Can Confectioneries Be a Component of a Healthy Diet for Children?
Alicja Kowalska
2026-03-25
5 min. read
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The subject of confectioneries in children's diets is delicate and challenging to discuss. Some parents allow sweet snacks, while others avoid them categorically. Nevertheless, in today's world, it's difficult to disregard the fact that confectioneries are prevalent and sugar is virtually omnipresent. Manufacturers are determined to create ever better treats for the youngest. How can confectioneries be reasonably incorporated into a child's diet? Is a prohibition on confectioneries a beneficial solution?
Why we have an inclination to sweets
An inclination for sweets is a trait that is present from the moment of birth. The first taste that a child learns is the sweet taste. The first food that the body receives from the mother, mother's milk, contains lactose, resulting in a slightly sweet flavor. This taste is also present in the amniotic fluid that the child drinks in the womb. This taste is associated with the mother, safety, and warmth. The body, in response to consuming products with a sweet taste, reacts with an increase in endorphin and serotonin levels (carbohydrates increase the production of serotonin, improving mood). Sweet taste is associated with safe, nutritious, and mature food, and it sometimes signals a high energy density in food products. Additionally, we associate positive emotions with sweets, which often appear during important and joyful moments in life, such as birthdays, holidays, or other occasions. They can also be a gift or a reward in a won competition. Sweets were once consumed only on special occasions and usually in the form of homemade confections.
A healthy approach to sweets
Although we have no control over the innate sweet tooth, we do have the ability to influence our own behavior. It's important to show children that sweets are just one of many types of food. They should not be viewed as forbidden products, but rather as part of a healthy diet. It's important not to use sweets as a reward, comfort, or means of reducing stress. Rewarding a child with sweets for a finished meal or good behavior can lead to unhealthy relationships with food. Instead of sweets as gifts, one can choose small gifts such as stickers, magazines, or coloring books. Birthdays should not be associated with a large amount of sweets, but rather with a beautiful game. Sweets should not be treated as a product that needs to be earned, e.g. after eating the whole meal. The rule "first the meal, then the dessert" can suggest that the dessert is something better than the meal, which can lead to unhealthy relationships with food. Better if sweets are considered part of the meal, such as a snack, served together with more nutritious products such as fruits, nuts, or cocktails.
Recommendations regarding sweets in a child's diet
It is important to remember that the aim of parents should not be to enable their child to avoid consuming sweets (which is probably impossible), but to foster a positive relationship with food, including sweets. How can this be achieved?
Avoid consistently providing sweets to children before they reach 2 years old
During the first few years of a child's life, they are particularly susceptible to the influence of their parents on what ends up on their plate. Sweets and sugar from the store should not be a regular part of the child's diet until they turn 2 years old. Of course, there is no harm in occasionally giving the child something like a piece of birthday cake. However, in the daily diet of the child, it is advisable to avoid not only white sugar but also other sweeteners such as brown sugar, xylitol, honey, and maple syrup. It is also recommended to limit so-called healthy sweets such as date bars, fruit purees, lollipops with xylitol, or fruit gummies.
Review the product labels
It is important to understand how the consumption of sugar by all family members affects their health. Sugar can often be found in yogurt, breakfast cereals, beverages, dried fruits, etc. It is recommended to replace sweetened drinks with water (adding fruits such as citrus and mint is an option) and sweet cereals with oat, lamb, or corn flakes (no one added sugar to the ingredients).
Set up exemplary patterns
It's worth contemplating one's own approach to sweet treats - do sweet treats appear in periods of sadness or stress? Children learn through copying. A child's relationship with sweet treats is fundamentally dependent on what their parents display at home. If sweet treats are used as a tool, for instance, to enhance the mood of parents, it's easy to pass on such a structure to children. In cases of disturbances in the relationship with food (e.g., sweet treats) in parents, it's advisable to first focus on rectifying this issue. For this purpose, one can avail the services of a psychological dietitian.
Avoid segregating food into allowable and non-permissible
Confections can be a component of a healthy diet, provided that one pays attention to their quantity and quality. Of course, it is important to note that less healthy products (e.g. store-bought sweets) are better consumed sporadically. However, prohibiting children from consuming confections can result in the opposite of the intended effect. Forbidden confections are the most enticing – a child may start to consume them covertly, which can lead to feelings of guilt.
Implement healthier alternatives
Prepare homemade sweets as the ideal solution to satisfy the child's need for something sweet. A great suggestion is to involve the little one in the process of preparing items such as cupcakes, cakes, oatmeal cookies, waffles, pancakes, fruit cocktails, or even ice cream. You can also offer fresh or dried fruits (such as dates, plums, figs, morels, or raisins) as a healthier alternative to sweets.
If a child receives candies as a gift, do not deprive them of it
If a child is happy about receiving a sweet gift, it is worth appreciating this situation. If one takes care of proper nutrition on a daily basis, occasional small deviations will not be a problem. One can agree with the child what portion of the sweets it can eat right away and what it can leave for later. It is also good to talk to grandparents and other people without the child present and suggest alternatives to sweet gifts. It is also advisable to check the menu at the place where the child attends. If sweets occur in the nursery or preschool, it is advisable to talk to the caregivers about it and find an alternative together. Ultimately, it is important to remember that parents have the greatest influence on their children's eating habits, so it is worth consistently adhering to the established rules. The best solution is to find a golden mean. Sweets can be an element of a healthy diet and should not be completely forbidden. Of course, an excessive amount of sweets in the menu can lead to many negative health consequences. Too much sugar can lead to, for example, overweight, obesity, and tooth decay.
