We already talked about not giving sugar or salt till the child is one year old. But once the baby turns one, we stop being careful about our little ones’ sugar intake. Sugar can damage their teeth, and eating too much can also make kids overweight and put them at risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease in later life. It can also cause hyperactivity or aggression in children.

According to World Health Organisation sugar should make up no more than 5% of our daily diet. It’s not the natural sugars in milk and fruit that are worrisome; it’s the sugars added to the foods and drinks.

If your little one’s overdoing the sweet stuff, here are seven ways to start cutting back.

Don’t bring junk food into your house

Stop buying and keeping junk foods from supermarkets, bakeries and restaurants like pastries, candies, cakes, chocolates, biscuits, burgers and other sugary sweets.

Keep healthy snacks within reach

Restock your bag with healthier options like – fruits,  whole-grain crackers, cheese, and rice puffs. At home you can keep these food items on the kitchen table or anywhere that’s easy for the kids to reach.

Read nutrition labels

When buying foods for toddlers, you need to turn the product around to check the Nutrition Facts label for its sugar content. Look for white sugar, brown sugar, molasses, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, honey and crystal dextrose on ingredient labels. Each of these signal the presence of added sugar.

Serve only healthy drinks

What’s not healthy? Soda cold drinks, fruity punches, energy drinks, packaged juices. Instead give them buttermilk, milk, water, fresh fruit juices, milkshakes without sugar.

Establish dessert time

The way to teach your child moderation is to allow sweets, but limit them. And the way to ensure your toddler doesn’t pester you for sweet snacks round the clock is to establish a family rule for when it’s okay to indulge — say, only after lunch.

Satisfy their sweet tooth with healthy options

Give your tot the sweet taste she craves in the form of healthier desserts, like sliced fruit with yogurt or home made granola bars. That way, they will satisfy their sweet tooth as well as their nutrition needs for growth. You can even make their favorite desserts at home with limited sugar or replacing it with natural sweeteners.