Federal Government Just Ruined Every Little Kid’s Birthday Party

If ever there was a time for anarchy, this is it. Compliance to these new dietary guidelines for infants and toddlers will destroy every 'first' birthday party.

For the first time, the federal government has issued dietary guidelines for infants and toddlers. And, they completely wreck the best part of EVERY child's very first birthday celebration.

Every five years, the Agriculture Department and the Department of Health and Human Services set dietary standards. Typically, those standards are applied to school lunches. But in 2021, guidelines include things like:

Feeding only breast milk for at least six months

and

No added sugar for children under age 2

WHAT!? No added sugar until age 2!? Well there goes that 'highchair-smashing' cake extravaganza. How can you even plan a birthday party without that? This is the only time in your life that it's acceptable to cover your arms, from the elbow down, with cake and then lick it all off. These guidelines include ice cream and candy, too.

Limit added sugar to less than 10 percent of calories a day after age 2. I'm fairly certain we all know the biggest sources of 'added sugars':

Soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages
Desserts, snacks and candy
Sweetened coffee and tea

On the previously-mentioned breast milk topic,

If breast milk isn’t available, you should use iron-fortified infant formula during the first year. Babies should also get supplemental vitamin D beginning soon after birth. The guidelines also state, that babies can start eating other food at about 6 months and should be introduced to potential allergenic foods along with other foods.

“Introducing peanut-containing foods in the first year reduces the risk that an infant will develop a food allergy to peanuts.”

[H/T My Stateline]

Steve Shannon is host of The Steve Shannon Show on 97ZOK. On the air weekday mornings from 6 to 10 a.m. and a special 'Rewind' show, featuring favorite moments from previous shows, on Saturday mornings from 5 to 7 a.m.. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and like his page on Facebook.