Your baby is the kind of kids who will only drink milk if there’s chocolate syrup in it and uses french fries as carriers for ketchup? Sweet things are all he wants to eat and you can’t handle the situation anymore? This is what we call the Sweet Tooth!
Studies have shown than a child’s preference for foods and tastes begins in the womb and gets reinforced by the foods consumed by the mother during breastfeeding; this is why it is important for you to have a healthy diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding. But you should also know that babies who are given sweet things to eat or drink are more likely to get a taste for sweet foods than babies who are not! This means that parents are the ones who develop the Sweet Tooth in their baby!
Why having a Sweet Tooth is dangerous?
Eating foods containing big amounts of sugar can cause your baby serious problems:
It can rot his tiny teeth and lead to fillings and even lost teeth.
It can put him at a higher risk of becoming overweight or obese which can lead to dangerous diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and even cancer.
It will develop in your kid the habit of pestering and crying for sugary things, which makes it difficult to say NO for your child.
You should know that the best way to handle the Sweet Tooth problem is to prevent it! It is way easier to make your baby get used to healthy food from his early age than changing what he eats later! Substitute chocolate bars, sweets, biscuits, cakes, pastries, ice cream and sugared popcorn, with canned, baked and fresh fruit, unsweetened yoghurt, rice pudding, bagels and bread sticks. This way, your child will be eating sweets that are both tasty and healthy!
Remember; sugar is important for your baby’s development, but too much of it is harmful! Control your baby’s nutrition from his very little age and you will easily protect him from having a Sweet Tooth!