My toddler drinks 6 cans of soda a day — I have no control over his diet

For many families, eating take-out is a treat, sometimes reserved for Friday night or on a special occasion.

But for Cardiff parents Sam and Simon, eating fast food is a regular occurrence. 

Due to Simon’s long work hours, the family of five practically lives off takeout food, typically eating it five times a week. 

Parents have “no control” over food toddler eats

Fish and chips, pizza, nuggets, and burgers – anything the kids want, they get, including toddler Cuba. 

“He likes McDonald’s, he likes KFC, he likes an Indian,” Sam explained in the Real Families documentary. 

“He likes his pizzas, also his chips with plenty of salt,” dad Simon agreed. 

It’s not just their toddler who is addicted to sweets and treats; his older sisters, Cleo and Shea, are also big fans of greasy foods. 

While they know when to call it a day, little Cuba has yet to learn self-control. 

He frequently raids their pantry and cupboards on the lookout for another snack, sometimes returning up to 30 times a day. 

“He helps himself, I’ve got no control over what he eats,” Simon admitted. 

Toddler consumes more calories than an adult man

When he’s not eating junk food, Cuba is washing it down with cola – sometimes consuming a whopping six cans a day. 

The documentary later revealed Cuba is eating over 3,200 calories a day – 700 more than the recommended amount for a fully grown man. 

To make matters worse, the toddler’s diet means he consumes “half a liter of oil a week” and is having serious trouble sleeping at night. 

But whenever Sam tries to get the family to eat healthier, Cuba is less than impressed, usually rejecting the food and spitting it out on the floor. 

“I’m totally conscious of it now,” she said. “I just think maybe I need to just be reigning him back in and start from scratch with him.” 

Thankfully, the family bit the bullet and made a drastic change to their diet, opting to have takeaway just once a week. 

Cuba’s behaviour has since dramatically improved, and he is finally getting a full night’s sleep. 

“What we were giving him before with fried chicken and takeaways was way too much for him; we didn’t think it was affecting him,” Simon admitted. “But when you see it for yourself, you have to change that.” 

“Who’s in control here? Get it together, people.”

The video sparked intense backlash online, with many arguing the Welsh parents were “abusing” their kids. 

“The lengths parents will go to avoid hearing their children cry is insane,” a comment read.

“‘I’ve got no control over what he eats’, Says the grown man about a toddler,” another agreed. “This is painful,” said a third.

“Who’s in control here? Get it together, people.”

“If you start teaching them as a baby to eat good food  … then you don’t have to worry about them eating fast food and junk!” a person said. 

“It started out real bad, at least now the parents are trying,” read a sympathetic comment. “It’s sad that it ever got this far.”