What is your family dessert policy?

[Anonymous]

I could've sworn that I've seen articles pop up about this on the Internet, but I don't remember where. What is your family dessert policy? Do kids need to eat a significant amount of their dinner in order to get dessert? Or is it something you have sometimes, once in a while, regardless of whether someone ate their dinner?

[Anonymous]

We just don't do dessert. Fruit is part of the dinner.

[Anonymous]

Never? You *never* have dessert?

[Anonymous]

You must eat every bite of your dinner then you get the desert of your choosing. As long as we have it stocked of course.

[Anonymous]

We don't have a policy. I usually let my kids have desert (cookies, ice cream or whatever we have around the house), unless they didn't eat dinner. if they've already had too many sweet things that day, then I say not tonight.

[Anonymous]

I find that if I have sweets in the house it is a problem for everyone. Not just the kids. So we never serve dessert in the house. We sometimes go out for ice cream or to the convenience store for a chocolate bar but we will announce that ahead of time and going wont be contingent on how much people ate for dinner. However we do have a rule that the kids eat what is for dinner or they can make themselves a PB&J sandwich but that is it. There is no snack before bed so better eat dinner.

[Anonymous]

Kid (7 YO) gets 3 desserts/week on nights of her choosing.

She can only have dessert after dinner, and only if she's eaten a balanced meal.

Works well for us.

[Anonymous]

They have to eat a reasonable amount of their dinner to get dessert. We eat dessert most of the time. If my kids were overweight, I might have a different policy.

[Anonymous]

Desserts on special occasions only. Not part of our normal dinner routine.

[Anonymous]

We don't do dessert except for on rare occasion at home. We eat desserts at restaurants sometimes (most of the time we don't) and for special occasions. We just don't keep them in the house. My kids get treats at birthday parties or the occasional ice cream on a weekend. Sometimes when I'm getting my Starbucks Coffee I'll get them a cookie.

[Anonymous]

My kids can eat dessert any time they want.

I leave candy around house (truffles, jelly bean machine, m&m in a candy dish) all the time and the candy just sits there, because it doesn't become thing.

My MIL bakes cookies and we have to give them away to heighbors so she feels like we ate them... And they are good (she is a chef).

I get some kids have eating issues, but if you child is healthy, I wouldn't make a big deal out of candy and dessert.

[Anonymous]

We let kids have dessert if they've eaten a reasonably nutritious dinner. Dessert is usually cookies or ice cream. DH feels cheated if we don't order dessert at a restaurant, whereas I feel dessert should be an occasional thing. We try to compromise.

[Anonymous]

Generally they can have a small dessert everyday. It is not tied to finishing their meal, but if they are eating poorly we probably won't offer it that night.

Unless there is a special occasion desserts are typically small and contain real ingredients only (butter is real, mono dexto whatever is not). Until they reached school age, no food coloring ever.

[Anonymous]

we usually have dessert every day at dinner - something ive baked/made and its typically whole grain/low sugar and semi healthy. (like choc chip banana bread, or cinnamon rolls etc.) As long as DD 4 eats a reasonable amount then she can have dessert. I dont make it a bribe though.

[Anonymous]

We have dessert night once a week, on Wednesdays, when they can have dessert regardless of how much they eat. Neither of my kids are big dinner eaters, and we'd had too many battles about eating a certain quantity or variety.

Other nights, often weekends, outings, etc, (maybe 1x per week) the rule is they have to eat at least half of what they are served to get dinner, because it's not dessert night. That happens maybe once a week, and they earn it about 75% of the time. We are pretty lenient about the actual qty so both sibs get dessert; we rarely give it to one but not the other (and if that does happen we split them up so its not rubbed in).

I have no issue saying no to either grandma if they ask me if they can serve dessert (at least they've learned to ask first!) and I don't want my kids to get it that night.

No issues with cake at birthday parties.