Anonymous wrote:We do it most weekends as I bring something home from work. Americans already get a lot of sugar from non-dessert foods. I also worry about cavities.

And school. A day rarely goes by that kids aren’t given cupcakes, donuts, candy, or some other junk at school. The school breakfast alone is a big pile of sweets (poptarts, Cocoa Puffs, lucky charms bars, chocolate chip muffins, etc.)

We do it most weekends as I bring something home from work. Americans already get a lot of sugar from non-dessert foods. I also worry about cavities.

Anonymous wrote:The reason I'm cutting it out is because DC has learned to expect it. There is no reason to be expecting any one thing, just food.

I guess I don’t get this? It seems fine for kids to get used to (and even expect!) a consistent order and type of courses for meals. When I was growing up we just did meal and dessert every night for dinner if it was a normal day, but hors d'oeuvres/drinks, entree, salad, dessert, coffee if we were doing a holiday meal or my parents had friends coming over for dinner. It’s fun to get a sense of what foods go well together or in sequence, know what course is coming next, etc. and sets expectations for kids about sitting and conversing between courses at the dinner table.

The reason I'm cutting it out is because DC has learned to expect it. There is no reason to be expecting any one thing, just food.

I don't restrict. I tried to do a sweet dessert every other day but it was hard to remember which day was what. So now I do a small treat after dinner.

Curious if these answers would be different if your child was overweight or close to it.

Yes, my kids eat sweets everyday. We do a lot of baking.

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Some nights my kids won’t even bother with one if they don’t want it. Same way they eat Halloween candy for 1-2 nights only and then forget about the rest - when sweets are not made to be “off limits” or rare treats, kids develop the attitude they don’t have to go crazy because they can always have a popsicle cookie when they want it. This is how you help kids not build weird neuroses around food.

Sweets were not made off limits to me and my siblings, and we still went crazy for them. Sugar is addictive for many people.

There are many kids that would respond well to your strategy, but it's definitely not a one-size-fits-all kind of solution.

The kids are allowed one sweet or savory snack after dinner for "dessert."

Regular days we do a baked type good every couple days. They get enough sugar as snacks. On vacation we do ice cream walk or similar daily. My kids have teeth issues so i try to limot it a little bit.

We don’t have dessert every night, maybe 50% of the time. If there are treats in the house kids usually ask for some. Interestingly I have been in a rut with dinner and have been putting a bowl of watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple or berries on the table most nights because I don’t have the energy to assemble a complete meal. My kids have a bowl of fruit after the main meal and haven’t asked for separate dessert in a month.

Yes. Some nights my kids won’t even bother with one if they don’t want it. Same way they eat Halloween candy for 1-2 nights only and then forget about the rest - when sweets are not made to be “off limits” or rare treats, kids develop the attitude they don’t have to go crazy because they can always have a popsicle cookie when they want it. This is how you help kids not build weird neuroses around food.

Anonymous wrote:Provided they're eating healthily overall (fruits/veggies through the day), there's nothing wrong with a bit of dessert every day.

Don't listen to the crazies who impart their eating disorders and food hangups onto their kids. That's FAR more unhealthy, and likely to set their kids up for issues with food as they get older. Ask me how I know

Agree

Anonymous wrote:Dessert everyday and twice on Sundays.

Look, you get one life. As kids get older they often don't have as much of a sweet tooth, but the way taste develops means that when you're a little kid, there are few things that taste better in life than just straight sugar. Get good desserts that aren't just processed crap and let them enjoy it!

My kids enjoy some things that aren't harming their bodies.

What is a "no processed crap" that is not "straight sugar?!" Sugar is the very essence of "processed crap", removing all the nutrition from the plant before eating it.

I think you should mix it up just to make it less habit forming. Or at least switch up junky junk with naturally sweet foods like fruit salad. And keep the portion sizes small. If they are hungry enough for a lot, they should eat more healthy dinner first.