Sweet treats and chocolate for children

Fiona Gibson looks at the problems that a deluge of sweets and chocolate poses for conscientious parents

I intended to raise my children on healthy, balanced diets. They would grow up believing that rice cakes were ‘treats’, and simmer with delight when presented with a handful of carrot batons.

‘You start off with these lofty ideas,’ confesses Jo, whose three year-old son, Finn, didn’t eyeball a sweet until he reached 18 months, but is now rarely seen without a melting Kit-Kat. ‘Once your child starts nursery and gets invited to other kids’ houses – and your relatives are always sticking the biscuit tin under his nose – you might as well give up.’

Another friend, Katy, ensured that she and her first child never left the house without a Tupperware box of right-on goodies (apple slices, plain breadsticks, organic dried apricots). Yet, by the time baby number three came along, she was happy to revive flagging nippers with chewy cola bottles from the newsagents.

Sarah Schenker, a dietician from the British Nutrition Foundation is reassuring

‘Sweets and chocolates can be incorporated into a healthy, balanced diet. What’s important are the proportions that your child is eating, rather than specific types of food. A wide range of foods is what counts. Chocolate and crisps are fine one time, if they’re balanced with something healthier – say, bananas and oranges – the next.’

So no heavy-duty padlock on the goodie cupboard?

‘We advocate increasing variety rather than being restrictive,’ says Sarah. ‘You’re trying to encourage a positive attitude towards food. Yes, you may wish to introduce some lower-fat foods to replace those high in fat – but it’s a common sense thing. Christmas and Easter are celebrations when children can indulge a bit more than usual.’