Feeding Sugar to Babies 

Although sugar has a very bad reputation, it is still essential for your baby’s diet, just as much as fats or proteins. Sugar remains an indispensable source of energy for your baby’s body. So should you really be feeding sugar to babies?

 

Different types of sugars occur naturally in foods such as lactose in milk or fructose in fruits. The standard white or brown table sugar is sucrose. Sugar gives the body an immediate energy, kids love it and they shouldn’t be deprived of it but beware of overdoing it- You gotta be careful when you serve them sugar..

Baby’s preference for sweet things is by birth. Studies show that even in the womb, babies are already enjoying sugar. Therefore , to make the baby with little appetite eat, some mothers tend to offer them more sweet than savory- a natural attitude against which pediatricians and nutritionists are.

Sweetening the baby’s meal is fine, but it has to be done in moderation. Baked fruit or slightly sweet desserts are OK to give the baby. Brown or white sugar makes no difference and you are better off choosing dairy products, juices or compotes without the added sugar.

In the short term, excess sweet foods can cause an unbalanced diet. Indeed, sugary meals may be consumed at the expense of meat or vegetables that provide proteins and fats necessary for the growth of the baby.

 

Beware of excess sugar: The more you feed sugar to babies, the more they are going to love sweets. There is not much added benefit of adding sugar to foods and some experts do think that excess sugar in infancy may lead to childhood and adult obesity.

Having said that it is important not to ban sweets.. Biscuits, chocolates and fruit juices are a part of children’s diet but when sugary things are consumed between meals as snacks, they become problematic. The main risk is tooth decays, even in babies who do not yet have teeth. Thus, you must definitely avoid giving a bottle of sweetened water or milk to help baby fall asleep. In addition, snacking between meals, sweet or not, without a doubt increases the risk of obesity.

Candies and other sweets can certainly be given to children on special occasions. Do be careful though, everything should be in moderation. This must not become an emotional or educational matter. Sugar should not be a form of reward or part of some bargain with your children.

Sugar is already naturally present in almost all foods. Whether it is quick or slow sugar, it brings your babies immediately usable energy for their bodies. They love it and should not be deprived of it but definitely no need for them to get used to it too soon. Give them slightly sweetened yogurt or applesauce than a bar of chocolate or a sugary snack.

 

The biggest risk with feeding sugar to babies is not really because your baby will become overweight or obese. The risk is rather that if your baby refuses to eat simple natural yogurt or fruit compotes if you give them chocolate powdered yogurt or to drink water if he drinks orange juice too often. You shouldn’t be giving him / her poor eating habits from such an early age..

Return from Feeding Sugar to Babies to Glycemic Index home page

Or back to Healthy Eating for Children