Lollipop as bride (daily!)

boshi799

Ok, I probably know the answers I am going to get but I need to ask anyway. And I don't know how I am ever going to break this habit.

Ok, my children, twins who are two and a half, go to "school" everyday, also known as daycare and my husband and I go to work. Mornings are a challenge, as they are for many families, and we are always rushing, trying to get them out the door, dressed and eating breakfast. One morning I was so desperate to get them out the door because I had a huge meeting that I bribed them with a lollipop to get dressed quickly. Well, it worked such wonders that it became a habit, and now they know that if they are listen to me in the morning, are good, eat a good breakfast, etc., they get a lollipop before they leave. This has made my mornings a breeze and has avoided about 100 temper tantrums.

So how bad is this? I don't so much care about the "food bribes are bad" thing. This helps me keep my sanity so much that I don't care if the bribe thing is bad. My question is, is this horrendous for their teeth/diet? They eat an otherwise healthly diet with lots of fruits, veggies and limited sugar. This is the only candy they ever have, and the generally don't get the lollipop on the weekends.

Thanks for any input. My mom told me I was crazy for doing this, and maybe I am, or maybe it is not as bad as I think?

bebemama

No big deal, AT ALL.  As long as your cool with the whole bribing, which I like to couch as a reward for making good choices.  I buy these organic lollypops from the organic section of my grocery store and also marshals sometimes sells them.  THey don't have any artificial colors or flavoring and they are absolutely delish.  THey cost around 7 for a bag of 50 and you can also get ones that have some vitamin c in them as well.

akaoct2005

I would definitely go with it....like the pp said, a "reward for good behavior."  i give my kids those tiny dum dum lollipops for the very same reason on a very regular basis!

cbidt*sgirl

IMHO I would worry about the daily dose of sugar sitting right on their teeth at at time when they are not likely to brush anytime soon.  And I do care about the "food as reward" thing so that would bother me if I was doing it on a regular basis (I do it, just not regularly).  But that's me, not you.  Sounds like it is working for you.  I've never had to get twins out the door on a daily basis so I'm guessing i might care a whole let less about sugar on teeth and food as reward if i did!

wildfloweragain

DD eats super healthy  - prefers veggies over anything so I thought a dum dum a day was was no big deal.  She was having one right after lunch on non-school days (including the summer.)  She brushed her teeth twice a day.  In August, the dentist found 4 cavities all near each other - between the two top teeth and between the two bottom teeth right under the top ones.  He couldn't figure out how things got so bad only in one localized area when the rest of her teeth were so healthy.  He asked if she'd had suckers.  Yup, and when I thought about it, that's right where she'd put it, in her right cheek.

 

She has about one sucker a month now, if that.

jettagurl

I think I'd find something else as a bribe (sticker chart?).  I wise dentist once told me, it's not the amount of sugar, it's how long that sugar (or acid) sits on the teeth.... so if you want to continue, I'd do their teeth brushing after the sucker, or at the very least, drink water to rinse the teeth. 

 

boshi799

Thanks guys. Great input. Sugar free gum is genius.