Over 40% Of Parents Give Their Children 'Treats' On A Daily Basis

Over 40 per cent of parents give their children treats including crisps, chocolates and sweets at least once a day or more, according to new research from safefood.

Among children, those aged five and under were given the most treats, with 50% getting a treat "at least once a day or more".

Dr. Cliodhna Foley-Nolan, Director, Human Health & Nutrition, safefood, said: "The stand-out disappointing result in this research is that we've seen an increase in the number of parents reporting giving food treats daily to children.

"Parents are really finding this difficult and these products are simply empty calories. Over-consumption of these treats, and there is major over-consumption, is a serious threat to our children's future health. As parents, we need to break the bad habits of giving these every day as it's now become the norm and not really a 'treat' anymore.

"One of the foundations of our campaign has been the honest and direct feedback from parents and they have told us that they consider this daily food treating as 'bribing up their kids' – they routinely give these to ease any difficult situations that arose during the day and to allow themselves a little more peace and quiet.

"However, parents also told us they are uneasy about this behaviour. Parents were also surprised to learn that crisps and biscuits fall into the treats category as these have been given as daily staples for example, after school or after dinner at home."

John Sharry, CEO Parents Plus Charity and Senior lecturer at the School of Psychology in University College Dublin, said: "It takes time and patience to break bad habits around treats and food – but the good news is it can be done. Learning to say No gently and firmly and focusing on positive healthy alternatives is the key.

"Make it a family project to become more healthy and happy – sit down with your children and plan out some positive changes you want to make together such as picking the alternative healthy treats you can have during the week."