Sugar in Baby’s Diet

Not too much sugar for my baby

Sugar and you, it’s a long story that started from the first moments of your life, in your mama’s bellynot. Of course, you don’t have the slightest memory of it, but you might as well say that the chocolate you love today, the pleasure of biting into a very ripe fruit, it comes from afar … From the 4th month of pregnancy, the fetus has an overdeveloped sensory potential, her mouth lined with small taste buds and alert taste buds. When, according to the maternal diet, the amniotic fluid becomes impregnated with a sweet, sweet and pleasant taste, it can be observed sucking, swallowing and manifesting obvious pleasure.

Naturally sweet foods: which ones to choose?

You choose, according to your tastes and family traditions, what naturally sweet food you will offer your baby for a first encounter with the spoon. In compotes or purees, you will be able to make him discover a whole range of sweet flavors : pears, carrots, quinces, citrus fruits, sweet potatoes. Do not add sugar, that of the fruits is enough! Once the basic flavors have been assimilated, all the little pleasures of life will remain to be discovered over the course of the meals. For dessert, start with plain dairy products (whole milk yoghurts and Petits-Suisses), which you do not systematically sweeten to let Baby love a simple and natural taste. It’s only us who find it too acidic!

From time to time, offer him a little honey or jam in his natural yogurt, half a glass of squeezed fruit juice (100% pure juice), then mixed with milk in milkshake mode or crushed, and finally whole to chew with full teeth (or full gums!) when the time is right. . Up to 18 months-2 years old, take the opportunity to introduce them to as many flavors as possible: your child would eat almost everything with his eyes closed. After that, he will assert his tastes and disgusts more, and sometimes show a desire to decide for himself what he wants to eat or not.

What sweet pleasures can you give your baby?

Side cakes, prefer simple and low-sugar cookies, avoiding pastries and pastries. At the end of meals, from time to time, offer him a small fruit swiss or a vanilla yogurt without it being a habit, to keep the pleasure of the discovery and continue to favor the intake of breast milk or 2nd age milk after 6 months. A little later, serve custard, cream, rice pudding or sweet semolina to Baby, without overdoing it. Chocolate, on the other hand, is a more noble food, made from cocoa paste and butter mixed with sugar. For pleasure, give your loupiot a taste of a very good quality square, dark and with a high cocoa content because it will be less sweet and stronger in taste.

Why limit the intake of rapid sugars in your child?

Because the sugars naturally present in your baby’s diet (milk, vegetables, fruits, cereals) are sufficient to meet his nutritional needs. Sweets and cakes are just bonuses, sometimes too much. So know how to be firm: increased consumption of sweets, snacks or sweet baby bottles between meals, these are bad habits taken for the rest of your life! Without demonizing the sweet, we limit the quantities, we do not leave the package lying around on the table, and we set an example. Also, loaded with sugar and additives but exhilarating for the taste buds, sweets must therefore remain a food-pleasure for the child to discover. as late as possible (not before 2 years), and to taste preferably after the meal so as not to suppress the appetite. At a party, offer it on par with fruits such as strawberries or raspberries. We always choose soft candies, to suck while remaining seated to avoid any risk of suffocation.

Desserts and sweets: how to dose?

Stop blackmail with your child!

Stop asking your kids what they want to eat. It’s up to you to control their menus and (reasonable) variations, juggling their tastes and the right balance of their plate. Get them used to a natural diet so that they know the pleasure of a dessert or an occasional candy. This is the best way to teach them to savor things and to become greedy, even gourmets. For food as for every moment of daily life, a child needs limits allowing him to find his bearings. To avoid making sweets sacred, be careful not to associate them with punishments and rewards. If sweets and cakes are not prohibited but simply limited, we allow them on feast days so that the children will know how to appreciate them later, in moderation, without having the temptation to devour the package frantically. And then we get into the habit of brushing our teeth after meals (and not just after candy) to protect the pretty new quenottes from the harmful effects of sugar.