! You can't regret NOT giving them candy. Trust me.

When mine were young I did not keep them from sweets or even monitor their intake... I just let them have what fell their way and Holy Cow what a lot of candy falls across a kids lap in a day!

It got worse when they got to elementary school with the class treats and over-indulging parents. At middle school they figured out how to use a snack machine and buy treats without me knowing it while at school. By high-school, well let's just say one of mine has a mouthful of cavaties and another one has a huge sweet tooth and the other one is really picky about what he'll eat.

So keep the candy away!

My pastor said something about the ratio of 90/10 being a Biblical principal and that in the Bible you could find reference to it, about being in moderation and tithing etc .... so what about doing 9 out of 10 days, no candy? On the 10th day you get treats and then you start the 9 days without again.

I don't believe in giving them candy everyday for eating their meals. But I do have different types of snacks that my kids get to pick out of after they eat all their supper. So they eat and then they can go dig in the box and pick out something to have has a snack/desert. I have different things like, gotarts, yogos, cheese crackers, gold fish, etc. or they can have a yogurt or pudding out of the icebox.

We do not eat sweets on a regular basis. If we want ice cream, we go out to get it. It is a TREAT - a family excursion to the ice cream place of someone's choice. It always varies. My babies all the way to the teens do not even ask for ccandy on a regular basis. Sometimes we will just go to the store and buy some. It is always a treat - after a big test, a lot of icky chores. Just for fun. Not every day but always well received and much appreciated. hth

First, I try to never give candy as a reward for anything if I can help it. Second, I must admit that my kids probably do get at least one small piece of candy per day or several times a week. The reason for this, however, is because we don't let them have an over abundance of candy at one sitting and it just turns out that the candy they get at certain times of the year lasts a long time. For instance, I usually have to throw out MOST of their Halloween candy because the next year, there's still a bunch left. The same with any candy they get in their stocking at Christmas. Traditionally, my kids get the gold chocolate coins in their stockings at Christmas in addition to a few other candy items. I only let them have a couple at most in a day so the candy tends to last a long time in our house. I feel it's ok to limit candy intake like that. It lasts longer and they like getting to have a little treat at some point each day. Sometimes they don't even ask for any of their candy, but when they do, they know they can only have one or two pieces in a day. Reading some of the other mom's responses, it seems I'm in the minority, but I have a childhood friend who has always loved candy. She has always eaten candy in moderation, but she does have a little pretty much every day. She's svelte, healthy, happy and doesn't have a mouth full of cavities as you might think she would. Unlike some people, she can limit herself to a small portion rather than buying a big candy bar or eating a lot at one sitting. I'm different. I was the kind who ate most of my candy very quickly when I was a kid, and now I get cravings for sweets every now and then and eat too much at one sitting when I do. I guess it's different for different people. I don't think a piece or two of candy each day is bad myself. But NEVER as a reward. I try very hard to never use food to reward "good" behavior.

I have to say I agree with you all the way. I always serve my kids some kind of after dinner-pre bedtime snack, but it varies from a cookie to fruit or yogurt and sometimes ice-cream or pop-corn but it never is tied to eating dinner.

You have to find a balance, which it sounds like you are trying to do. IMO, candy on a dialy basis is too much. Now, I have a HUGE sweet tooth...I could eat cake for dinner and be happy with that. BUT, I don't...because I don't want my kids to do that. We eat a healthy dinner and on the nights we do have a dessert, the girls have to eat their dinner first...and I'm not talkin eat a bite and then fill up on candy. I don't even usually tell them we are having dessert until dinner is over. And, we don't do dessert every night.

I believe our food should be functional AND delicious!! Maybe give him cheese sauce with his veggies as a treat. Sometimes I give the girls strawberries or grapes as a "dessert". It doesn't always have to be candy.

Its all about moderation...we get sweet treats sometimes...sometimes just for the fun of it, sometimes we get ice cream when Grandpa visits, sometimes its for a reward, but its not all the time and its always a treat. My girls (ages 4 and 2) don't ask for candy and they certainly don't expect it...but they love it when we give it to them!

Good luck...sounds like your battle is more with your husband than your son!

Of my four kids, I have one that candy makes a little too crazy for him to get near bedtime (after dinner would be too close to bedtime). But I do indulge my kids. I use it as a reward from time to time as well. Every night? no, but they probably get candy as a treat 3-4 times a week.

None of my kiddos have weight issues and they all are pretty normal. I just have to watch the time when I let them have it because my one son gets hyper.

Good luck

I agree with you 100%. The only time I brought out candy was when we were doing 5+ breathing treatments in a day. That is hard on a baby. Then, I'd give him "one m&m of every color (6)... that sounded so much MORE than "here's a few".
We are not anti-candy either. But, we don't keep it in our house... It's a TREAT! Like for Easter, Halloween and an occassional... "mama needs chocolate, so I'll share a piece with you" treat... lol