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Chocolate, gummy bears, etc.: This is how you avoid stress over sweets
How do you ensure that children don't eat too much sweets without having to constantly ban them from sweets?
Children love sweets. Well, most of them. Once you've tempted them with this, you're simply at the point of no return. And that can put a lot of stress on family life. Because when the little ones ask for sweets day in and day out, as parents you quickly ask yourself how you can get out of it.
Sweets are not good foods in terms of health. But you don't have to demonize chocolate and the like. Or it shouldn't. Bans lead to secret (and then uncontrolled) feasting. Plus, as with everything in life, sweets in moderation don't do anyone any harm.
But how do you find a way to allow children to commit a sweet sin every now and then? How do you teach them that just because you have one or two at home doesn't mean you have to eat it all at once?
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Make concessions!
When it comes to special celebrations such as birthdays or Christmas, you shouldn't be too strict with your child. If the child receives chocolate bars or wine gums as a gift for such a special occasion, then you can let the child feast to their heart's content on that day. It would be very mean to first give him sweets and then forbid him.
The worst thing that can happen that day is that the child eats so much sweets that he skips his lunch or dinner. Which isn't a bad thing, as it leaves more for the rest of the family or any guests. Maybe your child is feeling a little sick, but that can be sorted out with exercise in the fresh air.
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Even if the child eats himself into a real chocolate coma, that's okay on this one day out of 365 days of the year. It won't happen again any time soon.
Ensure diversity
Of course chocolate is sweet and delicious, but so are apples, grapes, strawberries or bananas. If your child feels the need for something sweet, try it with their favorite fruit, plain or in natural yoghurt. This is healthy and delicious. Offer it again and again, sometimes as a dessert after a 'real' meal or as a snack break in the afternoon.
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Eat sweets consciously
Eating on the side, whether sweets or meals, is never a good idea. That's why children (but also us adults) should always sit at the table quietly and without a TV, tablet or cell phone when eating and not quickly shove something into their mouths in between or even while walking.
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If you take your time with the chocolate bar, you will eat it much more consciously. It is rather unlikely that someone else will have to follow just 5 minutes later.
Avoid reward effect
We parents like to use sweets as a reward (actually it's more like blackmail, but reward doesn't sound so mean). If the child doesn't eat his healthy meal well, we offer him the prospect of a sweet reward. If he has difficulty completing a task, we sometimes offer him the prospect of a sweet reward.
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By rewarding the child with sweets like this, we ensure that this type of reward system becomes established in him. Whenever he has mastered something unloved, difficult or strenuous in the future, he will want to reward himself. So it's no wonder that he comes home after school and, before you can even ask how the day went, asks for sweets.
Lead by example
The children got their love of sweets from somewhere. That's why we parents should always look after our own noses. We probably also have to be more conscious about the sweets that we (usually) treat ourselves to every now and then. If we curb our own cravings for sweets, there will probably be a lot less of them in the house anyway.
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