No Sugar For You!

We are experimenting with Tad. Nothing too drastic, mind you. We’ve just cut out treats and excess sugar in a big way in the last week.

This all came about during Tad’s most recent parent-teacher conference. His teachers wanted to know if he had been eating a better breakfast recently, since his behavior had improved at school. I had to confess that no, Tad had actually been refusing breakfast. He would drink his milk, eat his vitamin, and totally ignore his cereal. If we left it on the table, he’d eat it after school as a snack (we only give him dry cereal), but otherwise, he was sitting out breakfast.

After a brainstorming session with Grandma, the Webmaster and I decided to see what would happen if we put Tad on a reduced-sugar diet. There’s no way that we can cut it out entirely, especially with Tad’s love of peanut butter. But the breakfast cereals are out the window. And with Tad’s continued improving speech skills, he can tell us exactly what he wants for breakfast.

He wants peanut butter and jelly bagels.

I buy mini bagels in bulk at Costco. In the morning, I pull one out of the fridge, maybe zap it slightly in the microwave, put a thin swipe of peanut butter on one side and an even thinner scrape of all-fruit jam (no extra sugar) on the other, and hand it to him on a plate with his milk and vitamin. And he will almost always eat it all.

I’d like to be able to report that his behavior has improved dramatically. But, I’m not sure. It’s really too soon to tell. At any rate, less sugar certainly isn’t bad for him, and since we’re not using sugar substitutes, he’s really just eating healthier. And at least he’s going to school with a tummy full of more complex carbs and protein.

With all of the Girl Scout cookies gone, and with no visible treats around, he’s not even asking for anything extra. However, with Tad on this diet, it’s necessitated that we all abstain from treats when he’s around. This has been hard for Ane, who can’t seem to wrap her mind around the fact that this is an experiment, not a punishment, so she’s not getting anything extra, either.

I think we’ll introduce some treats back sparingly (Easter is coming, after all), but I think we’ll have to stick with the no-sugar breakfast at a minimum for a while. Which means I will probably have to eat that cereal myself. Tad wants the LEGO racer in the bottom of the box. Just because he can’t eat the cereal doesn’t mean that he doesn’t want the toy.

I would also like to mention that TODAY is my 4 year blogoversary! I can hardly believe that this blog is older than Tad. Thanks to all my readers, and to the Webmaster, who got me set up and keeps this place running properly.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 at 2:35 am and is filed under Announcements, Children, School Days.
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