When your child asks for candy or treats, do you give it to them right away?

Hello beautyqueen26, I feel guilty to give and more guilty not to give! My son loves candies and sweets too especially chocolate. He can finish up the whole packet at one time. I feel hesitate to give him chocolate almost every day but looking at his cute little face, I feel more guilty not to give him what he wants. I know it is not a good habit but I just can't be firmed sometimes...

As long as they have eaten all their dinner and eaten healthily then I would let them have a treat! I do not believe in treats between or before meals but after dinner then I don't see the problem! xxx

In that exact situation, I would say okay. If she had finished everything. Also I think for me it depends on what they did and had the entire day. My kids only get things if they behave or did something nice like clean up. I try not to give them too much, but then there are those cases where I want them and of course I have to share...lol

I dont usually give them sweets when they ask. I will always make them earn a treat somehow everytime. They get annoyed but if they are good I wil offer the sweets. Its gotten where they dont ask they just hope to get some.

I normally make my son wait at least a little bit after dinner to get his treats. His sister goes to bed about an hour after dinner, so I like to have him wait until after she is in bed.

If my son eat all his food quickly and still want something to eat. I will give him as soon as he want. So next time he will know he can get something if he does well. But if he doesn't finish his meal, and want some other things to eat. I won't give him whatever he want.

If my son eats his dinner than is looking for ice cream, I will usually let him have it. We serve him an amount of food that on a normal day will fill him up all the way, but I do realize that sometimes he is still hungry. Two scoops of ice cream on occasion a isn't going to hurt the kid (besides the majority of the time our ice cream is soy or tofu LOL). I know when he eats lunch at school he gets ice cream with his meal...

Why do you have to make it like a treat? I mean, I know of children being encouraged to do good things by giving them treats and maybe some token show of appreciation (like a long-pending request for a particular toy). I know it works wonders but I don’t support this. I mean its like forever dangling the carrot in front of the child and then what if the child expects to be rewarded for each and every good action and then when we refuse (as is natural) and they tend to blackmail us and become more and more demanding? For my son, chocolates and similar treats are as common as any food he has. There are standard bars of say 10 to 12 small blocks which I keep in the fridge and he can have say 2 to 3 blocks daily (which I don’t think is too much for an 8yr old). Now once a bar finishes, I don’t buy the second one at least after one or two weeks. So that makes one bar every fortnight. Now for treats like flavoured cheese slices, sausages or similar, its restricted to the beginning of the month grocery shopping and not again in that particular month. Very big chocolates are kept for annual exam results and toys and such gifts are for birthdays only.

Not all the time. It's mainly cookies and chocolates that he likes to eat other than candy.

Ha ha ha ha! I am so lucky that I don't have to deal with this problem quite yet! My litte girl is only nine months old and she can't talk...So she can't ask me for candies or sweets! She sure does like ice cream though! Oh well. My time will come.

If my kids eat all their food they get a treat after, even if they do not eat it all they still get something. As long as I see that they have made an effort that is good enough for me. I was never deprived sweets and stuff as a kid and it never did me any harm so I kind of think that it is just mean for me to hold back on them. I never make them wait, as soon as they are done they get their afters!

I dont have children but am a qualified nursery nurse so have worked with them. If they were asking for candy/treats after having eaten all their food like your daughter did, I would tell them to wait abit to let their food settle. If not I would probably give it to them but ensure they didnt have too many if it was near dinner time etc. Also treats shouldnt be asked for as a treat is something that you give yourself as a reward not because you have asked for it. I would limit the amount of candy my child has in a day. I know someone who allows her daughter to have one packet of crisps a day!! I know it varys between parents and such but children need to learn they cant have everything they want or have it their way all the time!! What did you do in the end? Did you allow her to have chocolate straight awat or did you make her wait awhile???

i wont give it right away i will make her understand its not so good but at the end i will give it.

I have a two year old and if he had behaved himself well that day he would get it immediately. Or if i had some work i would give him at a later time. Yes it is a perperual worry whether we are doing right or not. But i dont worry too much over this issue. If hE has been good he gets it otherwise i tell him because you did that you wont get a sweet. a

i don't have a child yet... but when i do have one, i don't think i will let him/her have a treat straight after their meal... it is not good for their stomach and they are still full from eating anyway... i don't let it to become a habit as well... take care and have a nice day...

My grandmother always told me anything in moderation is ok. I often use this theory on food. So a little bit of chocolate or lollies is a good thing. In your situation, it looks as if your little one was looking for a reward for eating all of her dinner, a correct reward would be a smile or a hug or an acknowlegdement of her achievement, not chocolate or lollies. I would praise her and tell her that her body will be able to grow big and strong now that she has eaten all of her vegetables etc. Then tell her to go and play and she can have desert/chocolate treat soon.

i am a father and sometime still confuses me to give immediately what my son asked me too (only if I could afford though). its pretty bad sometime if you always give what they (children) wanted as sometime soon if you cant give anything, they will be very mad. but it feels sad too when you let down your child that is just asking for a little treat, doesnt it?