Why are there more eating opportunities for kids now than in the past?

I can't remember my mom ever carrying around snacks when we were out when I was a kid, but if I complained of being hungry we'd always stop and get something. I would have been 'failure to thrive' if they'd had that measure then.

I don't remember having many snacks at home, though I'm sure I did when I was < 5.

I do remember that every event had food. Going to horseback riding? One of the students' families would bring bagels or donuts for everyone - the families alternated. I remember every holiday and birthday was celebrated at school with some of the moms providing cupcakes or similar. I was always excited when it was my mom's turn, because she was and is a very good baker. She took the extra time to make the food pretty, too. I remember that if I went to a friend's house to play, their mom always had snacks ready for the asking.

I also remember spending most of my day when I wasn't in school outside. I used to climb trees, go fishing, go exploring, play street soccer, ride horses, play tag, and swim (lots and lots of swimming).

In my friends' kids school districts, no snacks are allowed (after kindergarten). No cupcakes or any other celebration for birthdays. Most holidays are left out, too. I find it rather sad. I mean, I get that you can't celebrate every kid's birthday on the day when the class is large, but one celebration a month or every couple of months should not be a problem. There wouldn't even need to be food involved - maybe an extra recess or some games or something along those lines.

100df wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

100df wrote: »

Another thread got me thinking about kids and snacks. When I was growing up my organized activities didn't include snacks.

I had the same exact thoughts (I suspect we are talking about the same thread).

My experience was the same as you describe -- no snacks at school after pre-school. (I only went to a half day pre-school and can't remember, but I think there was juice.) An after-school snack. Sometimes (not always) snacks at girl scouts. Occasionally holiday-related celebrations at school with food (like a Halloween party). Beyond that, it was "you'll spoil your dinner" or we were expected to wait.

Things do seem different now.

Is it bad? I don't know -- for me eating all the time is bad and I prefer not to snack, and I kind of think the idea that we should be eating so often, even for kids, leads to more calorie consumption and just a weird reaction to hunger (like that it's bad to wait a couple of hours once one feels a little hungry, something I see with MFP newbies sometimes).

We had parties in school for the holidays. Now they aren't doing that here because of a number of different reasons. Political correctness, food allergies and not giving the kids another extra eating opportunity. I'm probably missing other reasons.

In my experience with raising kids, the "spoil your dinner" line isn't used much anymore.

In the summers we did day camp from kindergarten to 8th grade. Car pool in the afternoons drove me crazy because the kids and parents expected whoever was driving to bring a snack and drink for the kids to eat in the car. They had a snack at 10am, lunch at noon and a snack at 2pm at camp. We picked up at 4. It was a 30 minute drive home. The other moms thought I was an ogre for suggesting that the kids wait to eat. I solved it for me by volunteering to drive every morning. The moms were thrilled they didn't have to go out in the morning and I didn't have to come up with food and drink for 4 kids that didn't make mess in my car.

I know that it has been better for me to wait to eat instead of giving in to every little hunger sign. If I am running errands and I feel a little hungry, it's not going to hurt me to wait until the next meal instead of hitting the drive-thru or even a piece of fruit. Giving in to all the hunger signals is why I have to diet now!

I wonder if all the extra opportunities lead children to being overweight adults because they are conditioned to always having something to eat. Do they even know what hungry feels like?

Its hard to talk about "children" as whole- actually, there are a LOT of hungry children and there are a LOT of children who eat too much and too often.

You want to throw some pop-tarts, pizza and cheetos at your kids and stick them in front of the TV as their normal, sure they will grow up accustomed to that and possibly develop unhealthy habits and be sedentary.
Childhood obesity is hard to overcome- and parents really should care more than they do. But I believe years filled with bad meal choices, no balance of nutirtion and a non-active child is what leads to obesity- not the abundance of "between meal" snacks.
No child should be sedentary. But honestly Id be ok if my 6yo son took a day off. LOL.

I'm 37, so 80's kid. I don't remember snacks being at after school activities, other than girl scouts. But I do know that my parents called me the "human garbage disposal" because I ate ALL the food. At 10 I was 4'9. By 12 I was 5'9. Stopped growing at 5'11. I still eat all the food if it's available. ALWAYS hungry. I think I snack more now than I did as a kid. I'm an only child too. So Mom didn't ever pack snacks to take on outings (errands, etc), but we were big "candy bar at the check out" people...until I hit 30 and gained 50lbs in 2 years, then I stopped that habit.

Kids, smaller kids especially, are much more "on the go" now than when I was a kid. When I was in early elementary, maybe only half the kids attended organized activities, and then only 1 at a time (well maybe a sport + girl/boy scouts), now it seems as they are halfway living in their parent's cars.

Sit down meals are more rare with both parents working out of the home. My life would be very difficult if I were to try to eat 3 sit down meals with my daughter on the days we would have that opportunity.

She's only 3.5, but is a grazer eater most days. I don't think it matters if a child eats 3 times vs 6 or 7 in the course of the day so long as they are eating on hunger, stop when they are satisfied, and eat healthier food options.

Now, the sweet treats are an issue, but I have seen a greater reduction as schools have limited sending cakes and cookies for birthdays and the like now. I have even heard parents of public school kids being told what food they can or can't pack (and I don't just mean this peanut thing!) so I think the issue is reducing.

As someone else mentioned, well fed children are more well-behaved and probably can focus better in school. I am all for more snack time AND recess time in schools!

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I'm 27, for perspective.

During morning recess, we could have a snack if we wanted, but I don't recall one being provided. Same for afternoon activities. My school, though, went from 9:15-3:40p at its longest, so that may have had an effect. I always got an afternoon snack before doing TKD.

I've subbed at elementary schools locally, and it seems as though availability of a morning snack is directly tied to average income level. At the poorer schools, a bag of apple or pear slices or something like a Cutie mandarin were provided if a student wanted, whereas at richer schools, nothing was provided but students could have brought their own.

There was nothing more heartbreaking than sending one of the kids, who was clearly falling through the cracks, to the nurse because he or she told me her stomach hurt only to find out that he or she was hungry and the nurse had given a cracker or two.

RoxieDawn wrote: »

Is the topic of OP discussion to have a debate on "why are kids given more eating opportunities than the past"?

Who's past and what out of the ordinary is giving a young child a snack? At some point kindergarten or young children of a certain age in elementary school.. the teachers have this responsibility to allow snacks in the class room or snack breaks. This sort of stops when the "nap time" stops in school.

Junior high and high school kids are pretty much on their own and feed them selves according to normal eat schedules or if you were in training or sports, or had certain activities that kept you at school longer than the 3:00 bell.. Afternoon snacks right when you get home from school was always expected and I always ate something when I got home.

I never had snacks available at a whim, it was sort of pre-planned with school activities. If there is something I missed, if kids are given food at any time or any where and the parents are involved and there is issue with weight, then there lies the problem.

My 4th grader (9 years old) is still supposed to bring in a daily snack for herself, per school rules. I don't know what grade this stops (we pulled my older daughter before she got to 5th). Curious to know what the cut off grade is for snack time in other areas is.

newmeadow wrote: »

snikkins wrote: »

I'm 27, for perspective.

During morning recess, we could have a snack if we wanted, but I don't recall one being provided. Same for afternoon activities. My school, though, went from 9:15-3:40p at its longest, so that may have had an effect. I always got an afternoon snack before doing TKD.

I've subbed at elementary schools locally, and it seems as though availability of a morning snack is directly tied to average income level. At the poorer schools, a bag of apple or pear slices or something like a Cutie mandarin were provided if a student wanted, whereas at richer schools, nothing was provided but students could have brought their own.

There was nothing more heartbreaking than sending one of the kids, who was clearly falling through the cracks, to the nurse because he or she told me her stomach hurt only to find out that he or she was hungry and the nurse had given a cracker or two.

Jesus. A cracker or two? I would've given the kid the whole box and then handed over my own lunch too.

I know. It was terrible. The kids were usually 5 or 6, so they wouldn't tell me they were hungry (maybe since I was a stranger?) because I always bring snacks for myself because I get hangry and I would absolutely share.

I'm in California and as a result, a lot of kids fall through the gap that comes from a poverty line based on national averages. It was eye-opening and humbling.

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I'm not a fan of all the snacks for kids. I have friends who lament that their kids won't eat meals and they are constantly giving their kids snacks/juice at all hours. No wonder.

We eat at meal times, no snacks unless they are at school. My kid's preschool provides 2 snacks! I notice on those days they tend to not be hungry for dinner.

my 4 year old nephew eats about 15 snacks and 3 full meals

snacks arent slowing him down

Does it matter if a child eats meals or snacks?
It seems meal times are cultural, not necessarily health-based. Some adults do very well with IF and some better with grazing.

I think it's better to offer healthy food free range for whenever my daughter will eat it than to try to force her into some arbitrary standard of consumption. At the end of the day, it's the same food as she would have eaten in three separate meal times, but in 7 or 8 instead.

So sugary junk and juice aside, for children, does frequency matter or is it individualized as with adults?

Oh and to add, isn't telling a kid "You eat lunch at noon and if you don't, there is no food until 3" going to encourage them to eat even if not hungry so that they don't get hungry waiting for the next meal or snack time? Isn't that the opposite of healthful eating?

I coached my kids' soccer teams. Boy-oh-boy did I fight those team moms over the half-time snack and the juice box after. Even when the kids were in high-school there had to be a sweet drink afterwards -- except on the high school team, where the parents were not involved.
I never saw one of those high-school players become so emaciated that they could not make the next game. Nor do I remember feeling deprived, when I played as a kid, when all we got was water from the water fountain.
It's all too much. It's not the extra calories so much. It's the training, the training that you cannot go for two hours without putting something in your mouth, the training that an activity is not fun if it does not include sugar. Those are bad, bad habits to saddle our youth with.