Nosh / Junk food | Imamother

Tefila

Wed, Jan 12 2005, 4:39 pm

So what's your scoop on junk food for kids? I do believe in it for a treat reward etc . And in a shabbos pekelach. For snack um still unsure about it.....

613

Wed, Jan 12 2005, 4:44 pm

I've gotta break my own terrible noshing habits before the time comes to force rules on my kids! my mother is terrible nosher and passed it on to me and my sister. my sister's kids aren't too bad (yet).

Rivka

Wed, Jan 12 2005, 7:05 pm

At home we weren't even allowed Frosties for breakfast, so sugary cereals only for shabbos treat and then I went to my friend's house and her dad is a dentist and guess what! They had Frosties...I was in my element.
But I do agree with my mum now. Nash should be for special occasions because really in large doses it is harmful, but small doses it is nice.
Plus I believe kids have enough energy in their system they don't need anything extra unless you want to have a mad kid running around you constantly and having tantrums.

Tefila

Wed, Jan 12 2005, 9:18 pm

Also what about drinks juice, choc milk pop etc?

Pearl

Thu, Jan 13 2005, 4:14 am

My husband's nephew drank cola from a baby bottle, can you believe that?! It was terrible, rot his front theeth away...!
My girls were used to drinking lots of water, but that was in Israel. Now we live in a much colder country, and they drink more lemonade here. But soft drinks, like nash, is for shabbos, hagim and birthdays!

Tovah

Thu, Jan 13 2005, 3:10 pm

keeping nash away from kids completly isn't always good but the when they get their hands on it they can't stop. I agree only as a treat, but everything is good in moderation.

Sunshine

Thu, Jan 13 2005, 3:57 pm

Only as a treat for special occasions, and even then only the healthier kinds of junk.

ForeverYoung
Guest

Thu, Jan 13 2005, 4:05 pm

well, thre is junk - and I'm against it.
However, as soon as my kids went to school, they found out what it is.....

So I give him junk for snak (kids who don't get any junk beg or trade - not interested in my son becoming a beggar & developing if you give me this, I will give you that; or pls give me xyz & will be your best friend forever)

But we have a deal - for 1st snack he eats the healthy snack, and junk - for 2nd snack.

Sodas are only on Shabbos (unless we're out where soda;s are served - don't want my kids to be jealous, see ^).
Also, only cafeine free.
(They actually know that if there is no caffeine soda, tough luck)

Tefila

Thu, Jan 13 2005, 4:14 pm

So thats why I'm not sure on nosh for snack but now after reading this valid point

Quote:

So I give him junk for snak (kids who don't get any junk beg or trade - not interested in my son becoming a beggar & developing if you give me this, I will give you that; or pls give me xyz & will be your best friend forever

I am, thanks fy Smile

Yael

Thu, Jan 13 2005, 4:23 pm

I belive that a kid under 2 should not be getting anything at all with sugar. (except like yogurt and real food if its part of a recipe.) I dont have junk in my house so the only time I have an issue with this is out of the house but usually I can distract them with something else like a pretzel.
they should not even know what a lollypop is!! candy sugary drinks or cereals are big nonos. when they are young its still easy to distract them from these things by giving something else as a treat instead. if its was cookies or cake I would give in once in a blue moon just so they dont feel left out b/c cake isnt harmful just not more nutritious than sweet. however candy has absolutely no nutritious value whatsoever, and has artificial colors and lots of sugar. so no way at any age. (except of course if its a really big deal and I wouldnt want to make my child feel really out of place but that would be as an older child anyway not as a toddler.)
but what I do for my 2 yr old is he's allowed to get cake on shabbos morning. and once in a while as a treat during the week if we are all having and he also wants to feel included. he's become very understanding of the idea that cake is for aba and ima. just like coffee is just for aba. and sippy cups are just for him and dovi. soda is just for aba, and he doesnt even ask for it. he calls it a booboo. when I send him to shul on shabbos morning I always send him with a little bag of pretzels and tell him not to eat any lollypops, its a booboo. and he's ok with that.
twice before I started giving him pretzels he got a lollypop from someone and my husband had to take it away.
I cant beleive people even offer candy to a baby/toddler shock

let alone without even asking a parent if its ok!!!!! Exploding anger

I dont offer cookies to my 1 yr old, why should I when he'd be just as happy with a cracker!!!
a 2 yr old is a little harder to fool Wink

if you are concerned with your kid feeling left out so therefore you give your baby cake and lollypops then listen to me: a baby who has a tantrum b/c he wants a lollypop doesnt even know what the lollypop is!!! and he's upset in the same way that he's upset if you dont let him play with a knife!!! just b/c your 12 yr old gets to handle a knife doesnt mean your toddler should!! it will not cause any emotional damage to self esteem if you dont let them have nash!!!
there is absolutely no reason to give in for this reason.
when a child is in schoool and all his peers are getting nash its a different story b/c they might feel different or left out so at that stage I believ in giving treats in moderation. (no candy though ugh!! have you read the ingredients???!!! shock

) a cookie for a snack, is fine. cake on shabbos morning is fine. at a birthday party let them have the cake (but if possible teach them to scrape off the frosting and sprinkles) there is no reason to nash on a regular basis just so they shouldnt feel lacking in anything. (do you let them drink as much wine as they want to on shabbos?) everything has to have limits. and you can keep your limits a little tighter than your neighbor without your child feeling a difference. make homemade cookies so you can control what's inside. I could go on and on but I think this is long enough as it is.

Yael

Thu, Jan 13 2005, 4:28 pm

by the way what do you consider as nosh?
is chips, pretzels,popcorn considered nosh? or when you say you give nosh for a snack do you mean liccorice, bisli, cookies, I dont know what else?
is a healthy snack considered to be fruits n' vegies or chips?

who would feed their child candy on a regular basis??? shock

Tefila

Thu, Jan 13 2005, 4:31 pm

Yael as far as keeping them away from junk as babies I agree but I have a friend more then one Smile

whose mother felt the way you do and when she was 6yr and older she would sneak to a friends house etc to get it. Moderation I believe is the key!
And noone give me this teeth thing if one brushes well eats drinks loads of calcium then the candy alone won't affect teeth ask any Dentists kids how much if any candy they eat and you maybe very suprised Wink

Last edited by Tefila on Thu, Jan 13 2005, 5:47 pm; edited 1 time in total

gryp

Thu, Jan 13 2005, 5:45 pm

when people ask me if I let Mendel have candy, I say "I refuse to ruin his teeth especially before theyre all in...." Very Happy

Tefila

Thu, Jan 13 2005, 5:48 pm

Yes giving a child under 2yr candy is a drop loonie and neglectful in my humble opinion! Confused

ForeverYoung
Guest

Thu, Jan 13 2005, 9:29 pm

it is much more difficult when you have older kids..........

Yael

Thu, Jan 13 2005, 11:45 pm

you know what I was raised with loads of healthy food buut my mother would buy us healthy lollypops, cookies and candy bars so we didnt feel left out.
and when I was 6-12 I used to run for the junk food too. I'd sneak cake at a kiddush etc. but when I was 12 I began to understand the idea that its rreally true that nosh is no good. its not just a rule imposed on kids to make them miserable. and on my own I gave up all candy and frosting, etc. and that type of artificial nash. I'll admit that I have weakness for cake and cookies.
and so I'll hold my kids to the same standards that I hold myself.
any mother that wants her kids to eat healthy while eating nash in front of them is not doing a good thing. mixed messages will cause a child to rebel. when a child sees that you ask him to do something b/c you believe in it strongly he trusts you that its good for him, and is more likely to listen to you. and if he doesnt its something we all should strive to teach our children. (I.e. to trust us to make right choices for them and to follow, in any aspect of life including yiddishkeit.)

gryp

Fri, Jan 14 2005, 10:59 am

Quote:

it is much more difficult when you have older kids..........

true, but then again, the older kids can learn from the baby's example here. (sounds backwards, no?) when the older kids see the baby is not allowed because its not good for him/her, it can be easy for them to understand that sugar isnt good for them either...

Tefila

Fri, Jan 14 2005, 11:14 am

Bissili I might give for snack aswell as cookies and granola bars, fruit roll ups too, maybe?
Real Junk I will give only on shabbos pekelach! And hard candys aswell as gum have NO place in our home
Hard candys are very dangerous for kids up to 10yr and must do something detrimental to their teeth, it must! And as far as gum well when my 7yr old came home with a birthday loot bag incl gum when I found it I am still not sure how it happend but, found it stuck to my 21/2 yr olds hair to the pillow he was screaming since he was trying to get up but that stuff had prevented him shock

I managed to get it out not by cutting since he's a boy and didn't want to if didn't HAVE to. So I put oil on it and you know it slipped right out b"h
P.S. another tip I learnt the hard way Rolling Eyes

if your child gets make-up on their face instead of washing of with soap and water, try using vaseline or hand cream will wipe right off, this also applys to anything sticky!

Rivka

Sat, Jan 15 2005, 7:51 pm

Good tip Freilich you should add it in the tips section.
If my son sees someone eat sweets he isn't stupid, I can pretend it isn't there so I give him sugar free ones. He loves mint, he even eats Rennies when he gets his hands on them. He loves the adult minty toothpaste too.
But I do not believe in offering a child a sweet coz you can't exactly offer it them and then come along and say no. I am pretty strict, but sometimes my son is one step ahead, he is only turning two in a couple of weeks but he can climb and seems to find stuff in people's houses that I didn't know existed.
I am not going to have a heart attack and go crazy, but I personally wouldn't give it to him. He doesn't need biscuits either and I hardly have them in the house he is fine with crackers. I hardly have any nash in the house apart from shabbos, but I tell my husband if he wants to eat it, not in front of the baby. Cake he gets on birthdays only.

Rochel Leah

Sat, Jan 15 2005, 8:18 pm

Rivka, each to their own but isnt the aspartme in sugar free candy worse then sugar?

I don't like my son to have candy and junk and I dont have it in the house but for special occasions I let him have, he isnt stupid and if he sees someone eating cake or cookies he is going to want. so I give him a little or distract him with something else.

the issue I have is that my in laws house is a junk festival , I don't want to keep sz away but the kids eat junk everyday as if its aan apple. sz is soon gonna want everything they have. right now they all know to aks me if sz can eat anything, but my mom in law tells my hubby that I am too strict with sz junk intake and that he is gonna get it eventually......what do I tell her? she is the type to snaek him a candy just beacause she thinks I am a health freak. ( which I am not but wish I was)