If you’ve been around All Behind A Smile long, you would likely know I follow the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle… so why would I aim for low sugar with my toddler, versus no sugar at all?
Please remember that this is a decision that every family must make for themselves; I’m simply telling you why I made this decision for our family.
Not sure what the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle is or what that even means? In short, Trim Healthy Mama is a low glycemic lifestyle. There’s so much more to say about THM and the lifestyle, but I’ll have to save that for a later date. For now, I wrote a review of the plan book, which you can read for my initial impressions, OR I also have an article on why people with mental illness should try THM, which is a great (quick) intro, too.
My Children Eat Sugar
Just like that, the confession is out. I let my toddler (and my youngest) eat some sugar, occasionally.
Even as a Trim Healthy Mama myself, knowing that sugar can be health destroying and addictive, I let my toddler eat sugar. And no, it’s not due to the guilt trip that other parents often try to impose… although that one is definitely difficult to fight off.
Very much like my reasoning for finally allowing my toddler to watch some television, occasionally – sound familiar? – I had to decided to allow some sugar into my toddler’s diet. He will be two years old in April.
Low Sugar With My Toddler
Aiming for low sugar with my toddler was harder than it sounds.
I’m an all or nothing kind of girl… which means that my mentality tends to be that way, too. But no sugar at all wasn’t practical.
With church functions, guests over multiple times per week (often bringing treats and unhealthy desserts), friends, and parties, and the list goes on, I didn’t want my toddler to be deprived from experiences (even if those experiences include some sugar).
Although experiences definitely don’t require sugar, I’d like my children to be able to decide for themselves, someday, that sugar isn’t healthy and that they prefer to live without it (or a greatly reduced amount of it). If I’m always making that decision for them, they might decide to go the entire opposite direction (unhealthy everything), or just never understand the reasoning behind it (how it makes them feel and impacts their bodies).
If you have children, especially young children, how do you regulate the sugar in their lives? Do you let them eat sugar within reason, or no sugar at all? Let me know in the comments below.
Christian, wife, “hybrid” mama, I run the site All Behind A Smile to help others like me.
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