if you started limiting sugar?

megann831 · October 2012

DD has always been a good eater and I've always found people who bother their LOs about eating one more bite or finishing this before desert annoying. So since she eats healthy foods too and sits down ti meals, I've never thought much of giving her a cookie or lollipop. She's always had a string personality and seems to be having more temper tantrums. I'm sure it has alot to do with the age and that she recently dropped naps, but if you gave up sugar, did you notice if your child was calmer or more even tempered?

lynsef · October 2012

We've never really given them much sugar in general. However, when they are at IL's one day per week its a sugar fest and their moods/behavior are the same as usual.

memali26 · October 2012

I really don't think sugar affects DD1's behavior at all. She gets treats a few times a week and is fine then, and one holidays when family is sneaking her treats all day long she's fine, too. If she does get hyped up when she's had sugar, it's typically the atmosphere - at a party, celebrating a birthday, etc - something that would hype her up regardless.

wedsept · October 2012

It impacts my DD. She throws temper tantrums and cries for no reason when she has too much sugar. We limit her sugar intake.

KateLouise · October 2012

megann831:
DD has always been a good eater and I've always found people who bother their LOs about eating one more bite or finishing this before desert annoying. So since she eats healthy foods too and sits down ti meals, I've never thought much of giving her a cookie or lollipop. She's always had a string personality and seems to be having more temper tantrums. I'm sure it has alot to do with the age and that she recently dropped naps, but if you gave up sugar, did you notice if your child was calmer or more even tempered?

am i the only one that does this?

groovygrl · October 2012

KateLouise:
megann831:
DD has always been a good eater and I've always found people who bother their LOs about eating one more bite or finishing this before desert annoying. So since she eats healthy foods too and sits down ti meals, I've never thought much of giving her a cookie or lollipop. She's always had a string personality and seems to be having more temper tantrums. I'm sure it has alot to do with the age and that she recently dropped naps, but if you gave up sugar, did you notice if your child was calmer or more even tempered?
am i the only one that does this?

No you are not. My pedi even recommended it as a way to get kids to try new foods- not to make them clean their plate & not as an every meal or every day thing but just to take a bite which she calls the 'no thank you bite'--- if they take one bite of the food they won't try (and I make them chew & swallow, they can't just put it in their mouth & spit on table) they are allowed to say no thank you to it. I started the NTY bite by enticing with a 'treat' after dinner (though my treats vary widely from apples that I have sauteed in a little butter & brown sugar to 2-3 yogurt covered mini pretzels to 100% juice bars to what I consider a 'real' sweet, eg ice cream or a baked good type thing which is probably only 2 times a week on average depending on what we have in the house or if we go out somewhere. Once they got the NTY concept, I just started using it w/out the temptation of a treat & they still do it. I probably only offer up a treat in some form other than fruit after dinner about 3-4 times a week and only when they've behaved well at dinner (my DS does not behave sometimes, will refuse to sit with us or refuse to eat or will push plates away etc).

I pick which nights I offer a treat as a reward but I definitely do it & it is definitely effective, however I have chosen to be in the middle by not giving treats every day and only using the reward thing sparingly.

To the OP I dont "limit sugar" per se, but don't give sugary/sweet treats every day and I don't give juice either except out at restaurants/special occasions. It is not about behavior for me, more about just health & the habit of eating sweets & drinking sweet drink daily. I will say if they have ice cream (esp if we go out for it since the serving is bigger than what I give at home) they do often seem a bit wound up & on Easter this year OH MY GOD my DS was a total mess b/c we let them indulge & as a result he skipped nap and then crashed...misery. haha. But that was not a normal sweet intake.

Also I wouldnt attribute tantrums at 2 1/2 to a small treat after dinner, personally...many of our tantruming & behavior issues started around 2 1/2 at our house and have continued past 3.

GL.

memali26 · October 2012

KateLouise:
megann831:
DD has always been a good eater and I've always found people who bother their LOs about eating one more bite or finishing this before desert annoying. So since she eats healthy foods too and sits down ti meals, I've never thought much of giving her a cookie or lollipop. She's always had a string personality and seems to be having more temper tantrums. I'm sure it has alot to do with the age and that she recently dropped naps, but if you gave up sugar, did you notice if your child was calmer or more even tempered?
am i the only one that does this?

Nope. We do it, too, and most of the time it's not even to get dessert or a treat, just to get her to taste a bite of something. Like the other night, she wanted to go play with a certain toy, and had finished all of her dinner except her veggie. I told her she had to have bite of veg, then she could go. I never force her to clean her plate, but I do want her to at least try everything on it.

KateLouise · October 2012

memali26:
KateLouise:
megann831:
DD has always been a good eater and I've always found people who bother their LOs about eating one more bite or finishing this before desert annoying. So since she eats healthy foods too and sits down ti meals, I've never thought much of giving her a cookie or lollipop. She's always had a string personality and seems to be having more temper tantrums. I'm sure it has alot to do with the age and that she recently dropped naps, but if you gave up sugar, did you notice if your child was calmer or more even tempered?
am i the only one that does this?
Nope. We do it, too, and most of the time it's not even to get dessert or a treat, just to get her to taste a bite of something. Like the other night, she wanted to go play with a certain toy, and had finished all of her dinner except her veggie. I told her she had to have bite of veg, then she could go. I never force her to clean her plate, but I do want her to at least try everything on it.

Yeah we don't make her clean her plate, but she has to have a taste of everything on her plate, and our "taste" means two good mouthfuls.

Sometimes she'll come to the table, eat one part of her dinner and then ask for fruit (she loves fruit and would eat it all day long, which I know isn't terrible) but so often if I insist she has a taste of the other things, then she'll happily eat more than has been asked of her.

stever · October 2012

KateLouise:

megann831:
DD has always been a good eater and I've always found people who bother their LOs about eating one more bite or finishing this before desert annoying. So since she eats healthy foods too and sits down ti meals, I've never thought much of giving her a cookie or lollipop. She's always had a string personality and seems to be having more temper tantrums. I'm sure it has alot to do with the age and that she recently dropped naps, but if you gave up sugar, did you notice if your child was calmer or more even tempered?

am i the only one that does this?

Nope. We do it too. I don't make him finish the plate, but he's often too distracted to try his food without a little encouragement.

OP, DS gets the occasional cookie or candy and I don't notice a change in his behavior.

kcisthebombdotcom · October 2012

My kids get no artificial sugar products at home with the exception of stuff that is lower in sugar like graham crackers or animal crackers. They spend the afternoon with my parents one day a week and have dinner/treats there. They are the same behaviorally there vs at home.

Want a personalized experience?

if you started limiting sugar?

Re: if you started limiting sugar?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards