If your child has a real sweet-tooth and begs and pleads for sweets and chocolate every chance she gets, you might be struggling to set limits. It’s important to break bad habits when she’s young so she doesn’t get into bad habits that will be harder to curb later.
Here are some of our tried and tested tips:
Limit snacks
At this age, your child can have two sweet treats a day. These may include: two squares of chocolate or two sweets, two cookies or a kid size ice-cream. If she keeps asking for sweets, offer a healthy snack instead. Explain to her that if she keeps eating sweets, she won’t be able to chase after her friends or siblings during playtime.
At this age, your child can have two sweet treats a day. These may include: two squares of chocolate or two sweets, two cookies or a kid size ice-cream. If she keeps asking for sweets, offer a healthy snack instead. Explain to her that if she keeps eating sweets, she won’t be able to chase after her friends or siblings during playtime.
Dessert
It is okay to allow your child to have dessert every once in a while. It should depend on how much healthy food she has eaten at dinner. If she has eaten everything on her plate, then it’s alright to allow her have a cookie or a piece of cake. If she just pushed everything around on her plate, then you should give a healthy dessert like a piece of fruit.
Afterschool snacks
The best way to avoid giving your child unhealthy after-school snacks is to limit the amount of sugary treats you keep in the house. Stock up on fruit, cheese, yoghurts and vegetables. You could give your child veggie sticks and houmous or chop up different fruits.
