Kids and candy--is this normal? - Page 2

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Limiting it to "just one" probably is causing the problem more than anything. Nobody wants just one.

If he can eat a bunch of candy once in a while, he probably won't obsess over it so much. When we were kids we bought whole candy bars and at the whole thing. My teeth are fine, my weight is fine, and I didn't need to eat some every day.

I also wouldn't buy candy to always have in the house. If you get a box of chocolates, eat it all at once and be done with it. It doesn't have to last a month. It can be eaten in a day or so.

[AugustineM]

I totally agree with the above post. Don't keep candy in the house. Buy it as a treat and allow them to eat it all (like split a pack of something) but don't hide it in the house and let them know it's there. That drives them crazy!

[ewe+lamb]

We don't tend to keep sweeties in the house, I bake cakes etc myself, but actual sweeties we just don't buy, we have a bar of chocolate sometimes, dd is not at all bothered with sweeties our ds loves loves loves them but doesn't over indulge, we have a bowl of chocolates on the table and they're not going anywhere at the moment - dd never had any sweets until she went to school/nursery at 4, but really doesn't enjoy sweeties and soda.

[lastrid]

Sugar cravings can be a sign of mineral deficiencies, especially chocolate and magnesium, like mentioned above. Letting them go crazy every once in a while I think is fine, but if there really is no control and lots of incessant whining about it, there might be something more than the average "want" for candy.

[ecoteat]

I'm getting pretty tired of the holiday sweets and the effect they are having on dd. I fear she is starting to EXPECT some sort of "sweet treat" every day after what seems like a constant parade of cookies, candy canes, etc the past few weeks. We are down to a few bits of sweets in the house and I can't wait to be done with it. I know that once the stuff is out of the house, dd won't be so concerned with it. It is much easier to say "we don't have any" than to say "you can only have a little bit." She understands that some foods are good for your body and you need to eat them every day and some foods are just for fun and you should only have a little. But that's a hard thing for a little kid to put into practice. It's a hard thing for ME to put into practice!

Years ago dh's cousin was about 4ish and she squirreled away a bunch of Easter candy under her bed. The family was very conscious of diet--they ate all whole foods, no meat, and had dabbled with a macrobiotic diet. One night she ate it ALL after everyone else went to bed. The next morning she felt like crap. I think she threw up. Once she realized the connection, she wailed to her mother "I wish I had the gift of prophecy." She's in high school now and vividly remembers that experience and is pretty in tune with how different foods effect her body.

[sanguine_speed]

I definitely agree that it depends on the child. My oldest is pretty compulsive in many areas, and not surprisingly, this extends to treat foods. We manage this by managing the environment and not sweating the times we can't control the environment (i.e. when dd goes to a friend's house without us for a birthday party). We have sweets often enough, and we usually let her eat as much as she wants when we do have sweets. For instance, if we have dinner and pie is for dessert, she can have as much as she wants, as long as everyone has had some and she must share what's left if anyone else still wants more. But Halloween? We hand her the bag and tell her to have at it. She eats as much as she wants. Then she gets to decide whether to leave the rest for the Halloween fairy for a thank you gift or not.
I think in the case of my dd, restricting to say just one candy or just one chocolate really sets her up for increased intensity of desire and is likely to lead her into deceitful behaviour or to cause her to feel shame about sneaking.
This generally fits with our philosophy about food though. We provide healthy, nourishing food with the occasional treats and never have food fights.

[octobermom]

personality plays a role. I grew up where candy might not have always been in the house but there was always something sweet aviable and we had easy access to it. If I could I would have eatten sweets all day. IF I had been restricted I would have likely just found another way. As a tye 1 diabetic and the real need to watch carb and sugar intake I still find ways to sastify my sweet tooth (and not with sugar free gunk) having it greatly restricted doesn't stop me having total access can be dangerous..
My DD OTOH is jsut not a sweets person I can leave a huge bowl full of candy along side a cake and plate of brownies out at her reach and give her free range and at the end of the day every peice will still be around unless there are skittles out then a small handfull will be gone. If I restricted her consumption she could care less I don't cause it is a non issue.

Deanna