The butter trolley for children is questioned – doctors warns

Small clicks butter on a spoon promises better nights – according to a new trend on social media.
Now the criticism is growing from a medical point of view.
– Children are not created to sleep all night, says pediatrician Kajsa Kaijser.

The trend, which has spread in social channels, is to give children a click of butter before bedtime to increase saturation and stabilize blood sugar. But Kajsa Kaijser, pediatrician at Astrid Lindgren’s children’s hospital at Karolinska University Hospital, warns of the method and believes that the children’s needs are more complex than that.

Fat and saturation – a certain truth

According to Kaijser, there is some truth that fat can saturate longer, but she believes that sleep problems are not always due to hunger.

– It’s not that children just sleep poorly because they are hungry. And you have to keep in mind that parenting unfortunately will never be a simple quick fix.

Risk of choking and allergy

She also highlights the risks of giving hard butter lumps to young children. Their swallowing motor skills, which develop during the first year of life, may not be able to handle that type of texture.

– A child can put in the throat, especially if different foods have not gradually introduced. In addition, cow’s milk allergy can record, so you have to be careful, she says.

Children need fat, but…

Butter is abundant on saturated fat, which is not always an optimal diet for children. Kaijser urges parents to discuss any dietary advice with healthcare and not follow trends that do not have a scientific basis.

– Children need fat, but it’s about getting a good balance – not adding a click here and there in the hope of more sleep hours.

No shortcut to good sleep

The pediatrician recalls that it is natural for young children to wake up at night. Instead of home -made methods, it is better to look over the entire routine around diet, sleep and security.

– I understand that you want to find simple solutions, but family life rarely works that way. You have to look at the whole and be happy to consult the care if you are uncertain.