is 16 months too young for a chocolate chip cookie?

Question

My daycare provider semi-sucks. She lets the kids have mini chocolate chip cookies. I am freaking out for nothing? I just think she doesnt give the kids good quality food at such a young age. They don't have homemade breakfasts, ever - just like frozen pancakes or waffles or whatever...and they eat their snacks standing up. Anyways, long story, question is, am i being too cautious or what is normal for this age...? Thanks

Answer 1

i have give my 10 month old those japanese manna baby cookies, sometimes i give her some of those danish butter cookies... never chocolate chip though... well, i guess as long as it isn't everyday.. once in a while shouldn't hurt.

and your day care provider, if i notice thats all my kid's eating, let alone standing up while eating it, i'm gonna find a new day care.. STAT!

Answer 2

I let my daughter have cookies when she was a baby but not every day. I think I would look into finding another daycare or somehow make some recommendations, such as: adding fresh fruit to the breakfast menu, healthy whole-grain cookies (without chocolate) for everyday and maybe only chocolate chip cookies on Friday's only, little tables and chairs for the kids (maybe a donation by all the parents could make this happen). I would say you're a little cautious, but my daughter was never in daycare and if she was being fed things everyday that I didn't agree with I guess I would be frustrated too.

Answer 3

My daughter had her first bit of a homemade chocolate chip cookie at 12mths I think, just a little bite. I made it with less sugar and butter than the recipe calls for to make me feel slightly less guilty about it, but the look on her face when she ate it said enough for me! Used sparingly, cookies and other sweets are fine even for young children. Certainly not everyday, only as treats.

Snacks should be eaten sitting down. My daycare usually provides morning tea as they call it (although the children get milk or water, not tea, and fruit), a healthy lunch, then afternoon snack of something yummy like a pastry and a small glass of milk. I've dropped her off during tea time, and the kids are so cute sitting around the table eating their morning snack.

If you arent happy with your daycare provider, can you find another one nearby? It's just about impossible to find vacancies where I live, and I guess I'm lucky I found one that I really like. If you're unhappy, try finding somewhere else. I do however think the occasional cookie is no big deal for a 16mth old.

Answer 4

Pretty much 24/7, so yes, you're right. What I want to know is who bought the chocolate chip cookies. If I'd chosen my breakfast as a child, those wouldn't have been among the choices. It would have been eggs: choice of over-easy, well-done, poached, boiled, etc. Toast: Whole wheat or white. Juice: orange, apricot nectar, tomato, or prune juice. Cold milk or hot chocolate. Today it might be different: Could be whole grain frozen waffles with syrup & cooked apples with dates & sliced almonds on top, or it could be a cheese omelet, a boiled egg, or maybe just whole grain toast & honey with choice of hot milk or fruit juice. Expensive boxed cold cereal would not be an option, except as a rare afternoon snack. Ditto for chocolate chip cookies. Just as those cookies were not among the choices for me, I can't figure out why your child can choose them. In such a case, it's my opinion that your husband is right, but you should discuss it privately, when the children are asleep or not around, with a counselor present as referee if necessary. It's absolutely unacceptable for him to attack & criticize your parenting skills when the kids are present. You must present a unified front in front of the kids, regardless of your policy. Maybe you could take a low cost couples class through community college or church. Seems like a good skill to learn how to discuss this type of thing. Ditto for parenting skills. If it's a 24/7 job, you deserve to learn some parenting techniques & especially, to get some sympathy from other parents. I'm sure you're not alone. Every parent needs to reach some sort of policies for the kids, so every little thing like this won't be an argument. It's hard enough to be a couple & to raise kids without issues like chocolate chip cookies coming up all the time. (And yes, I do think the kids could have some once in awhile without great harm. So in that since you are right. It's just a matter of policy for how often & when.)

Answer 5

if you don't like what she is doing put your child in another daycare.
BTW I think your making a big deal out of nothing as my daughter had her first chocolate chip cookie at around age 1 year. She had chocolate for the first time when she was 11 months old.

Answer 6

I would talk to the day care and send healthy snacks with your child. CHILDREN DO NOT NEED JUNK FOOD! all that does is get them hooked and sooner or later they will refuse to eat heathy food at all they will only want junk food. maybe you can talk with the other parents and see if you all could set up a healthy eating plan for the children and also kids love to learn now is a good time to teach the kids how important portion control is and what healthy food is and what it does and what unhealthy food can do to you. and also eating a snack standing up is a choking hazard you should try realy talk to this daycare and have them checked out. they need to sit down and focus on chewing so they dont choke..... i hope that your chilod stays safe... good luck and express how you feel. you could always call social services and ask them for a list of low cost day cares

Answer 7

My son is 18 months old and he pretty much eats everything that we eat. If we have chocolate chip cookies in the house I will give him one. I can't see a problem with it but it is your child and if you dont want him or her having something then you need to speak to the provider.

Answer 8

My little sister started eating chocolate chip cookies when she was 6 months and she loved them.

Answer 9

Chocolate isn't real good for that age.. I think that I would talk to the day care about it.. .. or maybe start looking for a new one! They don't sound like they make very good healthy choices with the kids.

Answer 10

It's up to you whether you want her to eat them or not. My baby girl was eating chocolate bikkies from about 6 months & milky ways. Personally, I don't think it's a problem. My little girl eats everything her 4 year old brother does, she's 12 months old.