What’s for dessert for your toddler?

[Anonymous]

Yogurt and a fruit, yogurt and a fruit, yogurt and a fruit, zzzzzzzzz. Looking for other ideas. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Fruit (there are lots of fruits so we get whatever’s seasonal so that provides a good deal of variety), zucchini or banana bread, pie (again with seasonal fruit), popsicles (blended seasonal fruits sometimes with yogurt or orange or grape juice added) in summer, dried/candied fruit (pineapples are a favourite but we also make candied orange peel or a nutty fruitcake). Occasionally more traditional cake/cookies/ice cream, but I like to get some fiber and the odd vitamin in as much as I can.

[Anonymous]

A toddler does not need dessert.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A toddler does not need dessert.

An adult does not need dessert either. Do you eat dessert?

To answer OP's question, fruit. We really try to mix up the fruit though. And ice cream on Sundays.

[Anonymous]

Yogurt and fruit isn't a dessert. My kid has that sometimes with dinner if they don't like the protein and/or vegetable because it's easy to prepare and relatively healthy.

My toddler will have a small portion of whatever we have for dessert. Ice cream, banana bread, sometimes cake or cookies. I don't get the consternation here. What do you have for dessert, OP? Can't your kid just have a toddler size portion of that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yogurt and fruit isn't a dessert. My kid has that sometimes with dinner if they don't like the protein and/or vegetable because it's easy to prepare and relatively healthy.

My toddler will have a small portion of whatever we have for dessert. Ice cream, banana bread, sometimes cake or cookies. I don't get the consternation here. What do you have for dessert, OP? Can't your kid just have a toddler size portion of that?

We have always done the same here. Kids are 7 and 3 now.

[Anonymous]

As long as they eat enough dinner, they can eat a cookie, an ice pop, a Graham cracker, a piece of chocolate, etc. My kids eat a ton of fresh food and play outside a few hours every day so I’m not worried about daily dessert.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yogurt and fruit isn't a dessert. My kid has that sometimes with dinner if they don't like the protein and/or vegetable because it's easy to prepare and relatively healthy.

My toddler will have a small portion of whatever we have for dessert. Ice cream, banana bread, sometimes cake or cookies. I don't get the consternation here. What do you have for dessert, OP? Can't your kid just have a toddler size portion of that?

We have always done the same here. Kids are 7 and 3 now.

My assumption was that OP meant every night. Do you eat cake and cookies every night?

[Anonymous]

I’m pretty lax about sweets but we don’t do dessert. I don’t really like dessert either. I’d rather have ice cream or cake as an afternoon snack than dessert.

[Anonymous]

My toddler didn’t have dessert. Fruit and yogurt are not dessert foods in our house though, you can eat them whenever.
I think dessert started around 3-4.. might be an Oreo, small bowl of ice cream, few m&ms…..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yogurt and fruit isn't a dessert. My kid has that sometimes with dinner if they don't like the protein and/or vegetable because it's easy to prepare and relatively healthy.

My toddler will have a small portion of whatever we have for dessert. Ice cream, banana bread, sometimes cake or cookies. I don't get the consternation here. What do you have for dessert, OP? Can't your kid just have a toddler size portion of that?

We have always done the same here. Kids are 7 and 3 now.

My assumption was that OP meant every night. Do you eat cake and cookies every night?

No, not every night. But, provided they eat their dinners, I guess I don't see the harm in an oreo or a small popsicle or something similar. My 3yo has an egg allergy, so we don't do cake in our house, anyway.
I'm just not super strict about sweets. Provided the kids eat balanced meals and are active and healthy, it isn't a problem for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yogurt and fruit isn't a dessert. My kid has that sometimes with dinner if they don't like the protein and/or vegetable because it's easy to prepare and relatively healthy.

My toddler will have a small portion of whatever we have for dessert. Ice cream, banana bread, sometimes cake or cookies. I don't get the consternation here. What do you have for dessert, OP? Can't your kid just have a toddler size portion of that?

We have always done the same here. Kids are 7 and 3 now.

My assumption was that OP meant every night. Do you eat cake and cookies every night?

PP who does a wide variety of fruit based desserts, ranging from plain fruit to upside down cake. I do have dessert every night. I like the way it ends the meals and find chatting between courses a nice part of the dinner routine. I don’t think there’s anything really wrong with having cake or cookies or ice cream or whatever every night. My desserts have gotten a bit healthier in general since I’ve had kids as I have had something sweet after dessert (and often after lunch too) almost every day of my life. Sometimes it’s fruit (fresh or dried optionally with a little cheese), sometimes it’s cake or pie or pudding, sometimes it’s ice cream, sometimes it’s yogurt with maples syrup. I am (and everyone in my family is) a healthy weight and has a good relationship with food if that matters.

[Anonymous]

We probably give dessert two or three nights a week. Right now it's stone fruits, so like cut up nectarines, plums, pluots, etc. Or we'll give strawberries - cut up with shredded coconut in a bowl.

[Anonymous]

I serve fruit with every single meal - I don’t consider that a dessert at all. It’s the single best way to keep kids regular, by the way!

For both my kids (2 and 4)they get a cookie or popsicle with dinner several times a week. It is usually the first thing they eat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yogurt and fruit isn't a dessert. My kid has that sometimes with dinner if they don't like the protein and/or vegetable because it's easy to prepare and relatively healthy.

My toddler will have a small portion of whatever we have for dessert. Ice cream, banana bread, sometimes cake or cookies. I don't get the consternation here. What do you have for dessert, OP? Can't your kid just have a toddler size portion of that?

We have always done the same here. Kids are 7 and 3 now.

My assumption was that OP meant every night. Do you eat cake and cookies every night?

I'm the PP who said I just give my toddler a little of whatever we have for dessert, and that's the whole point -- no, of course we don't have cake every night. But we also don't have fruit and yogurt for dessert every night. It sounds like OP doesn't want to give her toddler sweets but does want to give her baby dessert, and I'm wondering why -- I'm guessing it's because OP and her spouse eat dessert and they want to give the toddler something as well, but for whatever reason don't think the toddler should have what they are having. But unless it's alcohol or a choking hazard, I'd just give the toddler whatever I was having.

I just find it strange that OP is looking for alternatives to fruit and yogurt, as though that's the ONLY acceptable dessert for a toddler. For toddlers, my attitude is usually: if it's good enough for me, it's good enough for you.

I'll also note that I love baking so while I don't have cake and cookies every night, we often eat them several nights a week. But when you make it yourself and know exactly what goes into it, it's pretty easy to feel okay about giving some to your kid. I'd rather give my kid a homemade cookie made with good quality ingredients than something technically lower in sugar from a store that is probably filled with processed chemicals.