Do you / Would you?...

[Hartz75]

Do you or Would you?

Allow you children to have "dessert" or a "treat" every night after dinner (as long as they ate there dinner.)

 

[Father_0f_7]

We offer but they usually don't take it. My kids eat healthy by choice and I really don't think I could get any of the older ones to eat something "bad" for them if I tried.

 

[NinJaBob]

no not everynight. My kids dont eat swets very often. they dont crave it either and when we give it to them it's special and they know it's special. i think thats how it should be

 

[IADad]

Dessert doesn't always have to be something bad. My kids want fruit most of the time. I don't have a problem with a small something later in the evening or something. I guess I'd rather allow a small something every night than a huge something every now and then.

 

[AmyBelle]

We do dessert most nights, like IADad said, dosent have to be bad.

At the moment because its so cold were doing alot of stewed fruit for dessert.

 

[Jack O]

I don't every night and she is a great eater so cleaning her plate is never a problem. I like to surprise her once in a while and it makes it more special.

Jack

 

[bssage]

At our house dinner has desert. It can be as simple as a cookie. Just a nice way to end the night is all.

 

[Antoinette]

i do and probably always will but it's usually yoghurt but it's just extra incentive to eat dinner (18 month can be trying)

 

[Hartz75]

My eldest daughter use to be a great eater, always wanted fruit, she is going to be 7 soon, and lately she asks for a treat every single night after dinner. She has a "treat bowl" that has there halloween and other treats like it in and that is what she wants.

My grandmother grew up with a "dessert" every night and she is pushing me to allow the girls dessert all the time. (we go for dinner there every Friday) She typically eats all her dinner. I am torn.

I grew up with Dessert on Weekends only, but it was fruit like watermelon sometime Jello.

I was given a fruit roll up in my lunch every day at school, my mom thought that was real fruit. LOL

 

[Hartz75]

I am also torn because she is giving my husband and I such attitude lately and being really bad. I don't think she deserves a "treat" but everyone tells me the punishment should fit the crime so taking the treat away is not relevant.

I also don't want her to have bad habits, lately if allowed she will eat chocolate till she pukes. She did at my grandmas once, she kept asking qietly and my grandma kept sneaking it to her till she was sick and her tummy hurt.

 

[CathyRas]

We don't offer our daughter dessert every night. She probably gets more sweets than she should. But I have to admit she is a very good eater and loves most fruits and veggies.

Cathy

 

[mumsafari]

my girl loves snacks and dessert but i still try to limit them for her health and setting good example to her little brother.

but little won't do any harm.

 

[TabascoNatalie]

we have desserts every night. its either an ice-cream, a cake, or something made of fruit. not a cheap and crappy candy anyways.

 

[Generic Dad]

We have a standing agreement that if our three-year-old eats ALL of her dinner, then she gets dessert (5 M&Ms or maybe a cookie). She almost never eats the entire dinner and thus rarely gets the reward...something for them to strive for though...

 

[Crass]

We do dessert every night for our 4-y-o and 2-y-o. It's usually fruit, and sometimes also a scoop of yogurt with it. Last night we had a watermelon and all of us went in the back yard right after dinner and chowed down on it.

 

[St. Nobody]

I intend to offer something sweet with each meal, but it will be fruit- probably unprocessed fruit- and it will NOT be an incentive for finishing a meal.

In terms of maintaining a healthy weight, cleaning your plate every time you sit down is actually a very bad thing. Eating more than you want to get additional food that you want because the consumption of food has been tied in with the reward center in your brain seems like a recipe for obesity to me, and while I'm only very mildly overweight myself (I am pregnant and have suffered...every complication I'm familiar with, so far, and have been unable to exercise), I have struggled with overeating most of my life.

The way I see it, by putting fruit on the child's plate and allowing them to eat it at any point during their meal not only teaches them to eat healthy sweets, but makes sure that they get enough fruit and doesn't teach them to eat everything they're offered just because it's being offered.

 

[Gunny]

Do you or Would you?

Allow you children to have "dessert" or a "treat" every night after dinner (as long as they ate there dinner.)

I believe in desert every night but most of those nights would be fruit and other healthy items. But every once in a while you have to hook a brother up with a little Ben and Jerry's.

 

[meand3]

Dont you just love Grandparents!! My parents very rarely gave us sweets now with my children they can't give them enough. :arghh:

 

[Hartz75]

Yes my grandparents are an issue, they are my kids great-grandparents, so I know they just want to enjoy them.

 

[IADad]

I intend to offer something sweet with each meal, but it will be fruit- probably unprocessed fruit- and it will NOT be an incentive for finishing a meal.

In terms of maintaining a healthy weight, cleaning your plate every time you sit down is actually a very bad thing. Eating more than you want to get additional food that you want because the consumption of food has been tied in with the reward center in your brain seems like a recipe for obesity to me, and while I'm only very mildly overweight myself (I am pregnant and have suffered...every complication I'm familiar with, so far, and have been unable to exercise), I have struggled with overeating most of my life.

The way I see it, by putting fruit on the child's plate and allowing them to eat it at any point during their meal not only teaches them to eat healthy sweets, but makes sure that they get enough fruit and doesn't teach them to eat everything they're offered just because it's being offered.

While I agree that the "clean your plate" direction can be bad, I was raised as you described, and it took me until later in life to develop my own bad habits (sorry mom) BUT, beware, you might end up with a kid like mine, with whom we continually fight to get any nutrition into him...Somtimes kids just don't want to eat at the table so there is a point to rewarding having adequate quantity of their meal completed...IMHO