Snack Time

Updated on April 01, 2009
L.M. asks from Albany, MN
20 answers

My children have snacks throughout the day and around 7:00 at night, before bed. The choices have been crackers, pudding, fruit, jelly sandwiches, etc. but I am looking for something that will fill them up longer. They are asking for a snack every hour to hour and a half. I know they have little tummys and it is good to eat every few hours but I feel like we are eating all day and only have so many ideas for snacks. If you have any suggestions on great snack foods or what works well with your children I would like to hear them.

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So What Happened?

Thank you for all the suggestions. Some times I just get in a rut of ideas. I have tried adding more protien and it has worked great. We have been able to make it from meal time to snack time and then meal time without any asking for a snack. Thanks again.

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S.M.

answers from Waterloo on

my nephew comes to visit me for my "monkey tails"! 2 versions i know are: roll a banana in peanut butter then in rice krispies, or roll it in chocolate syrup then sprinkles. you could variate that any way, tho. also dip pretzels in peanut butter then "go fishing" for goldfish crackers. i hate peanut butter but know lots of things to do with it for kids. use soft tortilla shells to make pb&j sandwich. most people think french toast is a hassle to make but you can do a small batch really quickly, cut into strips, and even dip into syrup or anything or eat plain. hope these help.
S. m

1 mom found this helpful
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R.

answers from Omaha on

I like to feed my girls a whole grain cereal before bedtime so it fills them up and they sleep well. The other suggestions you have gotten are really good too. Good luck!

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C.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

Protein, fiber, and "good" fats will make them feel full longer. My son loves cut up pita bread with hummus. Crackers are great but make them whole wheat crackers, and serve them with a protein or fiber: meat, cheese, nut butters, bean dip. Whole milk yogurt is a favorite of mine; this is hard to find in regular grocery stories--I get mine at a co-op. How about a peanut butter & banana smoothie made with milk or soy milk (chocolate or regular). A lot of kids love bean & cheese burritos, and these cook up fast in the microwave. Hard boiled eggs are a favorite of my husband.

My goal for snacks is that they contain 3 of the 5 food groups. Granted, I don't hit this every single snacktime, but it's my goal, and it's what I have in mind when I grocery shop. It's easier than it sounds: a hard boiled egg, a cup of juice & a slice of cheese; or wheat crackers, black bean dip & orange slices. The bean & cheese burrito and peanut butter & banana smoothie already have 3.

Another thought I had is make sure they are drinking lots of plain ol' water throughout the day. Thirst can be mistaken for hunger. Good luck!

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C.O.

answers from Minneapolis on

My boys love string cheese, yogurt (sometimes with granola and/or craisins mixed in), crackers with tuna, apple slices, carrot sticks, granola bars, fruit & grain bars, bananas, quesadillas (done quickly in the microwave), oatmeal, and toaster waffles cut into strips with applesauce to dip them in. My 2-year-old, who is more open-minded when it comes to food, also loves avocados and hummus.

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A.F.

answers from St. Cloud on

Hi L.! My kids like sliced avocados, shredded cheese in a bowl, cereal with milk, apples and peanut butter, almonds or pistachios(although pistachios are totally TABOO now due to salmonella concerns).
The trick is to pair a carbohydrate with a protein to keep blood sugars level and that's what keeps you feeling satisfied for longer periods.
Keep up the good work! Having them drink water throughout the day will help too!

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M.B.

answers from Appleton on

I'm i the same boat as you right now. One thing that I have been giving them lately is apples and peanut butter. good luck

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L.B.

answers from Minneapolis on

Two of my kids' favorites are cashews or sliced apples with peanut butter.

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M.N.

answers from Madison on

Yogurt and cottage cheese are great. My son loves roasted sweet potatoes for snacks and sometimes additions to meals. He is 17 months old and has recently discovered that he loves roasted red pepper hummus with whole wheat crackers. I tried the garlic hummus and neither he or I liked it.

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A.N.

answers from Milwaukee on

Hi L.,

I noticed that all your snacks are carb snacks. I would continue with these choices, but add some cheese to those crackers, peanut butter to those jelly sandwiches (my daughter eats peanut butter sandwiches), maybe cut up an apple for the fruit selection or some other high fiber fruit since it takes longer to digest. Carbs are wonderful because they provide energy which your children need to keep active, but only high fiber snacks take awhile to digest, the rest get used up much quicker so if you add a little protein or fat, it slows the rate of digestion making them feel full longer.

My daughter eats 3 meals and about 2 or 3 snacks throughout the day. I generally give her protein and/or fat at every meal, and her snacks are generally additional carbs to keep her energized until the next meal, but if you find that your children are still eating that often with protein and fat in their meals, then I would mix the snacks with some more protein and fat. They could be going through a growth spurt also so that maybe why they are hungry all the time too. Do what works best for your little ones.

I hope this helps!

Angie

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K.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

String cheese, Odwalla bars (or Tiger Milk bars), nuts, and edamame (green soybeans available in the frozen vegetable section of many grocery stores) all make good protein based snacks. When my son snacks on just crackers and fruit (fresh or dried) without an accompanying protein source then he is hungry again in a very short time.

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D.S.

answers from Milwaukee on

Try to give them more fruit or veggies or cheese slices/sticks or yogurt. You can also try a couple of these together. I noticed that their snack choices did not include these. Good luck. Also, it is okay to let them go a little longer in between if it is close to meal times.

A little about me: sahm to 3 wonderful children: ages 5 1/2, 3 and 1. Married for 9 yrs to a great guy.

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B.T.

answers from Minneapolis on

my 6 year old does the same thing. some other ideas we do are yogurt, string cheese, easy microwavable foods like microwave mac and cheese, microwave pizza, grill cheese...
microwabable rice, chicken nuggets,

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K.C.

answers from Minneapolis on

Try healthy proteins - cheese, nuts, nut butters, pieces of sandwich meat, yogurt. I also had to lay down the law with my kids. They get 1 morning at 10:30 and 1 afternoon snack at 12:30. And maybe one before bed if we eat dinner relatively early. They can eat as much healthy snack as they want during those times in the kitchen.

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M.W.

answers from St. Cloud on

Apples are filling.

Also, for the jelly sandwiches, are you using regular bread??? Because the only bread we keep in the house is Ezekiel. The kids LOVE the cinnamon raison kind. And it is VERY filling!

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N.A.

answers from Minneapolis on

Something with protein in it will tide them over a little longer. My kids like string cheese, peanut butter and apple slices, peanut butter on crackers, cheese and crackers, etc. The more sweet foods are good right after eating, vs a snack in between meals.

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L.D.

answers from Minneapolis on

It is true that children have small tummies and eat frequently but ever hour seems excessive. Every 2-3 hours should be addequit. Try having them wait longer and see if they eat more and are full longer. This may take a few days for them to catch on. Is it pssible they are eating so often because they are bored and don't know what else to do? Have them do something that occupies their brains like an art project or playing outside. Also make sure they have to sit at the table to eat snacks. When people eat in front of the TV or while playing or brains don't get the signal that we have eaten and are full.

Foods that are warm will make you fill full longer as well as high protein and fiber. Try eggs (hard boiled or scrambled, egg salad), oatmeal (bars, or granola), apples and pears, potatoes (sliced and microwaved), beans (bean dip, hummas), and nuts.

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S.R.

answers from Davenport on

Things with more protein will stay in their bellies longer. You might try string cheese, yogurt, peanut butter etc...The other thing is that they may just think they are hungry and the snacks are a habit. You might try setting a morning and afternoon snack time and then let them know that they can eat again at the next meal time. Also make sure they are staying hydrated enough;sometimes thirst can be mistaken for hunger. If they say they are hungry give them some water and then tell them they need to wait 15-20 minutes. If they are still feeling hungry then give them something to eat.

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S.J.

answers from Minneapolis on

I give my 4 year old daughter microwave popcorn (she likes to do that herself as it popsand she gigles) box raisins, smoothies, celery with cream cheese, tater tots as all these snacks fills her up for a while.

S.

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K.K.

answers from Milwaukee on

You've gotten really good suggestions, but here is a totally different kind of answer for you. My kids were constantly hungry, no matter what I fed them. We took them to a naturopath for an unrelated issue, and she discovered that they had parasites in their blood. The parasites were taking all the nutrients from their food, so they were always needing more. If you add in protein and some fiber, and they are still eating constantly, you might consider getting them checked. Good Luck!

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G.N.

answers from Minneapolis on

Snacks with protien will hold longer as protiens take longer to digest. Cheese and crackers are a favorite at our home. You could also slice an apple and use peanut butter for a dip. My kids also like hard boiled eggs.

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