Advent calendars gone awol

Fellowfeelings8
Having witnessed small children in pushchairs or even toddling alongside a parent with a packet of some sugary item in its hand or a drink with a straw I can only think that this is done to keep the child quiet while mum goes about doing what she wants to do.
This is the child that will have dental issues not the advent one a day chocolate.
Good parenting is not denying a child a sweet/chocolate but taking advice from a dentist on how you can prevent your child from early tooth decay and children should be taught as early as possible how to brush their teeth.I do not believe a dentist would discourage a parent from forbidding a child a sweet as all this will do is make the child at the first opportunity go behind the parents back.
Moderation and teaching how too much sugar causes decay / toothache and making sure the child knows how to care for his /her teeth as early as possible..

my daughter is not keen on giving the children sweeties/chocolates on a daily basis so I made my DGD's a special advent doll and filled the pockets with different treats such as hair bobbles, clips, erasers, sometimes a coin of varying value, sometimes they were given a piece of paper which entitled them to a dip in the lucky bag for things such as pencils etc that were too big for the pockets and the odd pocket had chocolate coins. I had a lot of pleasure making the dolls and I like to think that they get pleasure of looking for the treats!

Always buy a good advent calendar per family (the now defunct Phoenix ones were favourite) never buy chocolate ones and never had, or wanted, them for my own children either.
Children learn to negotiate and take turns and probably get ones from other members of the family or friends anyway, so it's not just one choc a day!

Stopping the children having choccy advent calendars reminds me of when my DDs school form did their French exchange visit. When the French school children came here, we were told that most French households didn't believe in buying sweet and chocolate snacks for their kids. So what happened was the "sweet deprived" French children were all spending their pocket money buying packs of Kit Kats and other sweet snacks and gorging on them.

If anyone is looking for a traditional Advent calendar please go to a Cards For Good Causes card shop - pop-up shops - there are lots of designs including religious ones
You will also find smaller Advent calendar cards which are cheaper to post.

You can buy calendars telling the Christmas story - I think they’re called Real Advent Calendars but don’t quote me - with Fair Trade chocolate from organisations like Traidcraft or Oxfam.
I agree with Sarah, it’s the sticky sweets and sugary drinks that do more damage than a piece of chocolate.

When our children were young we made an Advent calendar from a jigsaw. First DH and I made it (500 piece Noah’s ark), then divided up into 25 small sections. We put the pieces into numbered boxes, and children took it in turns to open one and do a mini-jigsaw each day. Took longer than eating a chocolate! By Christmas they had the whole picture.

Sorry Mobrown but why didn't you ask DD why she didn't give them to the children?

Why didn't you ask your DD where the Advent Calendars were, at the time, instead of asking your GD?

I always buy the traditional non-chocolate advent calendars for my grandchildren, bought mine in WH Smith.

Why don't you ask your DD this year if she is OK with you giving the GC a chocolate Advent calendar ?
There's still plenty of time and it might solve the mystery from last year ?

Why is it OK to start the day with chocolate just because it’s Christmas? And is that really the point of an advent calendar?

Not my experience of French school children smithy

Not sure of the ages of your grandchildren,could your DD think they are to old for them.

Never too old for an advent countdown although I tend to have a candle now!

Never gave my children chocolate advent calendars, nor do give grandchildren them. They still have advent calendars though in their late forties now, but always a traditional one. Never chocolate.

I always send the GC the jacqui lawson online calendar. It is lots of fun with activities for each day.

Clintons card shop in my local town DO have non-choc advent calendars, but I only know about them because I asked if they had any. it turned out they had them behind the counter, sort of hidden away, a bit like cigarettes or some kind of illicit literature! They only had 3 designs - all Ok, and price OK at £3:50, but I bet they sell very few because they are not put out, so I'd be surprised if they have any next year.

Well that’s me told. I did say that my grandchildren have teeth that cause the dentist to comment on their good condition. They also brush their teeth under supervision twice daily. I am however quite willing to accept the telling off!

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Smithy I remember that when DS returned from a French school trip with his French counterpart the mother of the family had sent them back with a baguette each filled with dark chocolate. DS hadn't eaten his.

I do think that children who are deprived of something, eg sweets, for no particular dietary reason often go mad when given an opportunity to have some and will gorge on them, whereas children who are allowed a reasonable amount occasionally will eat them sensibly.

Personally I believe buying advent calenders is the parents privelledge.

My parents always bought calenders for us and we do so for our children, my grandparents never bought us calenders rightly so, wouldnt dream of buying my grandson one, his mum enjoys doing that as I do for my children

I buy picture-only Advent Calendars - preferably trad, scenes with glitter! I saw quite a few in Smiths the other day, John Lewis also had plenty in their Christmas dept.

Since we never had Advent calendars at all when I was a child, I thought dds were lucky to have one at all, but they did sometimes feel deprived not to have the choc ones. Tough! It wasn't as if they never had chocolate anyway.

Even after Christmas last year, little Gdcs enjoyed playing with their calendar, opening and closing the little windows.

M&S have some nice nativity scenes advent calendars ( with small chocs behind the doors) for £2.50.
I buy for all the DGC as their parents are happy for them to have more than one advent calendar.
As I wrote on here last year, always best to check with the parents first though.

Can’t you ask the mum if it’s acceptable or not? Why all the tip toing
My children buy their own children advent calendars I had my turn with my children
As for buying pets one never heard anything so daft sorry don’t want to offend but .....