Parenting Expert Advises on Setting Rules for Children's Candy Consumption
Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba
Parenting instructor Nava Rosenfeld advises parents on establishing clear rules for children's candy consumption, recommending against using sweets as rewards. She highlights research linking food rewards to overeating and suggests prioritizing other comfort methods over food-based soothing. Rosenfeld also educates on hidden sugars in various food items, distinguishing between free sugars and those in whole fruits, to help parents manage their children's intake effectively.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Parenting instructor Nava Rosenfeld advises setting clear, pre-determined rules for children's candy consumption.
- Experts recommend avoiding the use of sweets as rewards for good behavior.
- Food should not be the primary method for soothing children's distress.
- Sugar content in drinks and processed foods should be monitored alongside obvious sweets.
- Whole fruits are a healthier alternative as they do not contain 'free sugars'.
A parenting instructor, Nava Rosenfeld, offers guidance on managing candy in households with children, emphasizing the importance of pre-established rules rather than ad-hoc decisions. She recounts a common scenario where parents of a 5-year-old girl received a bag of sweets from a birthday party and debated when and how much she could eat, ultimately storing it in a kitchen drawer with the promise of candy after dinner if she ate well. The child's repeated inquiries about the drawer highlighted the need for clear guidelines.
Rosenfeld advises against using food, particularly sweets, as a reward for good behavior, citing research from 2022 suggesting a link between parental use of food as a reward and increased overeating tendencies in children. She stresses that even seemingly benign conditions like "if you eat nicely" turn candy into a prize and the meal into a price, encouraging parents to offer treats without demanding that children finish their main course first. The expert also cautions against using food to soothe children, suggesting that while occasional treats after a difficult day are acceptable, they should not become a default response to distress, and other forms of comfort like listening or hugs should be prioritized.
Clear rules can reduce negotiation, even if requests persist. Special occasions like birthday parties should be incorporated into the pre-explained rules, and there's no obligation to offer treats daily or at a specific time. Rosenfeld also points out that sugar intake extends beyond obvious sweets, noting that "free sugars" recommended for reduction by the World Health Organization include those added to food and drinks, as well as sugars in honey, syrups, and fruit juices, but not in whole fruits. For context, she provides examples of sugar content in common items like juice concentrate, lollipops, and breakfast cereals.