4 Year Old, the Snack Monster

The only problem I see is that you are neglecting to bring her a snack some days. :)

I don't see a problem with having a snack on the way home...if it's an appropriate snack, and an appropriate TIME for a snack, then why not? If it makes the long car ride more fun for her, and fulfills a need, I truly don't see the problem.

@ 4 yrs old, that snack might be the highlight of her day after a day at school. I know it was for my son in preschool and we lived 5 minutes away.

I don't know anyone who knows their 4 yo's BMI, unless the 4 yo has weight problem.

I would take an overall general preemptive strike and explain to my son sometimes there will be snacks, sometimes there won't be; sometimes there'll be snack he likes, sometimes he won't like them.

Its up to me as a mom to help him cope with disaapointments as well as provide things he expects and/or needs when I can.

I have always allowed my daughter to have UNLIMITED access to healthy snacks. I mean UNLIMITED.

The bottom right drawer in my fridge was filled with things she could ALWAYS eat. UNRESTRICTED. celery, cubes of turkey, grapes, broccoli, cucumbers, green peppers, small bottles of water. This is from the time she was a toddler. I wanted her to learn to listen to her body.

This meant that if 10 minutes before dinner she was hungry and wanted to eat a celery stalk.... have at it. Why do I care if she eats celery and then doesn't eat as many peas? it's the same difference.... except that food was NEVER a battle in our house. I just made sure the food she had available to her was ONLY the food I wanted her to have, and the quantities that would strike a balance.

I also carried the same items in one of those cooler lunch boxes, for when we were out.

It can also be a transition item in her little working brain. I actually do this on purpose for my daycare kids for about 10 years now. Parents agree, as my item is often fruit snacks. (There is about 8 in a pack of the ones I buy at Sams Club..not enough to spoil anyones dinner). Sometimes it is a string cheese stick, or part of something we baked that day (mini muffins of several healthy loaded-hiding-the-veggies-varieties that I do, or a small cookie or piece of banana bread. Or perhaps a few apple slices and goldfish in a baggie. It is always small, but usually it is 90-120 minutes since we had our last snack, depending on when they get picked up.

Kids not only have small tummies, but for mine, having this item to be a part of their routine helps them with a concrete item to signify the changeover in their day. Its like the keys have been handed over to their parents!

I suggest that you always have a snack for her in the car. She needs the routine that she can count on and she's hungry.

I suggest that you may be encouraging too much attention on food by trying to prevent attention. Try to be more casual about food. Provide her with snacks. All of us get hungry between meals. I like the idea of CoCoMom who provided healthy snacks available to her kids that they can reach and get on their own. Make what your daughter eats or doesn't eat as no big deal. When you try to control what she eats, food becomes a way of getting power.

An unhealthy emotional attachment to food? Probably not. My guess is that she's hungry at the end of the day. Most of us need "a little something" to get us through the afternoon and children are no different.

My son will be 5 in May and he would happily snack and graze all day if we let him! We have started keeping "OK Snacks" at a height he can reach- sliced fruit, string cheese, goldfish, etc. Anything else he has to ask for. He can always have water- milk and juice he has to ask for. It only takes us 5 minutes to get home from his school, but he usually has a snack when we get home- quesadilla with one wheat wrap and low fat cheese with a few slices of bell pepper and he's good to go for the night!

It's not a problem. If she's hungry at the end of the day, then let her have something small to snack on and then nothing else until dinner.

My MIL famously called this meal "vulture food." She'd make sure to feed the boys a little something on their way home from school, and they'd descend on it like hungry vultures.

Give her the snack. Not a hill worth dying on in my opinion.

F. B.

It is likely that she is hungry after daycare, and (many) kids also need dependable routines. I do not allow snacks in the van, ever, because I don't like the mess. If she is really hungry I would either provide the daycare with snacks and ask that the kids be given a snack at the end of the day, or give the kids a snack before you get in the car. If it is the routine she wants, then have snacks when they get home, but be consistent.

My daycare sets out snacks (healthy, portable options) every day for the kids as part of the pickup routine. At first I didn't understand why but then it quickly dawned on me the kids are hungry. Almost all of the kids (aged toddlers to kindergarteners) take the offered snack. Not because it is junk (it isn't) but because they need it to bridge the gap until dinnertime. I would say she is hungry so prepare accordingly. I now put something extra in my lunchbox for my son just in case they run out of the offered snacks – talk about drama I don’t need on the ride home. Personally I don't think her wanting a snack is an issue. Besides I have noticed I have a happier toddler on the ride home and through the long haul of getting dinner on the table. Good luck.

Oh, about every other Friday or so the daycare sets out a more exciting snack like animal crackers. It doesn't always have to be a serious snack.

My 5 year old is the same way! And has been for over a year!! The first thing she says to me when I walk into the classroom is (very excitedly) "do you have a snack for me?" She started this, or I should say, I, started this when I came to pick her up from preschool a year and a half ago. I saw how delighted she was when I had a snack for her after school, and honestly it made the transition from school to car to home very smooth, so the routine is good. EXCEPT on days I show up empty handed, yikes! a practical meltdown! I never thought about it as something she needed because of hunger, she actually gets fed dinner an hour before I get her, so I know she's not hungry. It's just her routine, something she enjoys and expects, and when the routine breaks, so does she. We are working on it though, because although I try like heck to always have a snack for her, there are times when it doesn't happen, and then we deal with disappointment (life! haha). On those days, if she can keep it together for the car ride (of a whole 5 mins!) then she can have something a little extra special when we get home. We eat very healthy too, so I never worry about snacking too much, there's no such thing! Around here, we eat every 2 hours! It keeps the metabolism going :) So, no, if you are giving healthy foods, then it's not a problem! Snacking the right way is actually good for you!

Healthy snacks. Their stomachs are small, and the day and drive are long. And they are growing like weeds. Save the sweets for after healthy dinner :)

When I pick my son up from school I'll have a snack for him if we are going to run errands. No snack means we are heading home right away (where he usually has a snack).

4 year olds have a lot of fun associating one thing with another. It is just a process they go through and it is more intense at that age. For example, the first time I brought out bubbles for them to wear, she was wearing a strawberry shortcake shirt. The next time i brought out bubbles -she HAD to go change her shirt to be that one. I had no idea why- and it didn't matter too much. I think this is an easy battle for you to deal with because she is just as happy with an apple or a banana. Perhaps she thinks of the ride home as the first time she gets time with you after a long day, she is happy, and it might have been a long time since snack or lunch. (little kids eat so little at a time that they graze rather than eat 3 full meals. Grazing is actually the healthy way to eat- so I encourage it at home.) If she is happy with fruit,I would bring it. I think it is important to distinguish that you are not REWARDING her with food. Food as a reward DOES set kids up for some bad habits later.. You are "multi tasking" ;) snack during the ride home saves time for fun when you get home. Now, if you are eating dinner as soon as you get home, maybe some peanuts (provided no allergy) that you have pre-portioned out into a container, or raisins... but you are mostly there with her being happy with healthy snacks!! good job!
PS. The doctor might have meant to moderate teh snacking as in use serving sizes for snacks. For example, if the serving size is 1/4 cup of peanuts, actually measure that out. Or If it is 1/4 cup raisins, measure that out. The kids who tend to be on the high end of BMI could be aboutto go through a growth spurt, but they could also tend to be heavy snackers- so maybe you can have carrots and celery in the fridge in baggies she can grab whenenver without asking, and other snacks she asks for, and maybe limit it to two other caloric snacks, even if it is healthy like nuts or raisins.) No one ever wants to hear that they kids are pushing the BMI, but sometimes we need to hear it to put ourselves in check, too. If she is hungry a lot, she might ACTUALLY be dehydrated- my daughters think they are starving when sometimes they just need water... (especially my big (healthy) snacker. Maybe you can bargain with her that she can have the snack in the car after she drinks the bottle /thermos of water you pack? If she tends to be on the high normal range of BMI, maybe you acn have her start drinking 5 full glasses of water (one before each regular meal, and one before each snack.) A lot of kids who tend to get heavier quickly (mine included, she is just built very big) drinks LOTS of water now to keep up her energy and to keep her weight/bmi down.

As long as it's healthy, it shouldn't be a problem. My son gets HUNGRY after preschool and our ride home isn't as long as yours. Just get healthy snacks and you'll both be happy :)

If the afternoon snack is absent or several hours before pickup, put a small, healthy snack in the car. When my DD was in daycare, the toddler room would give them a last snack around 3 and by the time I bundled her into the car at 6, she was hungry! If your schedule is similar, then I think she's just genuinely hungry. If the begging is annoying, then address that behavior. "You're hungry and upset, huh? We'll have a snack as soon as we get home." Or, try to keep something in the car that's reasonably healthy and small.

Is it a comfort thing or a growing and hungry thing? My DD ate 2 hot dogs, a box of raisins, a banana and some crackers for lunch and washed it down with both milk and water. She's 4.5 and I think she's going through a growth spurt again.

Hi, Y.:

Yes, a habit has been formed.

Bring a little bottle of water for her.
When she complains, have a conversation about what is
making her so upset.

Questions to ask her:
1) What happened?
2) What were you thinking of at the time?
3) What have you thought about since?
4) Who has been affected by what you have done? In what way?
5) What do you think you need to do to make things right?

You can reword the questions to suit the issue.
Good luck.
D.

I think you are over thinking it. I think she is just famished after preschool and it is 20 minutes home. I'd bring her a snack and I would not think it is a big deal!

If this is recent she may be in a growth spurt. When little ones are growing they eat and eat and eat. You may also notice she is more tired and needs a bit more sleep than she normally does. As long as she is eating something healthy it's all good.

My son is 4 years old and in preschool. I was shocked the other day when he relayed a conversation the kids were having about fat vs. skinny, etc. I wonder if the girls in her class are already obsessing and she is embarrassed to eat (or eat as much) in school. That could be what's making her really hungry (and cranky!) @ the end of the day. My son has days where he is begging for food the minute I pick him up but that's mainly b/c he is super picky and will refuse to eat @ school if they serve something he doesn't like. Try to gently talk to her and see if the "fat" conversations have already started. How sad.

You're either going to have to bring a snack in the car every day, or never 'cause she's not going for this random stuff. I get that she's hungry; they are always hungry after school/daycare. So, either you get into the habit of always bringing them, or she breaks the habit of having it. Your choice.