Sweets Are Not Always Treats
When my oldest daughter was 7, she would save her candy
for weeks, eat one little piece at a time, and always
ask before she ate any. On the other hand, her little
sister, 2, would yell "canny, canny" and eat it until
she was stuffed.
Candy is the focus of many special days such as Easter,
Valentines, Christmas and Halloween. Millions are spent
advertising candy and store displays, in-school sweet
shops and vending machines make it easily accessible.
Sweets not only cost money when you buy them, but they
also contribute to tooth decay and result in costly
dental bills. How do you limit your child's intake of
sweets without becoming the meanest parent in the
neighborhood?
1. Education is the key.
Teach your child about nutrition using a conversational
style rather than lecturing. Talk about foods, what's in
them, why some are good for your body and others aren't.
Talk about why it's important to care for their bodies
and teeth. My nephew recently learned about the problem
of dentures when his grandfather coughed so hard his
false teeth flew out and went under the car. My nephew
didn't think it was funny when everyone laughed at
Grandpa as he wondered out loud how they would feel, "if
they coughed so hard their teeth came out!" Encourage
your child to brush their teeth after every meal.
Flossing is also essential to good tooth care.
2. Limit sugar intake from birth by offering foods that
are low in sugar.
Emphasize vegetables and whole grains. Serve fresh
fruits instead of sweet desserts, toast without jam,
unsweetened fruit juice rather than sweetened drinks and
pop. Don't use sweets as a treat or reward for good
behavior or finishing a meal.
3. Serve sweets at mealtime when increased saliva helps
clean teeth.
Offer nutritious between meal snacks such as popcorn,
vegetable sticks, low sugar, fiber rich muffins or
cookies, and fresh fruit.
4. Set a good example by eating sweets when your
children aren't around.
Reduce the amount of sweets you buy and try not to store
them in the house. You might surprise yourself and lose
those few extra pounds you've been working on for the
last year.
5. Limit the importance of candy.
For parties and other occasions, give novelty store
items such as jazzy pencils, notepads, erasers, jewelry,
small vehicles, puzzles, games, stickers, rubber
insects, dinosaurs and collector cards.
6. "Friday is Gum Day".
To save constant pestering to buy junk food and
chewing gum, we chose Friday as treat day at our house.
The kids buy something of their choice on Fridays. If
they ask for something on another day, I just say,
"Friday is Gum Day." My youngest daughter grew up with
"Friday Gum Days' and I didn't realize she thought it
was a universal concept until one day, when she was 4,
she wondered what kind of gum her friend Alison would be
having. When asked how she knew Alison would be having
gum that day, she replied, "Well, it's Friday and Friday
is Gum Day." Although we make exceptions, our Friday Gum
Day has been a useful way to limit junk food. The
thought of losing gum day for that week is enough
motivation to discourage pestering.
7. Avoid problems at the grocery store checkouts by
buying a non-sweet treat such as a new roll of tape,
glue stick, book, magazine, socks, hair accessory,
collector card or soap to make bubbles with. A
consistent "No" without any exceptions or arguments and,
doing like one mother of three little boys, leaving them
all at home when you grocery shop will save a lot of
pestering. Like all other challenges of parenting, what
works with one child will not work with another. When
you consider the huge cost of dental repair, taking good
care of teeth by limiting sweets is well worth the
effort.
