Parents - how do you keep the heck away from your kids snack

Tenoreo90

It is hard! I have an almost 2 year old daughter, and she eats pretty healthy, but I have found the best solution to 'treats' is to only buy her a small pack of Pocky or Fig Newtons. I only give it to her like once a month or 2 weeks or so, so she understands those things are treats that we shouldn't have all the time.

Otherwise, some good kid snack ideas, if you need some:
*Cubed apple pieces
*Animal crackers (they don't have nearly as much sugar as other kid snacks, and are actually low fat!)
*Mickey cheese slices (they sell them at Wal-Mart, cute pieces of cheese shaped like Mickey mouse)
*Turkey pepperoni (low fat, good protein)
*Your kid might be old enough for good ole' ants on a log-celery, peanut butter, raisins. I make it for myself. :]

ConfidenceNMe

I just got some snacks for my little girl today. Are they all healthy? NO. Are they tempting? YES. But I have will power, and where there's a will there's a way. I'm buying fresh fruit tomorrow for my snacks. And with growing kids, or atleast my own, I want her to be able to make those decisions for herself. Right now I am not forcing my child to eat one way or another. I'm simply giving her the option of choice. And ES I DO snack on some of her snacks with her. But do I feel guilty for having a couple of whole grain gold fish? Nope. Just so long as I count all the nibbles at the end of the day. If I see it getting out of hand, then I'll put more restrictions on myself, but not my child.

Jessica0982

This is how I think, too. I'm okay with my kids and I having a treat now and again, and I use my own discipline to teach my kids (ages 4 and 7) moderation as well. We are all allowed 1 sugar thing a day, myself included. We really, fully enjoy it, and we can only eat it AFTER we eat healthy foods. I find that this teaches them to pay attention to what they put in their bodies and still make room for indulgences in ways that won't compromise their health. Also, eating healthy foods first seems to alter how they digest the sugar, and we don't get sugar crazies that way. Another idea, I've discovered that the sugary cereals in the morning lead to grumpy days, and have since replaced that with protein in the morning. Eggs, bacon, ham, or smoked salmon (which both kids love!?) though not all at once, of course.

Good luck on your journey!!! You are off to a great start, and identifying your challenges like this is great. Good work!

Since I've done my MFP diary, I started doing hard boiled eggs. He LOVES them. So I make 2-3 for him each morning when I make my own. He gets served breakfast/snack/lunch at daycare. They do a very good job at giving the kids balanced meals. I get to see the menu each week and I have no complaints. All food groups are included.

Maybe a better question for this thread would be what types of snacks/foods do you give to your children?

ConfidenceNMe

Also, If it's hard, just try buying healthier snacks that you both can share! That way if you do nibble, it's not the end of the world, or atleast in the weightloss world. I've lost the weight before but now I have to do it again, but with a kid in tow. It's gonna take longer, but it's totally do-able. Just don't be too hard up on yourself, and keep track of it. And exercise the extra calories that you ate away!

JamesonsMommy

there are lots of healthy snacks out there while they are having one you should have one too

annameier8706

I know EXACTLY what you are talking about! This was one of my biggest problems of weight gain. I was alwasy finishing their lunches or having a bite here or there of their snacks. It basically comes down to three things, for me at least, don't buy as many of those snacks so you feel worse about eating them, put their snacks on the very top shelf of the pantry (or cupboard, etc.) so they have to ask for them and their kinda our of the way, and good old fashioned will power. It will get easier, I promise.

chrissaucier

It is hard! I have a 13 year old son how trains for sport karate 9 hours + a week and plays basketball twice a week. He does eat fruit, half a watermelon at a time! and yogurts 2 at a time, but sill likes kid snacks chips and grilled cheese for lunch. I try the best I can but somedays I just have to have a chip or two!

anshaw03

I teach kindergarten at a pretty affluent school, so most of the kids bring their lunches filled with healthy things (some examples: EDAMAME (I laughed, honestly, the first time I saw it), apples, grapes, blueberries, organic EVERYTHING.) Butbutbut-I'll also say that you can't control that we had a birthday today and the mom brought cupcakes. I agree with those who teach your kids that it's fine in moderation, but you can't always be with them so it's important to offer choices and give them the reasons for it so that they learn and are not forced.

emccand

Fruit snacks are my weakness, but I found some at Aldi for people like us at 45 cal per pouch ;-)

They are pretty good too lol, they also have low calorie fruit stips there and I get those for myself and my daughter. Not eating the kid snacks is hard, but thankfully my daughter loves the healthy stuff I buy too! We even switched the popcorn to Aldi's fit and active light butter, its only 100 calories for 5 cups, and aldis has really good prices.

SLT4273

While I'm certainly not trying to encourage unhealthy snacking, keep in mind you can still have some of your faves if it falls within your calorie range (moderation is key)...

:flowerforyou:

formygood2011

To drive home how many calories you are eating with "nibbles" take an empty jar or bowl and instead of eating put what you would eat into the jar...It will probably be surprising how little bites and tastes adds up. Especially if you did this for a day.

Jessica0982

They are pretty good too lol, they also have low calorie fruit stips there and I get those for myself and my daughter. Not eating the kid snacks is hard, but thankfully my daughter loves the healthy stuff I buy too! We even switched the popcorn to Aldi's fit and active light butter, its only 100 calories for 5 cups, and aldis has really good prices.

They just built an Aldi near me! I'll have to go check it out.

jenniet04

To drive home how many calories you are eating with "nibbles" take an empty jar or bowl and instead of eating put what you would eat into the jar...It will probably be surprising how little bites and tastes adds up. Especially if you did this for a day.

What a great idea!!!

bademasi

I have two daughters. They are now 19 and 17 years old. When they were young they didnt get sugar cereals, soda pop, happy meals, cakes (unless a birthday) and candy.

Both girls never had a cavity at the dentist. Both of them only had healthy doctor visits.,

They loved vegetables. They called broccolli "trees" and ate raw string beans (thanks to my Dad) picked from Paps garden. Apples were always available cored and cut in container and sprinkled with cinnamon.

I am happy to say that they grew up to fine young ladies. My youngest is athletic and eats fruits, vegetables and low carbs. She was on a competition cheerleading squad and is very health smart. Her teeth are beautiful and she is a healthy weight (low side) for her age. My first born daughter has the whitest teeth I have ever seen. She works and goes to college and works out twice a week. She doesnt eat as healthy as her sister and she is not as tiny as her sister but for her body frame she is normal and healthy.

Both of my daughters have made many comments to me when they see children in public doing certain thiings... Like I never tasted coffee until I was a teen. I never had fast food when I was that age, I dont know how some let children eat those cereals loaded with sugar and my favorite... why did that mom give in after saying NO five times. I never gave in. That child could throw a fit and I would continue on. They learn.... no means no.

My children didnt suffer anything as children. They simply learned to eat healthy foods and in moderation. I never ate what they had not finished (my sister does this) and I did get some cookies once in awhile but they didnt really want them. Awesome girls I have.

I am now on MFP because of a brain tumor that caused me to gain 120lbs in one year. I am now able to work on gaining strength and getting healthy. I am so happy that MFP is available to me. I have kept food diarys on paper for years. :happy:


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jmoodylpca

Yes it is hard! I have a 1, 3, and 4 yr old and we allow them to have snacks every now and then. I agree with the ones who said moderation is key. Even, we as adults, are allowed to give in to a craving sometimes. But that doesn't mean eating the whole bag of cookies...it means eating one. After supper, my son wanted some chocolate covered pretzels. I grabbed one and that was it...yes it was hard, but I'm proud of myself for doing it.

nixickle

This is tough and finishing my daughters meals and a few of her other treats was my greatest weakness!! I have a separate cupboard for all treats so I'm not seeing it everyday (I love fresh fruit and veg, but yes I do also like cookies and chocolate!!) I fill the kitchen with healthy snacks such as carrot sticks, nuts, fruit, dried fruit etc so I try to snack on those. (my daughter thankfully also loves healthy food too so that helps that she would quite happily have cherries, dried pineapple, oranges or bananas...but she's a kid and also likes chocolate and sweets!!!) but the biggest thing I have changed is I now allow myself a snack whilst she's eating, so I don't have this urge to finish her meal! And some days I even eat my dinner with her (she's 20months and so eats super early! So I'm not always able to eat with her!) but I try to as much as possible so again I fill up but don't have an urge to take from her plate!! Actually at the moment I have the opposite problem! She steals from my plate!! But this is a very positive thing as she chooses quite a lot of healthy foods and she sees me snacking on raw veg, so wants some herself! Plus it reduces the risk of me over-eating so bonus all round!! I would say don't deprive yourself, but just remember to log and reduce it off your allowance. That helps me as I know 2 cookies (Maryland UK) comes to 120 calories and sometimes I know if I eat them it's going to leave me short for my main meal so sometimes I'll put off eating the cookies until I know they will fit into my day. Feel free to take a look at my diary (you will see treats are there on a daily basis but I try to add other healthy foods in too - had a bit of a tough time just after Christmas where there were LOADS of naughty things, but hopefully am back on track now!

Best of luck to you and hope you manage to only have the treats in moderation :-)

vs1023

It's very easy for any non parent or even parent to say these things when they haven't gone through having kids with eating issues.

It's not so black and white. I too said my kids would eat super healthy and veggies, etc, but the reality is not the same.

Not the same as the original poster as it seems her child eats a variety of foods, but kids with sensory issues or failure to thrive that some parents will give them anything just so they will eat something and its not a matter of spoiling a child. Some just can't just eat vegetable or fruits or meats. It's a daily struggle for parents with kids like this, me included.

With that said, I really just make the mental switch to NOT eat my kids leftovers or snacks. My daughter doesn't eat veggies as much as I try, so I give her the best quality of the foods she does eat.

Also, I'm that mom that has given into my kid asking over and over for something though not a frappuccino.

I just say be careful before your judge.

No. I don't want that in my house, or in their diets. So I don't buy sugar treats. If my kids eat the way I do, they won't have to discover MFP when they're 30 like me.

This!! When I first started I had the same problem as you however than I realiazed if Im not gonna eat it why the heck would I feed my three year old it? I dont want him to struggle like I did and kids now a days are alot meaner so I dont ever want him to have that hurt and pain of being teased or having health problems. We just need to teach are kids the good habits of eating healthy and being active now dont get me wrong I still give him treats but for the most part he eats what mom eats.. You do the shopping lady be impowered to save your family from a unhealthy lifestyle!! Hugz

First of all I don't have kids...so I don't personally don't know your struggles. But I completely agree with the ladies above. When and if I have children I plan to have them eat healthy. Just because they're kids doesn't mean they get fun "kid" diets. No matter how much your kid cries and yells for a happy meal, chips, cookies, or whatever...DON'T give it to them...just like you shouldn't give in to the inner child inside you yelling and screaming for the exact same things....

I'm sure it's easier said and done, but I'm sure they'll thank you in the end for it.

Just don't be a Nazi about it....a family cheat day should be allowed here and there...

I hate when I see bratty kids get their way....like I was at Starbucks and some toddler in a STROLLER was crying out because he wanted Mommies frappuccino...and she just gave it to him...just to shut him up....

ARE YOU KIDDING! A SUGAR FILLED, CAFFEINE FILLED, CALORIE FILLED DRINK LIKE THAT DOES NOT BELONG IN A TODDLER'S DIET....HE WAS STILL IN A STROLLER FOR GOODNESS SAKE...

That's just building bad habits in so many ways...

Either way...I think the best way to avoid u snacking on things is to slowly get them off of it as well...don't have them in the house and have planed cheat days for all of you.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL!

sharidiane

It's not so black and white. I too said my kids would eat super healthy and veggies, etc, but the reality is not the same.

Not the same as the original poster as it seems her child eats a variety of foods, but kids with sensory issues or failure to thrive that some parents will give them anything just so they will eat something and its not a matter of spoiling a child. Some just can't just eat vegetable or fruits or meats. It's a daily struggle for parents with kids like this, me included.

YES!!! Thank you. Per my daughter's pediatrician, she is allowed to have as much full fat, sugary whatever that I can get into her, as she is very underweight for her height and age. Of course, we try to give things like string cheese and fruit, but sometimes it's cheetos cracker thingies which just look oh-so-delicious ... drool ...

To the OP - It will get easier. Your results will begin to outweigh your cravings. One thing I do is try to snack when my kids snack. So if they are having something a little highly caloric, I will either had a tiny smidge of it and a big cup of tea, or I will have my own very yummy snack. I LOVE oikos yogurt. So an oikos at 3:00 feels very decadent and I'm not tempted by whatever crap I have to throw at my kids.

hsmithway

This is how I think, too. I'm okay with my kids and I having a treat now and again, and I use my own discipline to teach my kids (ages 4 and 7) moderation as well. We are all allowed 1 sugar thing a day, myself included. We really, fully enjoy it, and we can only eat it AFTER we eat healthy foods. I find that this teaches them to pay attention to what they put in their bodies and still make room for indulgences in ways that won't compromise their health.

My approach is similiar to this nowdays, though we don't have treats on a daily basis, just occasionally. When my son was very small, I was very careful to feed him only healthy nutrient-dense foods, and then once he had good basic eating habits established we started working in treats on special occasions, or every once in a while.

It's hilarious now. He's almost 8, and he knows that he only gets candy/cookies/chips/etc. if he's already eaten some fruits and veggies, so if he notices I've brought home something special, his eyes will get big, and he'll ask me for an apple or some baby carrots. And after he eats his fruit or veggie, then he'll come back and ask for his treat, lol

TurtleRunnerNC

I have found with myself that if I have constant access I will usually leave it alone. For example I have a bowl of peanut m&m's on my desk. I have not eaten one in 2 weeks, because they are sitting there and I can have them whenever I want. Now,they probably won't survive pms but... I think logging here now will help me eat less of them.

For the most part my children eat healthy foods & pacjlk all food groups in their lunch. That being said my children are VERY thin, no matter how much I feed them. My daughter is a competitive gymnast. She practices 12 hours a week. She is 4'8'' and weighs about 70lbs & trust me it is all muscle. My son is 5'9'' and about 105lbs. My daughters pediatrician actually suggested she eat ice cream every day as it is high in fat & has calcium for her bones.