Somewhat healthy food treats?

[Anonymous]

My daughter has minor special needs and her therapist suggested that we give her food treats for doing certain things that are hard for her (various transitions, getting her hair rinsed, etc). We previously have not been giving her much sugar so I don’t want to start loading her up with candy, but the treat needs to be high enough value that she actually wants to do the hard thing to earn the treat. For example, one m and m doesn’t cut it for her. One gummy usually does but I’ve heard those things are terrible for their teeth bc they are so sticky. She loves the little cereal bars (like nutri grain but they make them for kids that are a bit smaller). Do you have other ideas for things that she will consider a real treat but that are somewhat healthy? Fruit won’t cut it because she gets that regularly. Thanks for your help!

[Anonymous]

Yogurt melts, maybe? They're mostly air but they're a but like astronaut ice cream.

[Anonymous]

Does she like peanut butter? Maybe making a little peanut butter ball with chocolate chips, I think they're called fat bombs. I eat them for nursing and they're delicious!

[Anonymous]

Op,

Using food is a slippery slope. IME therapists use picture schedules with a reward as one of the pictures. It’s usually a preferred activity.

What kind of therapist is suggesting food?

[Anonymous]

Homemade gummies with real beef gelatin, freeze dried fruit, homemade chocolate hummus.

[Anonymous]

Pocky sticks aren’t healthy, but they’re small enough, but still fun to eat. I have a friend who swears by them for potty training rewards.

[Anonymous]

What about a gummy multivitamin (depending how often the reward is needed, obviously) but some brands are dosed at 4/day and that way it is tasty but not a total loss.

Made Good choc chip granola bars are DELICIOUS and taste just like chocolate bars, and at halloween they make mini ones.

Can you use the food as next thing though, and not a reward? Like 'okay, quick lets rinse your hair so we can go take our vitamins' instead of 'oh good you let me rinse your hair, here's a treat'. So that 'next' activity is always worth finishing current activity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op,

Using food is a slippery slope. IME therapists use picture schedules with a reward as one of the pictures. It’s usually a preferred activity.

What kind of therapist is suggesting food?

THIS. Why is no one else saying this?

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t take the advice on food treats either.

My DD responds well to stickers, stick-on earrings, and dollar store plastic rings for rewards. Could be fun for your DD too.

[Anonymous]

How about one of those bite sized poptart pieces

[Anonymous]

Couple Honey nut Cheerios?

[Anonymous]

I’m curious what milestones you are working on that the therapist recommended food.

We used mini chocolate chips for potty training, but I wasn’t comfortable with it. Try puffy stickers for a sticker book

[Anonymous]

This is OP. For a reward, you have to use the child’s own currency or the reward doesn’t work. DD’s currency is sweets, tv, and toys. Large toys, not just little pieces of plastic. She doesn’t care about stickers or mini chocolate chips so those won’t work.

We aren’t working on “milestones.” As I explained in my OP, we are working on basic, everyday things that kids without SN can do without a three hour melt down, like rinse your hair. Yes, I’m fine with giving her a gummy to avoid the three hour hour screaming fit.

I feel frustrated with the way many posters on DCUM can’t just answer the question and think they know better than OP and better than the professionals. But thank you to the people who offered suggestions to this tired mama!

[Anonymous]

We use bombas (peanut butter puffs)as an incentive sometimes. They have no nutritious value but aren’t unhealthy — they are mostly air. Our child is picky though. That’s another downside to using food as an incentive— their tastes change and then it stops motivating them.

We’ve also had better luck with stickers. They are annoying (she doesn’t always want to put them in a book so often we find them stuck to furniture or have to tape them together because they tore). But it’s a very easy incentive and she never gets tired of it. We even have some bigger ones for the stuff we really want to encourage, which mixes it up a little.

[Anonymous]

Does she like nuts? You could do chocolate covered almonds. I think Diamond Brand has chocolate-dusted almonds, even better. Could do an Annie's golden graham bunny. Maybe a healthy yet tasty (banana chip? pumpkin?) mini-muffin.