h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

We did not allow our child any sugar until she was 2. this includes shugar in tined products. she now has a lot less interest in sweets etc. A good rule if you can get the grand parents to agree.

..but this means depriving a young child of Farleys Rusks. This is one of the greatest pleasures of childhood - so much so that when I had to go off solids when my wisdom teeth were removed at age 18, I was secretly delghted because I'd be on rusks and apple sauce again .

The argument goes - if you never had them you would never miss them. Also from the age of two Rusks are ok. My daughter used to like olives (strange but true).
By the way natural sugar in fruit was ok.

Because we lived on the other side of the world,my children had very little contact with their grandparents. So we have the wonderful memory of a four year old being taken to the sweetshop by Grandpa and told to choose anything he'd like."But I don't eat sweets - they're bad for you." (I think the word we're looking for here is "smug" - mind you, he was weaned on spinach and avocado, and still almost never eats dessert)

I think it should become an offical rule then. No sugar.
We must be kindred spirits (Wandrin'star) i have spent most of my adult life as a traveling water and sanition engineer / project manager. My doughter was born while is was working in Georgia (FSU)with Oxfam. With luck the people there respected our wishes about sugar. They have this idea that sugar is good for the brain. A soviet ploy to make people eat sugar from Cuba? Any way it can not be an old wives tail because refined sugar has not been aroung that long. They also still swaddle their children.