Thoughts on Splenda and Toddlers

So I know the FDA says it's safe for everyone. I also know there have not been any real studies on long term effects. There are many reasons I don't want my child to consume Splenda.

The first is that it's part chlorine. Yuk! I don't care if some food we consume contains chlorine. Those are naturally occurring and don't worry me so much. Many people filter their water to avoid drinking chlorine. I do. Sucralose (aka Splenda) is not natural. Most people suggest using it to cut down on how much sugar your child is getting. I say, Why not just cut down on how much sugar you child is getting and not substitute it with artificial sweet things? It is our responsibility as parents to control what goes into their bodies, especially when they're toddlers. So take the power back. Put your foot down. Don't give into their whining. After about a month they'll let it go, because new better habits will have been formed. There's nothing wrong with an occasional treat, but not every day. Give them sweets in the form of fruit. Don't give them juice (except prune juice when they're constipated), give them water and you don't have to worry about all the extra sugar added to the juice.

Ok, my second reason is that toddlers NEED calories to grow. If you're giving them sucralose they aren't getting the calories they need from the sugar they would have been getting. A little bit of sugar is not going to hurt them, especially if it's organic. It's even better if it's local honey. Sucralose is actually way sweeter than sugar, so it ruins their taste buds for the more natural variations of sweet, like fruit. There are rewards to eating natural sweets, like vitamins and regular bowel movements and hydration. Sucralose does not offer any of these perks.

My last major complaint is that if you're having to use sucralose to substitute for all the sugar you would be eating, you're teaching your child REALLY BAD eating habits that they will carry into adulthood. There's no guarantee they will continue to substitute the sugar, which means they will probably still wind up diabetic. Toddlers especially need to be given nutritious, healthy, natural food that is not loaded down with sugar, salt, and preservatives. Humans learn more in the first five years of life than in the rest of their life combined. The eating habits that are established during that time will follow them throughout their lives. If you don't get them accustomed to eating crap at that point, they're less likely to want it later. The main problem here is the 'do as I say, not as I do' issue. My solution, cut back on YOUR sweets and consume the rest of them out of the child's sight. As they get older, you can teach them moderation and self-control.

So you probably think I'm some sort of Nazi now. I don't think I'm being unreasonable. BUT if you can't give up the sweets and you feel you must substitute something for the sugar, try stevia. It's a plant. It's on the market under the brand name Truvia. It's not artificial at all. It's not going to cause all the problems you hear about with the various artificial sweeteners like headaches and diarrhea.

What it really boils down to is, as parents we set examples of what is right and normal, of what is expected from our children. If we show them it's okay to eat super sugary food and drink super sugary drinks all the time, that's what they will do. Toddlers can't tell the difference between Splenda sweetened things and sugar sweetened things, they just know they're sweet. The lesson they will take away from being given Splenda sweetened food is that it is okay to consume lots of sweets, not that you shouldn't eat lots of sugar.