Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

What's the big deal. I get such looks that range from disbelief, judement or assumption that I'm full of myself.

(the last one maybe I am )

AJ has had cake.. once or twice...but rarely. She got no cake for her birthday. Why? She doesn't need a cake, didn't ask for a cake, doesn't care. So since money is tight, we took her to the zoo, gave her clothes and two gifts only. She had a blast.

Why no cake any other time? Cause we don't eat cake in our house. Not for birthdays not for holidays not for much of anything. So its just simply not around. *shrug*

No candy. My teeth literally hurt. I can't handle candy so I keep the temptation away. Jim loves his 'fix' here and there, but he's pretty good about it too. So again, its just not around us to give her. I don't see that I'm mean about it. How is it mean to say "no thank you she doesn't get candy" when frankly I think its rude to offer a 2yr old candy to begin with

No chocolates. OMG I love dark chocolate. But you know what chocolate does? It melts. so we just figured AJ would become a mess, so again, we keep none in the house, so she gets none.

She misses nothing!
I'm sure I give her other bad things

Today I dropped her off at school and they asked her "So your birthday was yesterday, how was your cake" I see no problem with that I mean its normal and all so I said "no she got no cake" .. they ask "oh was she bad?" no.. just we dont do cake and the look I got. Then she quickly recovered to ask if she got chocolates or candy. Um... no

Am I missing the memo?

Isn't 2 a bit young?

What's the big deal?

Am I really depriving my child of something?

When did your kids get into candy, cake, chocoaltes? Heck add Pizza too cause she doesn't care much one way or the other for that either.

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

Lily eats way too much cake, candy, etc. But I'm a baker, so it's always around. And she loves to help....she loves to bake cookies, decorate cupcakes, all of that stuff. It lets her get creative.

I see nothing wrong with keeping it from your child if it's not a part of your life. If you're not going to have it in the house anyway...there's no reason to have it just for a 2 year old. We just happen to have it, so she gets it also.

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

Landon only has cake on birthdays.
Never any candy.
But he does eat cookies as a treat when he finishes all of his dinner.

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

Ill see your cakes and candy and raise you SODA!!! I get sooo upset when I see little "babies" drinking soda!!!!

edited for spelling
ETA: I dont' have a problem with cakes and stuff at parties but not as part of their regular diet. It's nice for a treat.

Message edited 8/23/2010 1:13:41 PM.

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

We gave DS his first cake and M&M's on his first birthday. He does not get cake regularly, only at birthday parties, and it's usually a small slice.

Now, M&M's are another story. The kid is addicted-he loves his M&Ms. He asks for them at 7 in the morning-but does not get them. He knows the packaging and will say 'peeese' in the store if we pass them. We have to limit his intake on M&M's, he would eat them 24/7 if we allowed him to.

eta: LOVES homemade pizza, and he does not drink soda-that is a no no in our house for him.

Message edited 8/23/2010 1:12:29 PM.

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

ds #1 is 3 and we hardly ever give him any candy... this is a constant fight between me and my FIL who does not understand when I tell him NO SWEETS... David is hyper enough without me giving him candy!!!

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

Posted by Linda1003

Ill see your cakes and candy and raise you SODA!!! I get sooo upset when I see little "babies" drinking soda!!!!

edited for spelling

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

DS is 20 months and has never had candy, the closest he's had to cookies is teddy grahams. We had a cake at his b'day but he had no interest in eating it.

When we go to the grocery store I give him a green bean from the produce rather than a cookie sample from the bakery. Here is a pic from a few months ago of him chomping away on a green bean while shopping

It doesn't bother him because he doesn't know the difference we don't have that stuff in the house so he doesn't know he is "missing" anything.

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

my kids would rather fruit over ANYTHING

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

I don't think it is strange. If you guys don't usually do birthday cake, then that is what happens in your house. With childhood obesity out of control more power to you. My daughter will get cake for birthdays but that is what my family does.
I hate that she asked if she was bad. That is so awful. Food needs to stop being given as a reward. Oh, and I totally agree with the soda thing. I have a friend IRL who lets her daughter have diet soda.

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

Does she go to other parties, etc., and is not allowed to have any when other kids are? I wouldn't have a hard time at home (if I didn't have all the bad stuff here, that is ), but I would feel bad at playdates or parties saying no when every other kid was having a cupcake.

DS rarely has cake, but does have bakery samples whenever we go out. It keeps him occupied while I do the grocery shopping. I figure anything in moderation.

TBH, the kids I knew growing up who weren't allowed candy or cake, etc., went CRAZY when they went to other houses or were old enough to get it themselves, and then went overboard. I was always allowed some, and then never felt like I needed to overindulge.

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

I don't think there is anything wrong with that. my niece hates cake and prefers fruit. she had a fruit salad for her birthday

me, I give Luce little bites of cake. I've given him ice cream, nutella biscotti.

I don't like candy and/or juice, no chips, goldfish..things of that nature. that's just what I want.

baked goods don't bother me at all b/c usually they are homemade, and more often than not, made by ME, and I have control.

I think as parents, we all have stuff that we are lax about and stuff that we are "hells no" about.

in the words of the mightly bill clinton (via snl)

I do what I likes and I likes what I do.

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

Posted by dewdrop

Posted by NinaLemon

DS is 20 months and has never had candy, the closest he's had to cookies is teddy grahams. We had a cake at his b'day but he had no interest in eating it.

When we go to the grocery store I give him a green bean from the produce rather than a cookie sample from the bakery. Here is a pic from a few months ago of him chomping away on a green bean while shopping IMAGE

It doesn't bother him because he doesn't know the difference we don't have that stuff in the house so he doesn't know he is "missing" anything.

i think this is simply too cute!!!! love that he's eating a green bean!!!

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

DS (at 18 months) has had cake at birthday parties, along with cupcakes, cookies, ice cream, etc. I don't have a problem with it there, but on a daily basis, he's in bed before DH and I have any sort of dessert so it's not an issue. Eventually it will be as he gets older and he'll have dessert with us.

No candy aside from a random twizzler here and there when I need him to behave just a few minutes longer in his stroller.

But I see nothing wrong with you witholding it, it's your life, your business.

ETA: DS is obsessed with blueberry muffins and eats them pretty frequently and really they're the same as cake.

Message edited 8/23/2010 1:22:53 PM.

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

Thanks, he is funny he will choose green over everything!

Posted by nov04libride



THat's so cute! Do you bring the stringbeans, or just pick one out? Do you clean it off somehow? I'm so anal about washing produce.

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

DD is 4 1/2 and I remember nearly falling over when the PED offered her a lollipop at her 2 year check up!! I said " Oh she doesn't know what they are as she has never had one" and the Ped looked at me like I was nuts and said "they dont have sugar in them - they are sugarless and they are not going to do her any harm"...but as DD had never seen one before she didn't take one and off we went with a plastic ducky instead...since then as she is now 4 1/2 she does get treats - chocolate m&m's, cookies, cake, ice cream etc but only as treats and she has never had soda and she will probably get some the night before she gets married if I have anything to do with it

DS is a year and he did have cake for his birthday but he only played with it - he doesn't get any mainstream treats but I give him yoghurt or fruit as his treat and he is happy out. It is harder with the second child as they naturally want what the older child is eating but if he wants something she is eating I just give him something else and he is usually happy as long as he has something in his little hands.

You are not strange nor should you feel that way - your child = your rules

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

Your kid = Your rules.

I keep trying to tell my DH he can't just give someone else's kid food w/o asking them first - He's the king of buying from the ice cream man for all of the kids !!


I'm lax w/ the food rules - Sean eats everything - I'm a food eater, DH is a cake/candy/ice cream fiend - So it's always in my house .......

In general, regardless of your rules with food, I think it's rude for ANYONE to give a child ANYTHING w/ asking the parent's permission (hence my argument w/ DH !!)

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

There's a lot of things in life that we don't NEED...but we do like. I think its so important to teach children MODERATION and not deny them certain things. I believe that leads to closet eaters and not healthy behaviors.

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

My son eats it all, in moderation of course. I don't have a problem with it and I don't have a problem with you not giving it to her. Its your kid, do what you want and who cares what the daycare teacher has to say about it.

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

Abby truly hardly ever gets junk. I got her a cake for a photo-op but if its out of sight, its out of mind. She doesnt care and is just as happy with a cereal bar.

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

I think you are doing a good thing. Who cares what junk other people feed their kids & how they judge you for not giving them that stuff You should be praised by other parents.

My parents gave me junk food very early on & my eating habits have always been terrible. My younger brother on the other hand, was never given junk food (because my parents were scared about howI was) & now as a 26 year old, does not have a sweet tooth. He is a healthy eater.

Message edited 8/23/2010 1:52:27 PM.

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

Re: Am I alone? 2yrs old.. no candy, chocolate, cake

Now that DD is 3, nothing is really off limits but it's all in moderation.

We do not normally have a lot of junk around but:

I bake brownies and cookies for our home, so she has those when we have them.

I buy M&Ms and she gets about 5 most mornings to get her out of the house on time

If we have cake or ice cream, she can have some.

If we are out at someone's house and they have cake or cookies or whatever, she can have some.

I'm trying to teach her a healthier attitude towards food. Everything is okay, but you don't need to eat it until it is gone. Also, stuff like this is a treat, and you don't get it all the time.

There is some stuff she will have out, but never at home-we went to a birthday party and they served koolaid. We don't buy that but she could have some at the party.

She is just as happy with a plum pr grapes for dessert so I think she is doing okay but it's your kid, so your rules.