PARENTING : Dealing with a sweet tooth

If your child pleads for sweets every chance she gets, you may be going crazy trying to figure out how to set limits without making the sugary stuff the forbidden food she will always want.

But it’s important to figure out how to do this when she’s young so she doesn’t get into bad habits that will be harder to break later. Try these suggestions from registered dietitian Mindy Hermann.

How much is too much?

At this age, your child can have two sweet treats a day — one at school (depending on the school’s policy) and one at home after school. Those may include two pieces of candy, two packaged cookies, a bakery-size cookie, or a kid-size ice cream cone. If your child insists on having more, be firm and be consistent.

School-aged children should be encouraged to manage their own consumption. So if your child asks you for another piece of candy or treat, ask her how many servings she’s had already.

If she’s hungry and keeps asking for sweets, offer her a more healthy snack and explain that eating too many sweets is not good for her because she won’t be able to run as fast or play soccer as well, for example.

How should I handle dessert?

The best approach is to try not to make it contingent on what your child eats or use it as a reward or punishment. That only elevates it to a higher level, making it more important than a meal in her eyes. Rather, let it be a normal part of your child’s day, and treat it matter-of-factly.

What you allow your child to have for dessert might depend on how your child ate at mealtime. If she eats only two bites of chicken and pushes aside the peas, then dessert should be something healthy like fruit.

If she eats everything on her plate, then it’s okay for her to have a cookie or a piece of cake. If your child asks for more sweets after she’s had her dessert, explain that if she’s really still hungry, she can have a sandwich, but no more treats.

How do I handle incidental or after-school snacks?

If you’re headed to the market with your child, be prepared to buy an on-the-spot snack.

Try to shop after a meal, and let her know she can pick out one item for her after-school snack or for after dinner.

A 5- or 6-year-old will be too young to choose from an entire aisle of food, so pick out two to three items that you find acceptable and that you know she likes, such as chocolate chip cookies and a box of animal crackers. Seven- and 8-year-olds, however, can probably handle a wider choice. When shopping for lunchbox snacks, you might try to buy ones that come in single servings, which makes it easier to ration them out one at a time.

Ask your child what snacks she would like you to keep stocked at home, but limit the number of different items to one or two types of cookies and one flavour of ice cream, for example.

And stock up on different healthy snacks that are easily accessible after school, especially if you’re not there to supervise. (Be aware, however, that some healthy-sounding snacks are loaded with sugars, like granola bars laced with chocolate and artificially sweetened fruit drinks.)

What are some healthy alternatives to sweets?

• Fresh or dried fruits such as raisins, apricots, apples, or pears.

• Yogurt. Buy it unflavoured and mix it with fruit or a spoonful of jam.

• Smoothies made with real fruit juice, milk or yogurt, and fruit.

• Cinnamon toast. Spread wheat bread lightly with butter or margarine, sprinkle with cinnamon and a dash of sugar, and toast it in a toaster oven.

• Graham crackers or rice cakes, spread with peanut butter or cream cheese. (You may want to wait until your child is three to introduce peanut butter, since peanuts can cause allergic reactions in young children in rare cases.)

• Homemade trail mix made with an assortment of cereals, dried fruit, and nuts.

• A bowl of hot cereal with brown sugar, maple syrup, or raisins on top.

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