Hi, moms. I feel that a huge portion of my day is spent constantly fetching and preparing snacks for my 4 y.o. It seems that as soon as I sit down to relax, I'll hear, "I'm hungry" or "Can I have something to drink?" He has just recently discovered that he is finally tall enough to get water out of the kitchen sink on his own - yay! - but I'm wondering what other people do about snacks?
I have friends who have a kid-accessible cupboard full of snacks from which their children can just help themselves. I'm afraid if I do that, he'll just fill up on goldfish crackers and cheese all day. I'm fine if he eats a little bit of those, but I'd prefer he have a balance that includes fruit. But if I have to prepare and portion them out ahead of time every day, well, that's not much easier than just dealing with it as he asks.
How about dedicating a drawer in the fridge for snacks? You could use sandwich baggies and put celery, carrots, cheese, apple slices, grapes etc. for the week, so he gets some healthy snacks and he can serve himself from the fridge when he is ready to eat. I do that and I also have a shelf in my cabinet for raisins, almonds and other non-perishable items for my daughter, as well as the pocket behind the driver's seat in my car with non-perishable, easy to reach snacks for when we are on the road.
Is he asking for snacks because he is bored or he just wants to see how much he can make mommy do. Tell him no every once in awhile. That will save him from snacking so much and you from having to be at his beck and call all the time. I would put a few healthy snacks down low for him to reach on his own and tell him that once those are gone, that's it on snacks til tomorrow when you put a few more in there for him to eat. Like pick a bottom drawer in your kitchen and make it his special snack drawer.
We don't have "free access" to snacks, especially near meal times. He has a snack in the morning before leaving for preschool (they have breakfast there), lunch and afternoon snack at preschool, dinner and then a small treat at night. No need to snack all day.
If your little guy is a "snacker", then you may want to consider having a couple of pre-portioned items on his level each day. When those are gone, oh well! He'll learn to space it out on his own.
Keep a water bottle filled with water or juice out for him (one with a lid and straw) so that he has fluids without needing a "refill" constantly.
My kids (7 year old and 4 year old) know that snack time is after nap (around 3pm) and 7pm. If they want something between meals they have to wait. So usually I let them pick out their own snack after nap. We do have a snack cupboard that both can reach with a stool and the oldest is always willing to help the youngest one get a snack. As for water, I keep a clean cup for both of them on the kitchen counter and we have a fridge that dispenses water. So if they are thirsty they get themselves a water. Other than that I get them snack. Also there is always fruit or yogurt on lower shelves that they can both reach.
I have a shelf in the fridge that is my son's height (3 yrs old). On there I have snack baggies filled with baby carrots, strawberries (between him and my daughter we go through about 4 lbs of strawberries a week), and apples. We also have a snack "box" in the cabinet he can open that I will keep a couple of packs of goldfish, granola bars, and cereal bars in - but only a few. J knows if he is hungry to go get a snack from there first, and he almost always goes for the fruits and veggies. Anything I don't want him to have I keep out of his reach. if it is too close to meal time, I will move the snacks out of his reach.
how about a fruit bowl on the kitchen table? he can have that OR if you want limit his goldfish intake. you can have a premeasured amount in a baggie and in "his snack cupboard". if its gone, its gone and he will have to eat something else.
Not sure if he can do this, by my daughter is just over 2 is TRYING to open the fridge. Once she has the strength I plan on teaching her that 'her cup' is in this special place (on the door, probably with stickers on it) and she can get the stuff herself...sadly my kid is a climber so she knows where the 'fun' snacks are and she grabs a chair to the countertop, climbs and opens up 'snack heaven'..thankfully she doesnt know how to open the stuff
We don't really snack unless we are all snacking together, like between nap and dinner. It is okay to say no if you know he is not really hungry or a meal is coming up. If he was in daycare, or when he is in school, he will not be able to eat whenever. This would be good practice.
Otherwise, I'd fill a few baggies with fruit and keep them fridge for him to grap when you tell him it's okay.
My kids snack a LOT from after school into the evening. Their snacks range from crackers, to sugar-free jell-o, pickles, veggies, fruit, baked beans, peanut butter & toast and tuns fish.
As long as they are eating healthy, I don't mind. I do go CRAZY when they are asking for stuff over and over, so I do try to set them up with bowls or bags that they can get themselves. I remind them that I am one mom and there are 2 of them. If they want it, they need to get up and get it.
We always had a snack drawer for my daughter..with 100 calorie packs or baggies I prepped with about this amount (serving sizes of cheeze its or fishys)..the 90 calorie granola bars...and fruits on the table in the big bowl...but she always had to ask first. At 16 she is still in the habit of saying "Can I have a snack?"....as we never eat consistently at the same time for dinner..and shes always questioning how close we are to dinner to determine if she should just have a quick 100 calorie type something, or maybe a banana or yogurt with it (if dinner is still a long ways away).
I think its a good idea to teach your kids to make some healthy choices....but you have to put those options in front of them, in the right size..and still monitor them a bit (like asking for permission..its an easy thing, then self serve). Make sure you are making them clean up after themselves too when they are done!!! =)
We do about one snack a day unless something messes up the schedule. Otherwise, he wouldn't eatmuch at mealtime. I make suggestions for snack and it's usually stuff he can get with a minimum amount of help. I usually let him have fruit, yogurt, cheese, etc. He gets the appropriate tableware and, most times, the food. I help him open it if necessary. He gets his own glass of water when he's thirsty.
with my 4 year old daughter i do this. she cant eat a snack until its been 2 hours after her last meal (which is the dead center of time between what she ate and her next meal). if i didnt do it this way she would sit and eat all day. i also did this because my mil would constantly ask her right after she just ate and try to offer her a whole other meal of food. my daughter is a healthy 42 inches tall and about 36lbs.
I know how you feel. I solved this problem by just stop offering more than one snack. Now my kids eat their meals when we sit down for lunch and dinner. I offer one snack, at around 10 am and right after nap time. Then I just say "no, wait for dinner" and they know the routine. It is WONDERFUL! I was hard at first but now they eat so much better!
Snack Sherpa! That's hilarious! I feel the same way. My daughter is constantly asking for food. We had to schedule snack times.
Breakfast upon waking (usually 8am)
Snack at 10:30am
Lunch between noon and 1pm
Snack at 3:30pm
Dinner between 6-7:30pm.
So basically our meal times are not scheduled AT ALL but our snack times are. My situation is different because my kids had Type 1 diabetes and they need to have snacks, but my daughter would eat all the live long day if I let her!
One thing that has saved my sanity is the the squeezeable fruit from Buddy Fruits. www.buddyfruits.com It's a great way to get fruit in when you are on the go, or very handy if you would like your son to get his own snack if you are busy. Peter Rabbit Organics has a similar fruit pouch and so does GoGo Squeez.
Otherwise, it's grapes, bananas, applesauce or Clementine oranges in our house! We pair each snack of fruit with raw almonds or cheddar cheese chunks. All can be put in a bowl ahead of time.
Buy an apple slicer. Putting string cheese, apples, strawberries and grapes on the table takes 30 seconds max. That will give him protien, fiber, vitamin a,c, and e.
My 2 have thier own little folding table in the kitchen. I put 2 glasses of ice water and a plate of grapes, apple slices, fruit, goldfish or whatever out after breakfast. That sits there until lunch. Then at lunch I put sandwhiches or pasta or whatever on the table. Then clear the table and nap time. After nap I put another little plate full of healthy snacks and ice water on the table. They go play, run in and out of the house. Grab a piece here and there. Then dinner. Then a popsicle. and off to the bath.
Fruit is always available. Though my son is two. As soon as I get home from the grocery store, I divide snacks into snack baggies. I put all the snacks for the day in my purse--unless it needs to be in the fridge. Fridge stuff he usually gets with meals. He gets what he gets in terms of crackers and dried fruit, unless he wants an apple or a banana or an orange (or grapes which I will get from the fridge). This will carry on as he gets older.