R and I have an ongoing discussion on the snack habits of our children. R thinks they snack too much leading to their lack of appetite at meal time and an increased amount spent at the grocery store. I don't think they have a snack issue, sure they like their fruit and granola bars, but who doesn't? I generally let them snack when they ask for something but don't give them anything for about an hour before meals. R thinks I should start a scheduled snack time and if they want anything more make them wait for the next meal. This goes a little against my grain. I'm believer in the theory that kids know when they are hungry and know when they are full.
As a side note, I belive as people go through life we have a tendency to lose the abilty to recognize when we are full and that the inability of people to understand when their bodies are telling them they have had enough food is a big contributor to the obesity epidemic in our society. As parents I think it is very important to teach our children the concept of listening to our bodies and eating when we are hungry and not when we aren't, regardless of the scheduled eating times. Sorry about that, I'll get off my soap box now.
Back to my kids and their snacking. Following my whole theory, if they want a snack, as long as it is healthy and it's not too close to a meal, why not give it too them. So, after that long drawn out story, here is my question; How do you handle snack time and why? I'm sending this issue out to all of you in cyber space in the hopes of getting some advice and ending this ongoing "discussion" in my marriage. (In reality I'm hoping all of you will prove me right!)
steamed artichokes
4 days ago
3 comments:
I do limit snacks because we've found they aren't hungry enough to eat all their lunch/dinner otherwise. They do get snacks on occasion, of course, but only in the morning (because they are more likely to eat their lunch than their dinner). I don't personally think they need a snack in the afternoon because we are usually eating dinner by 5 or 5:30. But that's just me. I don't presume to be an expert at all, but you asked, so that's what we do!
I'd say my ideas on snacking are sort of a mix between yours and your husbands. My kids get a snack in the morning before lunch, but I try not to let my kids have snacks between lunch and dinner. I notice a huge change in their appetite for dinner, if their bellies are really nice and hungry. However, sometimes I can tell they are getting hungry before my husband gets home so I'll offer them part of the dinner (the fruit or the vegetable) as their "snack"...the way I look at it is if they eat their green beans at 4pm, or they eat them with dinner at 6pm, they are still getting their vegetable in. So I guess my answer is sometimes I let them have snacks in the afternoon but ONLY fruits or vegetables. They will sit down at the table and "get started" before Daddy gets home and that way, they get their "snack" but it's really just part of their dinner a little early :)
We typically have a morning snack and an afternoon snack. We eat dinner close to 6pm, most nights, so I think an afternoon snack is appropriate.
I will not allow snacks when it is getting too close to a meal time. Yes, they might be hungry, but they don't always realize that they can wait until dinner. They do need to be reminded that snack time is just that - a SNACK to tide them over till a meal, not a meal in itself.
-Pam S
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