No judgment at all from me - I found a huge pile of Halloween size skittles wrappers shoved in a corner of my kid’s closet not that long ago! Some kids are just more drawn to sweets even when you do the right things.

Remember that it is NORMAL for them to love treats. Most adults do too! So it’s not about getting them to like treats less, as much as it’s about getting a better balance and preventing them from being OBSESSED with treats or unable to control themselves around treats.

The one thing that makes a huge difference is when you let go of the power struggle by not making them earn dessert and not taking it away as a punishment. Here’s what you can do!

1. Serve treats ALONGSIDE their other foods instead of making them wait until after the meal. This takes treats off the pedestal. (Sometimes they will only eat the treat. That’s ok. Make sure there’s other safe foods at the meal in case they’re still hungry.)

2. Don’t make them do anything to earn treats. They get to earn them simply by being a human. Food does not need to be used a bribe or a reward. There are other ways to influence behavior that won’t interfere with their relationship with food.

3. Avoid judgey or shaming comments about eating or wanting treats. Things like, “you want MORE?” Or “that’s way too much sugar,” or “that junk is so bad for you.”

4. Make sure they are getting enough calories and protein overall. Sometimes kids will crave sweets when they simply need more to eat!

5. Ensure good sleep. When we’re tired, we crave sugar!

6. Avoid grazing throughout the day. This is much more likely to lead to just wanting treats because they want to eat something but don’t get hungry enough for a full meal.

7. I like to find some alternatives to traditional treats that they like that are also lower in sugar and have more filling ingredients.