My 2 year old daughter has the biggest sweet tooth!

Tasha - posted on 01/15/2009

The thing is she loves healthy snacks too. She loves apples, bananas, oranges, brocolli, carrots, and asparagus are her favorites. We have very little in the way of candy in our house and I don't buy sugary cereals. She climbs up on the cupboards, uses scissors, and who knows what else to find what she wants. She is a tiny little thing, only in the 5%. She is just driving me crazy!

Kristen - posted on 01/15/2009

purge the house of all sweets you don't want her to have. If you simply don't have them available, she will have to choose different snacks. If you want to transition, you can reduce sugar in baked goods like cookies and muffins by at least 1/3 without compromising taste. Sweetened yogurt and raisins are also good transition foods to wean her off sweets... eventually she will get used to less sugar and you can give her plain yogurt with fresh fruit. TJust keep offering cut up fruit, veggies, and healthy snacks. If you have it out, they will eat it. This is such a hard one -- I have a terrible sweet tooth that I'm trying to tame and I am making good strides. I'm determined not to pass on this awful sugar addiction to my kids.

Amanda - posted on 01/15/2009

You need to put anything as such somewhere where she can't get to it.  Get a child saftey lock that she can't open.  There are many different kinds.

  I just don't buy anything sugary.  I'll have fresh cut up fruits all cut up and out (in reach of my son) most of the time. Apples, bananas, mandarins, pineapple, strawberrys, raspberries, grapes cut in half ect.   When I buy cookies then only ones with the least amount of sugar.

She is used to sweet things and it starts an addiction.  You need to eliminate the sugar.  You'll have at least two weeks where she'll be really cranky (getting over it).  It won't be easy but you need to stick to it.  Once she doesn't get sugar any more the appetite for sugar will slowly get better.  Her "taste"  for sugar will be reprogramed "so to say"  things that then are not so sweet become sweet and other things that are truly sweet will be emensly sweet.

My son rarely even gets fruit juices(and if diluted at 1/3 juice 2/3 water). He gets water, sparkling water, Caro ( a roasted grain drink)  and sometimes I'll put a little elderberry/raspberry syrup in the water (hot or cold) for a little change.  That's about it.

P.S. all that said but, I have a confession, I also liked eating hot coco powder as a kid :) (Swiss miss)

Megan - posted on 01/15/2009

my son is the same way. we just can't have anything in the house that temps him. i feel so bad but if I buy a little treat he constantly wants it. i'm trying to lose weight too from my second baby so I guess it's good for all of us. he does not want to eat good foods ever so i'm trying the approach that if he's hungry he will eat. i'm putting one good food that he likes on his plate all the time and he will eat it and then maybe try the other stuff. when he wants something sweet I try fruit or fruit pops like the other mom said. dipping is also fun for him. we dip all veggies into this new yogurt ranch dressing they have. that works good too!!

Elizabeth - posted on 01/15/2009

Now's a good time to introduce fruits and fruit pops.