does this happen to you? (gifts from strangers)
kat81again2
member
One of my pet peeves is that every once in a while when we're at a restaurant or a store, the person helping us will give DS a gift, and usually it's a treat like candy or something. It annoys me because DS isn't supposed to eat the crap they give him a lot of the time. A sticker I don't mind, but candy I do. I don't really know what to say in the situation, either. Sometimes they sort of offer it to me on behalf of him in which case I can say "no thank you" but other times they give it straight to him and he takes it.
Yesterday at a convenience store as I was paying, one of the clerks handed DS a wrapped twizzler. IMO that's basically the grossest candy out there. DS was so sweet, though, saying, "thank you, man!" Luckily when we put the stuff in the car he put it down and I was able to throw it out later. I think DS didn't even realize it was food. (He does love sweets, though, so he would eat anything he knew to be candy.)
I am a pretty chill mom ultimately and I don't mind indulging DS here and there, but he is seriously addicted to sweets--just like his mom--so we just try to keep him from them altogether so he doesn't get crazy. And even if he wasn't a little extreme in this regard, it's still frustrating to have your kid handed a giant cookie or piece of candy if s/he's already had dessert or is about to have dinner and this would spoil it. Or the food is a choke hazard.
Does this happen to you guys? Do you mind when it does? If you do mind, what do you usually do about it? I admit I feel bad complaining at all, because in all cases the stranger is being extremely nice and generous.
Re: does this happen to you? (gifts from strangers)
If we are eating and they just hand him candy or junk, I will take it and say "thank you. We will save this for dessert when he finishes his food"
We get a lot of stickers offered but I rarely have anyone offer candy. At the Dr.s office, the nurse will whisper to me "is she allowed to have a sucker?" after she gets a set of shots and I do let her have one at that time. I can't even think of another situation where someone offered her candy.
Oh, maybe a family member- like at Easter I have this aunt who thinks healthy eating is a bunch of hippie nonsense (she tried to feed my EBF 4 month old daughter a cupcake a few years ago), so when we were at her house she was like "How about some jelly beans? chips?" etc. It does irritate me, but LO doesn't seem to mind when I say no to someone who is a "stranger' about a food item.
A complete stranger though? Doesn't really happen to us.
Just yesterday, the cashier at the deli gave DS a package of crackers, which I let him eat. Usually, people ask me if it's ok to give him something and I'll say, "No, thanks -- we're good..." if it's candy. But honestly, even if they gave him candy directly, I'd have no qualms about saying, "Not now, we'll have it later!" and take it away from him.
For the record, I love Twizzlers!
That generally only happens at the doctor's office (and he always asks me first) and the bank. I guess I'm the odd man out on this one. Unless it has peanuts/has been processed near peanuts, I just let him eat it. I can't see how a sucker or small candy is going to ruin dinner, but my kid likes food and generally eats well I guess. I've never seen him finish a sucker either. The pedi gives out safety pops and N ditches them about halfway through. I did not feel the same way when he was under 2 yrs old though. 2 was the turning point for sweets here for whatever reason. I didn't like people offering my baby junk food.
I've been lucky. The few times B gets things with me, they've been soft squishy things.
Although B is apparently a favorite of one of the deli staff at our grocery store. She gives B a sample of roast beef every time she sees him (which is the only time he'll eat roast beef of course). And when DH went grocery shopping without B the other day, she was asking where her little buddy was.
I'm not a big fan of people offering my kid food without quietly clearing it with me first. I like JBM's strategy of saying, 'thanks. we'll save it for after his dinner."
BFP #2 5/27/12. EDD 2/1/13. m/c and D&C 6/21/12.
TBH, I don't think a stranger at a restaurant, store or doctors office has ever offered G a treat. I think its kind of weird that a cashier or whatever would even do that but if they did, I would like to think they'd check with the parent first.
My mom is awful at handing G treats. She comes over right before lunch every few days and as soon as shes in the door its "grrriifffffin, look what grandma got you!" and its usually chocolate cookies or a sugary bread or something very sweet. I'll tell her that he hasn't eaten lunch yet and to hide the treat til after. She never listens. Its come down to me running to the door and grabbing the treat before my mom even enters lol.
Not my kid! If he gets one treat he will pitch a fit for more and more and wont even touch his meal until he gets what he wants. It's crazy but he does get it honest. Sweets are addicting to me as well