moms who try to feed their kids clean food

A couple of questions..

1. What kinds of "clean" snacks do you prepare for school? DS will be going for 2.5 hrs a day so I am thinking things like zucchini muffins that I can bake ahead & freeze for the week, fruit, carrot sticks, yogurt. I would love any new ideas.


2. If you go to someone's house for a playdate & the parent offers snacks for your kid that you don't allow him to normally have, do you just let your child have it?
for ex, we are going to a friend's house after lunch this weekend & in the email she mentions that she will make her special chocolate cupcakes & have candy for the kids - I don't want to offend her but I don't want my kid to be tempted with this crap.

Re: moms who try to feed their kids clean food

Message edited 8/9/2013 1:27:27 PM.

Re: moms who try to feed their kids clean food

thank you, itsbabytime.

DS is 3.5. I am similar with trying to do the best I can at home but being a lenient while out but this friend in particular, sets absolutely no junk food boundaries for her son, which makes it hard every single time we go over there. Of course, I've never said anything before b/c she was only offering things like goldfish & pretzels but now she wants to offer candy, which he has never ever tasted before & don't really want to start. Parenting is hard

Re: moms who try to feed their kids clean food

1. Like you said, a variety of fruits, a variety of vegetables, cheese, yogurt, i make my own dried fruit bars, popcorn, my own healthy muffins, rice cakes, etc.

2. I haven't yet got to this stage, but I am so stressed about it. I think my decision will be... allow them to have 1 treat outside the house. like if you are with them start saying well you can have a chocolate cupcake OR a piece of candy. Let them choose one. When they ask for another you keep repeating, No. Remember our agreement/rule/whatever you want to call it was one treat. Eventually, they will have to make this decision on their own and they might not keep to it but hopefully it sticks. And if parents do ask me, I would probably be as honest as possible in a nice way. That sounds great that you are making those cupcakes and going to provide candy-- I don't usually let him eat either of those things-- but I will allow LO to have one treat at your house as long as it is just one. (believe me, one really adds up!)

sorry i dont have better advice! its so hard. just keep pushing clean eating and stick to it at home.

Re: moms who try to feed their kids clean food

We really like apple chips as a snack. DS likes carrots better than French fries.

I'm a big fan of small playgroups... So it's few children and I can control snacks.

If I were you, I'd speak to the mom and say that you are limiting candy.

moms who try to feed their kids clean food

DS is 2. He loves all fruits. But for snack foods, he likes Annie's Bunnies (graham or cheddar), whole wheat crackers, cheese, yogurt (plain with my own fruit mixed in), cereal bars (Trader Joes or Earths Best). He also likes the veggie sticks type of chip and the apple straws chips. We don't keep junk food in the house so he's not exposed to it.

However we don't ban him from eating a cupcake or Cheez Doodles. If its a special occasion then fine. I just chop off 99% of the frosting if it's a cupcake and limit other chips to a small portion.

ETA: I'd let DS taste the special cake but candy is off limits.

Message edited 8/9/2013 3:46:21 PM.

Re: moms who try to feed their kids clean food

DD loves little snack cheeses, grapes, actually any fruit really. Stonyfield makes an organic probiotic smoothie that she loves.


She knows that snacks like cupcakes/cookies/fruit punch are "sometimes" foods. She can have them at parties but we don't keep them in the house.