For kids: How MUCH at snack time?

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sassylilmama
sassylilmama Posts: 1,495 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My kids are 8, 4 and 2. We have set snack and meal times. It seems like in between they are always hungry. I am just not sure if I am feeding them enough or if it is just that they want something else for whatever reason. Snacks I try to keep healthy. Apple, banana, cucumber, crackers with cheese. Sometimes they will have a cookie or some chips but not everyday. I want my whole family to be healthy not just me. Should I be giving them more at snack? What do others feed their kids for snack (food ideas and amount)? I really want to get this right because as wonderful as my parents were healthy eating was not their best area.

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  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
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    You know, depending on the kid, they can be burning way more than we think they are. I know my daughter is all over the place wit her eating. If she is being lazy, she BARELY eats. It drives me nuts, I feel like she is going to starve. Then other days when she's swimming, or playing with friends, she will eat like 3 times what I'm allowed to eat in a day (Its really depressing).

    I figure, most kids are actually better at knowing when they are full or not full, hungry or not hungry than adults. But the way I "tell the difference" with my daughter (or her friends)....if its not meal time, and she is hungry, I have a list of foods she can have. Like baby carrots, celery, apples, cucumbers, strawberries etc. And most of the time this works.

    If she is really hungry, then she will chow down on like 2 apples. If she is bored, tired, really wanting to just eat junk....and says she's "hungry" I just tell her she can eat any of that...and she will usually get a look...(and I know its the ..." but I wanted to eat popcorn or chips" look), and then she usually won't eat anything.

    So thats my advice. Let them eat extra if they say they are hungry, but limit it to healthy food only. If they have a choice between eating some carrots or eating nothing....and they choose nothing...they probably weren't really hungry. If that makes sense?


    Edit: And you know the sad but true part about this...I tried this on myself...and I didn't like how it worked out...many times I just wanted to eat because of some other reason, or wanted to eat ice cream etc lol. So much harder to say no to yourself then your kids sometimes!
  • SarahofTwins
    SarahofTwins Posts: 1,169 Member
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    Do they like yogurt? My son loves to eat Go-Gurts...the ones where you squeeze them out. Besides that I also feed him some graham crackers, apple slices with peanut butter, cheerios, and always some fruits and veggies :happy:

    Usually a single serving and if not just 1, 2 would be good enough. Then again hes only 2 so since yours are older they might want more.
  • kynichol21
    kynichol21 Posts: 87
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    I feed mine fruits, cheese sticks, yogurt, applesauce. My 4 year old girl eats at least 2 snacks a day. She is a growing girl and seems to always be hungry. She only weighs 28 pounds and probably eats more than I do.
  • natskedat
    natskedat Posts: 570 Member
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    I put a variety out and let them decide. If I'm feeding them really healthy foods (like those you listed), then I'm happy when they eat a lot. They get tons of exercise. Kids are much better at determining when they're full than adults. Let them decide when they're done. It drives me nuts when my 2-year old eats three grapes and says he's done, but I try to respect him and his choices.

    I don't allow snacks after 5 because we eat at 6ish, but that's the only time I don't allow snacks. As long as they're eating healthfully, I generally put out more than they'll eat and let them decide.
  • auntjenny74
    auntjenny74 Posts: 72 Member
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    I have a rule that fruit is fair game any time. If you're truly hungry then by all means, grab an apple/peach/strawberry and have at it. If it is boredom eating then fruit won't satisfy. At structured snack time I usually offer a protein + grain (PB and crackers, yogurt and berries with graham crackers, cheese and crackers) and if he is still hungry, he can grab some fruit.
  • jesienia
    jesienia Posts: 294
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    I agree, it depends on the kid. My nephew is 7 and his favorite snack is a banana, 1/2 tbs nutella, and a few pecans crumbled over it. He also likes apple slices with peanut butter. Another good snack if your kids will eat it is, celery and peanut butter with a few raisins on top.
  • BBBgettingfit
    BBBgettingfit Posts: 58 Member
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    I also usually rely on yogurt (1 cup), string cheese (1 stick), crackers (a handful of goldfish or a graham cracker or two), cream cheese on toast (1 slice), hard boiled eggs (1 egg) and fruit (bananas, blueberries, strawberries) for snacks for my 17-month-old. Depending on his mood, he will be done after the string cheese and yogurt or keep powering through until it's almost the same thing as a meal. I figure as long as he still wants more, and it's relatively healthy, he can have it, since he's still growing and once he's full, he either stops eating or starts chucking it all on the floor anyway, so there's no worry about overeating for him (the dog, on the other hand...)
  • plumpncurvy
    plumpncurvy Posts: 68 Member
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    My parents were not the best with foods either, my advice make sure they are actually hungry and not just bored, if so as long as they are primarely healthy snacks and you keep you kids active,extra snacks should not be a problem. I usually give my kids low fat string cheese, apples with peanut butter, yougurt, dad on the other hand gives them cookies and other sweets if Im not home! If my kids seem to be asking for snacks more often than normal I will usually only give them a choice of a fruit or a vegetable...that way if they really are that hungry they will take it, but most often they will turn me down!
  • jataijah
    jataijah Posts: 192 Member
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    My kids can eat all day. But they also run around and jump around all day. They are constantly running up and down the stairs. I see why they are always hungry. I make sure there's plenty of fruit, pretzels, nuts, yogurt and cheeses for them to eat. They do eat junk like cookies and chips but honestly will go to the fruit first. I let them snack whenever they get hungry as long as it healthy. They burn a lot of energy
  • MrsCon40
    MrsCon40 Posts: 2,351 Member
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    With my daughter, veg snacks were unlimited and fruit was nearly unlimited. No fruit juice or anything with artificial ingredients ever. Make sure each meal has a good balance of protein and carbs so snacks are supplemental to their good nutrition and not making up for not-so-good!

    With these parameters you can feel more confident that they are feeding hunger and not the craving for sugar or mass marketing :wink:
  • njean888
    njean888 Posts: 399 Member
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    My boys are very active and very thin. With that said I pretty much let them eat whatever they want. Now I don't keep junk in the house so pretty much anything like fruits, veggies, yogurt, milk, goldfish crackers, applesauce, etc... I let them eat when they are hungry.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    Kids of different ages and activity levels will need a different amount of snacks. Personally, if they are eating healthy snacks like fruits and vegetables, I don't see a reason to limit them at all. A good practice would seem to me to say "It's snack time. You can each have one cookie/these crackers with cheese/banana and as many carrots and celery as you'd like." You get the idea. In my parents house, there was always a bowl of fruit for us kids to snack on all day. Sweets were limited to lunch boxes and set snack times during the summer.

    If your kids are eating healthy and they're always hungry, then they aren't getting enough to eat. That isn't helping them much more than giving them junk, in my opinion, because their relationship with food becomes "I don't ever get enough to eat." Being hungry for sweets is much different than just being hungry.
  • duckpond11
    duckpond11 Posts: 197 Member
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    I think in general kids are way better at self regulating than we are. I would put out an assortment of healthy things for them to chose from at snack time, including some protein, fruits, veggies etc and let them eat whatever quantity of it they want. By the way, a good book I read regarding feeding for families is "The secret of feeding a healthy family".

    http://www.ellynsatter.com/physical-products-books-secrets-of-feeding-healthy-family-p-791.html
  • tacticalhippie
    tacticalhippie Posts: 596 Member
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    I have trouble with this.
    My mother in law babysits my kids while I am working.
    She is NOT health conscience at all.
    I mean, she puts lard in the pan to cook pork sausage...
    She has two morbidly obese kids (my husband included) and scoffs at me when I try to encourage him to lose weight. She also says my kids are too thin :/

    When I am not working (when is like NEVER) my 3 year old daughter gets fruits and veggies for snacks. She will usually eat peanut butter and crackers or a cheese sandwhich on wheat bread.
    My son, he is uber picky. His only source of protein is peanut butter from peanut butter crackers and chicken nuggets.
    His snacks are peanut butter crackers, gold fish and protein pancakes that I make, that he will eat if I get the colour *just* right on them. lol
  • where_next
    where_next Posts: 23 Member
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    I don't have children yet, but I read an article from a health library about how you should teach children healthy eating habits. This article said that the parents decide when and where the child eats, and they child decides what and how much. The what part, of course, means giving them lots of options to choose from, and it sounds like you're doing a great job at that. The how much they eat is a choice that is up to them.

    I just thought this was a good guideline for teaching children healthy eating habits- ex: not forcing them to try new things until they make the decision to, but always providing them with the option of new things.

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