JFF: How Old Were Your Kids When You First Took Them Out for Ice Cream?

Let me tell you, that was one of my fooondest memories when I was a kid. Going to Carvel with my granddad. I don't remember not going. Carvel still has the same smell 30 years later, and it's my favorite place to go.

Loosen up, Ma! Look, if I were PMS'ing I'd be the first one in the ice cream line.

It is about the experience. It is ab out making memories with Daddy. I do not consider ice cream junk food. I have the greatest memories of me and my Dad having ice cream sodas at a local luncheonette. I can almost taste the ice cream now. Hope she had fun.

My daughter had cake and ice cream (all over her face and chest and SOME in her tummy) at her first birthday party.
Followed by a bubble bath, LOL

We have a darling picture of our daughter with her first real ice cream cone at just over 2 years old! Her first ice cream is not "unlimited sweets". Please just enjoy!

Ice cream is not "junk", IMO, it's a required food group...

Well I can't remember but a lot earlier than two.

Just throwing this out there, if you restrict sweets to a crazy level, two for no ice cream is kind of crazy, your child will crave the forbidden fruit. have you considered moderation?

I left my kids have ice cream and sweets regularly. The two that are adults are very healthy and quite slim. Apparently letting them have treats doesn't ruin them for life.

I guess I am trying to figure out how one time equals unlimited sweets and junk.

Both my girls tried ice cream for their first birthday.

Unlimited sweets at this age is inappropriate but in small quantities it's fine. My kids went for their first ice cream about 2 but that's only because we just doin't eat it very often. Maybe once a year. They also get a dessert probably twice a week if they have kept their rooms clean and eaten dinner. As a treat every now and then I don't see a problem with giving them sweets.

She's already two and hasn't had her first ice cream? Wow. I took them each shortly after they turned a year old. It was a big milestone. Of course, we don't make a big deal out of going out for ice cream any more since my middle daughter is lactose intolerant and we get her a tub of lactose-free ice cream for home. We make a big deal out of picking out flavors/toppings and making our own bowls at home instead.

First birthday, scoop of vanilla at one of our favorite restaurants. She also had her first bite of cake at her birthday party that week. She is now 13, eats incredibly well, very healthy and hates candy and most dessert type stuff. She will enjoy the occasional ice cream, cupcake or peice of pure chocolate and that's it, no other sugary treats at all.
My second born was raise the same way and eats very well too but she's got a sweetie tooth like no other. I don't think when they enjoy their first treat has a thing to do with what their tastes will be like later. As long as most of what gets in there is good stuff, I say, let them eat cake!

They were probably younger than that. Smile, your hubby wants to bond with her. That is a great thing!

I don;t push the sweets with my kids, but they had ice cream on their first birthday. I don't buy junk food and my kids eat their fruits and veggies just fine. :-)

Ah, live a little! Our daughter had ice cream for the first time at her one year bday party. We don't do tons of sweets, either, but I always have ice cream in the house. Alden's Organic, my absolute fav ;) Ice cream and summer were made for one another! (if it makes you feel any better, frozen yogurt is also delish and perhaps a bit healthier. PLUS, you get toppings!)

Mine got their first ice cream at their !st yr old bday.

It's actually a great idea and I have just started doing that myself!
I have found that if I bring treats home (cookies, ice cream, donuts) the kids are out of control and gobble them up within a day or two (my kids are 13, 16 and 19.)
So we go OUT for these treats. Going out for ice cream is fun and sociable and a whole lot more special because we don't do it all the time. Same goes for things like french fries and fried chicken, we have it sometimes, but rarely at home :)

Haven't 'taken her out' yet...maybe not until 3, but if it counts, she had her first lick off my coffee flavor ice-cream at 7 months. Shoot me!

I don't remember. Maybe at her first birthday? Even now, ice cream or sorbet or whatever is a nice treat. She gets one of those tiny little cups they sell at the store for a dollar or the smallest kid cone at Baskin Robins. It is a rare month she has more than one. I don't see it as pushing sweets. It's just a treat and if it's just now and then, it will remain special.

My youngest was 10months old. We were standing in line for Santa and I had an oberweis peppermint shake. She was a little fussy so I let her lick the straw, her face was priceless. It was a moment, one that showed true pleasure. Now I don't think treats should be a daily thing, even a weekly thing. But the occasional Childs scoop of quality ice cream or a piece of quality chocolate. Teaching your children that quality and tasteshould come above quantity. So instead of giving in alot save up and go as a family to a decent ice creamshop order carefully and take time to eat, enjoy each other and create a memory...not just another trough session. The memory should not be the ice cream but that the whole family went and took time with each other. Perhaps include a park on the way home or a family walk. All things moderation, not all or nothing.

Actually my son had ice cream - peach gelato - at 6 months - you should have seen his eyes light up. We shared until he was probably 3. He had his first cone at maybe 4. We have never done toppings or candy in the ice cream. He did not have cake until he was probably 3-1/2 and only because of the MIL. He did not have candy until he was 4-1/2-5 and still has never tried soda or been to a fast food restaurant. We keep no cookies, candy or junk food in the house. He is 6-1/2.

I am completely NOT on the moderation bandwagon. Candy and fast food is junk in my mind. Bad for us, bad for the environment, so we simply don't do it at home - or out as a family. DS will eat cake sometimes at birthday parties - he is just as likely to decide he doesn't like it. When he brings home candy in a goody bag (HATE those bags of garbage) then if there is anything left after we throw out all things made in China, he can keep two pieces of candy. But somehow ice cream seems a little different (perhaps it has some nutritional value:).

We took them when we went. They had ice cream after they transitioned to whole milk. So at a year old. They did not, of course, have their own but had bites of everyone's. I don't think ice cream is all bad, sure it has sugar in it but it's a treat not an every day meal or even every day dessert.

My son is 3.5. I think we took our official first trip to the ice cream parlor when he was two but he didn't get his own :) He has ice cream at home/friend's house on occasion.

It's bound to end soon, but he still thinks the neighborhood ice cream truck is The Music Truck that just drives around the neighborhood playing music for everyone. Evil? Maybe, but full disclosure - I got the idea from this site a few years back :)

My mom took my daughter when she just turned 2. My son lucked out and got his first ice cream around 12 months ;-)

Our family tradition is that around age 1 my dad takes the child out for their first ice cream at Dairy Queen. We all go and it is a fun time.

they all had icecream for the first time on their first birthday.

We buy a gallon of ice cream once a month... when it's gone it's gone. Everyone only gets it at the same time as a family treat after supper. With 7 of us, it doesn't last very long.. 3, maybe 4 times a month tops. So about once a week. but obviously the younger they are the smaller the portion they get.

This isn't unlimited sweets or junk... its her first time and she is two. I think you are doing great at keeping the sweets and junk away. A treat here and there never hurts anyone.. even a two year old.

With my first...she was 4. Needless to say, it's gone down since then :). We absolutely adore the 25 cent cones at mcdonalds. Our almost 2 year old hasn't really had a 'real' ice cream cone...but he has had one of those mini ones...it's the perfect size for all of ours :).

I agree with you...our oldest is an extremely healthy eater...in part because she just wasn't exposed to it. We just did a lot of smoothies, homemade popsicles, etc. That being said...like a few people have mentioned...one of my favorite memories was when I was 8-ish and we spent almost every saturday working on our orchard...on the way home we'd swing into dairy queen and get a cone for 55 cents. Even now, when I think of slaving away in the hot sun all day digging, fertilizing, mowing...whatever...there's got to be ice cream or popsicles!

In my opinion...I think having an ice cream cone every so often is way better than having a sucker or a candy bar all the time...I'm kind of having issues with the fact that my 4 year old gets off the bus constantly with a sucker...and my 2 elementary age kids are constantly bringing candy home from school :p.

i think my son was around 3...and he's 5 3/4 now and he's only been i think 3x. today was time # 3....after getting FOUR shots at the dr and being VERY brave. and i still got him a "mini" sundae lol. but it just seemed appropriate after such a taxing afternoon.....

the problem is that unless you buy your own ice cream for home and make it yourself (somehow not the same), buying an "ice cream sundae" somewhere, is usually about 5 lbs of ice cream! they're HUGE!!! and splitting one (we have done that) also just isn't the same...

(ok i was going off the title, as in "taking them OUT for ice cream" - as far as EATING ice cream, we are regulars. but you can monitor the serving size MUCH easier at home! and in moderation, i have no problem with sweets....)

I'm pretty sure my guys each had their own ice cream cone by the age of one, but they had the occasional lick from our ice cream before that. Going out for ice cream in the summer time is not even close to having unlimited sweets. Unless you are rich, the average family can't afford to go out for ice cream too often. If you bought a giant bucket of cheap ice cream and gave it to him with each meal that would be a different story! Everything in moderation.

Happy Summer! Hope you and hubby and darling daughter have FUN!
I dont remember, I guess when ever we celebrated someone's birthday they had ice cream, whatever the age...

Mine were 5 and 6 years old their first trip to have ice cream. Of course they had ice cream at home but nothing like Baskin Robins. I think it's more the adventure. They both were students of the month the same month. Just have fun!

Shoot. Before he was 18 months old I'd take him to the local ice cream shop whenever Dad was out late working. I'd get the ice cream and he'd get the topping (m&ms normally).

His first ever actual ice cream cone? I think he was about 2 yrs old. It's such a rare occasion to go out for ice cream, I don't worry about it. But he is a sweet-fiend. It took him 30 or 40 minutes to eat his hamburger today. But about 3 minutes to devour the cookie at the end.