Splenda -- Do Your Tots Eat It?

on July 11, 2009 at 7:14 AM

toddlers and artificial sweeteners Because many moms are looking to cut their toddlers' sugar load, the store shelves are filled with low- or reduced-sugar snacks. My kids love popsicles, and last week I noticed our favorite brand just came out with a "reduced sugar" version that I really wanted to try.

Good thing I looked at the lable -- the replacement ingredient was sucralose, aka Splenda. Studies have shown it's safe, but my tummy is sensitive to the artificial sweetener so I had to put the pops back in favor of the regular sugar variety.

But what is your feeling about artificial sweeteners in kids' food?

Do you use artificial sweeteners? Are they okay for adults but not for kids?

About the author Cynthia Dermody

is The Stir's Managing Editor who has trophies in her home for her skills at the Irish Jig. She makes cupcakes with as many fattening ingredients as possible, doesn't comb her hair for months at a time, and was probably a faerie in a former life.

Filed Under: food, safety

Comments (23)

Squirrell34

on Jul 11, 2009 at 9:02 AM

I get headaches with aspartame, and upset stomachs from using other sweeteners. As such, we avoid the alternative sweeteners in my family.

Rather than avoid sugary snacks altogether, we limit intake of juices, sweets, and popsicles, and make them a small treat, rather than a large part of my son's diet. We instead use a lot of fruit and veggies in the summer to keep meals light and cool.

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JPsMommy605

on Jul 11, 2009 at 9:13 AM

We don't eat a lot of sugary stuff, except for fruit. And when I do buy things like popsicles, I get the kind that are sweetened with fruit juice, not refined sugar. And when we do have something as indulgent as real candy or even ice cream, I don't see a reason to buy artifically sweetened stuff because we eat so little. Plus, I like to keep things real...and that disqualifies anything "artificial"!

rozepyle

on Jul 11, 2009 at 9:48 AM

never, and ds doesnt have a big sweet tooth, maybe because we dont give them to him.... pretty easy.... I WOULD NEVER give anyone FAKE anything, splenda is fake

LokisMama

on Jul 11, 2009 at 11:15 AM

I'd rather limit my children's intake of real sugar than subject them to those artificial sweetners. I don't know how they would react to them either, especially since my husband is allergic to saccrine. Like allergic enough that one sip or one bite of something with saccrine it is enough to put him into anaphalactic shock. My mom uses Splenda religiousally, but I can't stand the taste myself.

aurorabunny

on Jul 11, 2009 at 12:01 PM

Never ever ever! SO toxic for kids. Well for anyone really but still.

Avarah

on Jul 11, 2009 at 1:05 PM

I don't have a problem with Splenda. I don't give it to my toddler, I think that the concentration in those foods is too high for his size and it's not meant for children. I give him regular cookies periodically and he'll share a few bites of my desserts in restaurants, etc.

My older stepchildren (4 and 6) are fed diet sodas and other foods with a great deal of preservatives and sugar substitutes and other foods that I wouldn't normally give a child.

I try to make them not feel so painfully deprived at Daddy's house by giving them a reasonable balance between whole foods and some of their junkier standards. My MIL gave us sugar free pudding to give to the children, so I did, for example. I try to stick with sucralose only and try to limit it to a not every day thing.

on Jul 11, 2009 at 1:46 PM

http://www.splendaexposed.com/

amandal535

on Jul 11, 2009 at 3:38 PM

I avoid giving my chileren anything sweetened, we have begun using natural unbleached sugar in the things that have to have sugar, and substituting sugar sometimes with stevia, it's not an artificial sweetener, it comes from a plant just like sugar, it's just a different type of plant. We really like this substitute, it can get rather expensive though.

Momma.Mare

on Jul 11, 2009 at 9:03 PM

All artificial sweeteners are BAD! They are man-made chemicals. Some are used to make pesticides even! YUCK! Who wants to have that crap in thier body? We all get sick from artificial sweeteners and one of my toddlers will actually break out in hives aswell if he has any! What does that tell those of you who think it's good for you huh?

miriamz

on Jul 11, 2009 at 10:04 PM

I would not give my kids splenday. I find their commercials to be misleading and when I read about how it's made using chlorine and completely artificial I made my mind up not to give it to my kids. I personally don't like the taste. It doesn't taste like sugar to me.