Chocolate? Yes or No?

Jen - posted on 05/29/2010

I let my son have a taste of chocolate pudding for Easter when he was six months old. The only thing I have seen him turn away is squash. He will eat anything else- including the Gerber "healthy" snack treats. I think we need to teach our children "moderation" more than "No". I have seen babies who only eat fruit or veggies have bowel issues ...I want my kid to grow up able and willing to say "no thank you" to chocolate instead of making it the temptation it will be if I always say no. I think it's human nature for most kids that if they are "never" allowed something it suddenly becomes what they want most when their parents turn their back. I know my son will be at birthday parties and sleepovers and school around chocolate. So I have no problem with giving him some - but I have to say, he does eat fruit daily and vegetables daily. I think he'd honestly choose applesauce over any other "treat". But he at least knows that chocolate exists. I'm not saying i have this attitude for anything else either...but when it's food, nobody eats perfectly. I want to teach him to eat WELL but not pressure him to eat a "perfect diet".

Antonia - posted on 05/29/2010

My daughter had it for her christening cake at 10 months and she loved it. Not like I give it to her all the time. You should know how much is enough.

Elysia - posted on 05/28/2010

I tried not to and still try not to let my son have a great deal of junk food but it can be hard with nannys sneaking treats in. My son is 14months old and i allow him a little bit of chocolate if im having it but other than that he def doesnt get any for himself.

Michelle - posted on 05/28/2010

I know I'm going to wait which may be hard with his dad always stuffing his face with choc. They will get to a age where they'll wanna rot their teeth out soon enough without us encoraging it.:)

Ashley - posted on 05/28/2010

My son usually gets chocolate milk as a special lunch treat to get him keeping up his dairy consumption. And every once and awhile he gets it as a treat. His first chocolate fix would ahve been Christmas after he turned 1 and my mom gave him chocolate covered raisins.

Cassandra - posted on 05/28/2010

I don't give my daughter, who's now 4, any chocolate or candy unless it is a special occassion, such as Halloween or a birthday. And it's always in limited quantities. It's now the end of May, and she still has candy from Halloween... she's completely forgotten about it too. Kids have enough energy in them, so giving them sugar creates more energy, which leads to sugar crashes, and that's just not fair to them. My parents and her father's parents give her all the candy she could want, but when she's with me... it's all about eating healthy. She loves her raw broccoli... and to me... that's awesome!

Patricia - posted on 05/28/2010

when i was younger i wasnt given chocolate. i had fruits as my "sweets" i wasnt given ice cream either. and i like chocolate now but only like chocolate cake and cookies. i dont really like chocolate candy or ice cream. so im probably not going to give my baby to be candy or chocolate for awhille.

Heather - posted on 05/28/2010

around two i started giving into letting my son have chocolate. he had a chocolate cake for his 2nd bday. not everyday though. i let him have chocolate milk for breakfast sometimes, but thats it

Clare - posted on 05/28/2010

All things in moderation :)

Lindsay - posted on 05/27/2010

I might give my child a couple choc chips or something but nothing big. A tiny candy bar that would be 1-2 bites for adult is about all they get and age 1 is about when I might start but it is only every once in a while, maybe 2 times a year.

Sarah - posted on 05/27/2010

hi moms/mums,
i gave my daughter a bit of choclate for the 1st time at the age of one she doesnt have it all the time, i do give her some but not on a regular basis, on the other hand tho she goes to my mums and my partners mums while im working and they like to 'treat' her i have had to say many times that i don't want her having it all the time, my personal feeling on it is children don't even know it exsists till their given it for the 1st time so its upto you when you give it to ur child.

Cassie - posted on 05/27/2010

we did a chocolate kiss for both our girls prob when they were either 3-4 months....I don't let them have a lot of sweets and now their 6 and 3 and won't even finish a dum dum sucker it takes them 2-3 days for just one-as a parent you diff have to monator that stuff at young ages cause thats how theyll start to crave it more and more

Charlene - posted on 05/27/2010

NO NO NO
reason is simple, and its got nothing to do with sugar iether! The caffiene in chocolate is enough to make a little busy body super busy. OF course it is also a good idea to limit simple sugar intake of your children as mach as possible too just to avoid the whole mood swing thing. (sugar tickles the pleasure center in the brain and when it wears off they just get grumpy!)

Joanne - posted on 05/27/2010

my daughter is 20 weeks and i have let her taste maybe 2 or 3 small white buttons a little treat after her injections and she loved it, its not as if people are going to feed there kids chocolate all day and night, there taste buds are there for a reasons.

Joanne - posted on 05/27/2010

well said jonna

Katie - posted on 05/27/2010

I gave my daughter a tiny bit when she was almost 4 months. It was just enough for her to get a good taste of it. I want her to have a good taste of everything Mommy eats (because I will eat just about any kind of food) so she doesn't become a picky eater.

Veronique - posted on 05/27/2010

My oldest is going to be 2 on june 10th and i still haven't given her any. She doesn't like junk food. My aunt gave her chips at her cousins b-day party and broke out in haves. She when for the veggies and fruits insted and that's just fine by me. My youngest is going to be 7 months on the 29th of may so she's still to young and i would give her chocolate for a long long long time

Kathryn - posted on 05/27/2010

A friend of mine gave my oldest chocolate when he was about 8 months old. I wasn't too happy about it, but the damage was done at that point. My boys are now 2 & 3 and they get chocolate on special occasions, holidays, stuff like that. Its not an every day thing.

Sonia - posted on 05/27/2010

My son is 9 months and I give him a little of my cookie or a little cake when I eat it. I only do it because two of my nephews had really bad stomach aches after having cake for the first time for their first birhtdays.

Rebecca - posted on 05/26/2010

Mmmkae, first of all - chocolate is not evil. I know there are tons of health nuts out there that would love nothing more than to preach about the evils of chocolate, but the fact is, anything is bad for you if you're eating pounds of it a day - even too many fruits and veggies can cause severe digestive problems. There are actually health benefits to eating chocolate (specifically dark chocolate, for women), just as there are benefits to drinking red wine.

My girls didn't have chocolate till their first birthday (the cake, of course), and at 16 months don't have very much now. But they do split a chocolate pudding every couple of days after dinner, or try a lick of chocolate ice cream at grandma's. My girls are petite for their age, extremely active, and have no problem eating their fruits and vegetables. My husband played sports in high school and is an extremely active guy, and I love taking evening walks and bike riding; we intend to instill these qualities in our little ones.

I'm honestly not sure that my girls even hold chocolate in a higher esteem than they do a plump summer strawberry - it's just something else that they think tastes delicious.

You should also bear in mind that some fruits and veggies are actually pretty fattening - avocados, for example, are loaded with fat, as are bing cherries. Just because it's in the produce aisle doesn't mean it won't fill out your hips if you eat too much.

I would recommend that, if you're going to give your child chocolate, you keep it as natural and organic as possible - Hershey and Nestle puts all sorts of processed crap in their candy, so if you opt to give your little kiddo sweets, you drop by a Whole Foods or some other organic food market to ensure that they're getting chocolate in its purest form, and not all the hydro-poly-carbon-sodium-nitrate-oxide-ium that they manage to stuff inside of a candy bar.

Lee Ann - posted on 05/26/2010

my daughter is 2 now and the closest she has came to chocolate is a small lick off someone's chocolate ice cream cone or 1 m&m lol she wasn't really into it, shes always been more of a fruit and veggies girl (im super thankful)

Natasha - posted on 05/26/2010

I'm totally against giving kids chocolate before age 5. Maybe at birthday parties or halloween time.

Sierra - posted on 05/26/2010

my kid eats horribly at the babysitters house, but thats only a few days a month, the rest of the time she has to eat her fruits and veggies and meats before she can get a sweet snack. She had a few drops of chocolate icecream last night and she went wild. I think I'm going to keep chocolate away from her for a while. It makes my life easier.

Cynthia - posted on 05/26/2010

I've been giving my 9 month old daughter little tastes of chocolate ever since she started solids. I'll only give her a little bit on the end of my finger if I'm eating a cupcake or something. She's probably only tried it 3 or 4 times.

Sarah-Anne - posted on 05/26/2010

chocolate is one of the things on my doctor's list of foods to not introduce until 2 years old due to possible rick of developing an allergy. my 14 month old has had chocolate due to others giving it to her, especially when i say no. it seems like i'm always getting into arguments with people about what they are trying to feed my daughter. i've gotten to the point of not allowing anyone else to feed my daughter, and only allow one person to babysit, because they are the only one who will follow the food rules my daughter has.

Lin - posted on 05/26/2010

I gave my oldest chocolate cake at a year and he only gets it on special occasions. (The youngest is 4 months and just started rice cereal - there's no way he's getting chocolate right now.)

Ashley - posted on 05/26/2010

my oldest is now just over 2.5yrs old and she didnt get chocolate til she was well over 2 maybe only a couple months ago but its not alot of it only like a kinder egg or some smarties I wont give her anything else my youngest just turned one and still has not had any chocolate but she wont eat much of anything anyways lol

Rebecca - posted on 05/26/2010

If it was only up to me my son would have never had chocolate yet. My husband took him to his parents for christmas without me and the in-laws stuffed him with chocolate and he was only 1yr! My husband spoke up and told them no more and they flipped at him saying he had no right to tell them now...um excuse me! If i was there he wouldn't have even had one piece. My daughter is 10.5months and she hasn't had it yet and wont until she is older and I make the choice to, so probably around 3yrs or so. BUT i don't really think i have a problem with cake if it's chocolate but i don't go and buy the stuff by any means, but once she starts with cake(and she'll have her first cake on her first birthday in july) then i might give her some if we go to someones party and they have it. But an actual piece of a chocolate bar is a no no for me.

Jessica - posted on 05/26/2010

my daughter loves chocolate, shes been eating it for about 9 months. she never gets alot (usually just a taste).

Kathleen - posted on 05/26/2010

Both my sons tried chocolate before they were one! It never hurt either of them, and we never gave either of them too much.

Carly - posted on 05/26/2010

Can I just say that there is no right or wrong with this, BUT, I am a firm believer that Babies/Children won't miss what they have never had. I am going to ensure my Son has a varied diet full of fresh produce and I will try not to introduce sweets/chocolates/fast food. Like I said he will not miss any of this if he has never tried it.

Fiona - posted on 05/25/2010

what is life without chocolate? my vote: YES on proposition choc-or-not!

Casey - posted on 05/25/2010

kenzie will eat m&ms every now and then but prefers fruit puffs and the yogurt melts. chocolate just gets too messy on her

Brenna - posted on 05/25/2010

Both of my girls had their first taste of chocolate(ice cream) at oh about 2 months (by their pappy) they loved it! My oldest is now 3 and only gets sweets 2 times a week! and my youngest well she very rarely eats sweets she just never really wants them and we are not big sweet eatters anyway.

Francesca - posted on 05/25/2010

I am positive my Dh sneaks my 13 month old chocolate on a regular basis. He is not very good at cleaning her face. I don't mind. I am sure my dad has done it a few times too.

My daughter is a great eater and loves her veggies. So, within balance, I don't see anything wrong with it.

As for the remarks about food allergies. The American Pediatrics Society just released an article about how withholding foods has shown to make allergies worse now, and not to do it. I read it in the Today's Parent Magazine last month.

I don't think it makes a difference. Monday night, I tried to give my daughter a timbit. A treat over Victoria Day weekend. She didn't want it. She wanted the bok choy I was eating. She will always pick savoury over sweets. I think if you teach your kids moderation right from the start it will serve them much better in the future then extreme limitations.

But thats my take on it. I just figured, I can't shelter her forever...

Monica - posted on 05/25/2010

lol well i think it's a must to have your 1yr old get super messy with their first chocolate cake on their birthday!! but i mean, they don't really get much in their mouths anyways at that point... everything in moderation?? my son is almost 4 and he doesn't really have much chocolate and my 1 1/2 yr old doesn't get any (except her b-day and xmas!) and i think the pics you're seeing are prob mostly on special occasions cuz that's when ppl tend to take lots of pictures!!! we know what's good for our kids and we also like spoilin' em from time to time :P they'll be fine :)

Christine - posted on 05/25/2010

i wasn't the first to introduce my lil one to chocolate. (thanks gramma) but now she gets it in severe moderation. there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

Grace - posted on 05/25/2010

No chocolate til after the age of 1 because of the possibility for food allergies. The same thing with strawberries and peanut butter. The allergic reaction is babies can get life threatening fast

Jolene - posted on 05/25/2010

In my experience I personnally didn't want my kids have chocolate until later on...anyways at a bbq the gma gave my daughter some chocolate cake and later some candy...that evening she had diarrhea and vomiting. I later learn there not suppose to have dairy and a few other products after 1 or depending ...because the baby can't digest the enzymes. I took a nutrition class.But good luck on your experience..every child is different.

Kimberly - posted on 05/25/2010

My son is 17 months old and has never had chocolate and I'm pretty sure he won't taste it anytime soon. The longer I can keep the sweets away from him, the better. He's never even had juice. Only water. & I plan to keep it that way as long as I can =)

Jaymee - posted on 05/25/2010

I'd Say Yes 2 Chocolate.... But U Can Always Have Tooo Much....

Michelle - posted on 05/25/2010

I was always told to wait until they were one

Angi - posted on 05/25/2010

Ha Ha, I will have to admit that I buy chocolate bunnies and different chocolate for holidays, But I do not give them to my 4yold. I just don't like to share. :)
When I was pregnant with my youngest I developed gestational diabetes, so i couldn't gave chocolate for about 4 months. After he was born I went crazy eating chocolate. Seeing how I was BFing he got reallyy sick from all I was eating. So I know I will have to watch it when he gets older.
With my 4 year old I do not give her chocolate, soda, or sweets. She does get ice cream once a week if she has been good all week. I choose not to give it to her b/c 1. Then she would always ask me for it. 2. I only keep so much in the house and I just don't like to share. (I know, I know I am horrible)
My husband does give her soda and cookies and I don't fuss. If someone wants to give thier kid candy I don't see a problem. I just want mine to have better eating habbits and if she eats to muchh sweets then she wouldn't want good for her food. Obesity runs in the family so I don't want her starting out on the wrong foot.

Anna - posted on 05/25/2010

I personally don't give my daughter chocolate very often just because shes hyper enough without it and I feel that she doesnt need it more than once in awhile. The better I teach her to take care of her teeth now hopefully the better she will take care of them when shes bigger, However she does get cookies (Nilla wafers) n fruit snacks. She easts just about anything and if I can teach her to eat right maybe shell keep wanting to eat that way :)

Dara - posted on 05/25/2010

I'm not judging, just curious about how other mother's feel about it. To each his own as far as I'm concerned but you are completely right Jonna about the drive thru's and processed foods. Like Anna said I was raised with horrible eating habbits, at the time of 2 years I could spot a McDonald's a mile away and said Dondalds Dondalds. I always heard the story and thought it was cute until I had my own children and realized how horrible that is. But you are completely correct that the drive thru food and processed frozen dinners are much worse for sure!

Jonna - posted on 05/25/2010

Circle of moms is a place where moms encourage each other, not judge each other for minor parenting decisions like giving your child chocolate. Chocolate is a pretty healthy option for dessert. My kids have been eating pieces of dark chocolate for dessert since they were probably 18 months or so. If your child doesn't like it that's fine, I don't think you should make them eat it, but if we are going to judge other moms on what they feed their kids lets start with the drive thru or processed frozen dinners not chocolate!

Jamie - posted on 05/25/2010

My son was one before he got any kind of candy or cake.

Your children will only prefer healthy food if you do. If you're eating sweets and junk, they'll want to eventually too.

Kelly - posted on 05/25/2010

My son had it for the first time at an Easter celebration when he was about 2 1/2 yrs.
He is 5 now and LOVES Hershey's chocolate; it is the only candy he will eat. He gets it at Christmas & Easter, and if he gets any in his bucket for Halloween he eats that, but he throws all the other candy out.

Anna - posted on 05/25/2010

My son's only 4 1/2 months, so I don't have the experience with it yet, but I think I'm going to make all sweets a rare treat. I myself am completely addicted to chocolate, and I have terrible eating habits; I'd like to give my son a better start nutritionally than what I practice. I'd also rather him choose fruits and veggies for snacks than cookies and other sweets, so I'm going to have to be cautious about when he eats them and when he sees me eating them.

Meagan - posted on 05/25/2010

I do not give my daughter choclate or pop or chips or candy of any kind really. The one time she ever had junk food was for her First birthday last sunday. and I find she didn't even really like it that much. I believe if you don t give it to them then they are not going to want it when they are older and they are healther overall....I know my neice has had everythning you can think of and she is bhyper and doesn't listen very well and would rather junk then real food and I dont want my kids like that so they just dont get it. But I soppose that is a personal choice, I know my mom and sister are always trying to sneak my daughter junk but you have to put your foot down! I dont believe children should have junk food at a early age....maybe when they are old enough to choose what they want and if they choose a choclate bar or something then sure give it to them. But I am hopeing because my daughter hasnt had that...when she can choose what she wants then she will hopefully choose the healthier choice!