Your snowflake doesn't need a snack.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gonna weigh in on this. When I was in grade school, I was dropped off at something like 7:30 which meant eating breakfast around 7am, and my lunch was not until 12:30. I remember my stomach grumbling through tests and feeling uncomfortable, both starving and because I felt embarrassed. I ate a normal sized breakfast and later even started stuffing myself at breakfast to try to make it through the morning as snacks were not allowed. This was around 3rd grade.

Fast forward to an exchange program in high school when I was 16. The school I attended in Germany had primary and middle attached to it, and we moved throughout the entire building for various classes. Since we (the exchange students) were very elementary in our language skills, we spent a portion of the day with elementary school students for grammar lessons. I recall being blown away that students were allowed to pull out snacks at any time they damn well pleased. They ate during class and cleaned up after themselves. No biggie. No one batted an eye.

Why on earth should this be such a problem in the U.S.? Allow kids to eat when they are hungry and develop healthy eating habits. End of story.

There are several reasons, but a big one is the rampant fear among the lululemon set that if they let their kids actually eat when they want to eat, they'll end up fat. And having a fat kid is just as bad as being fat yourself. Maybe worse.

[Anonymous]

Why on earth should this be such a problem in the U.S.? Allow kids to eat when they are hungry and develop healthy eating habits. End of story.

It's rude and messy.

Do you want to sit next to someone who is eating and crunching while you are working?

FWIW, I was a teacher. Kids could bring a snack and eat it outside at recess. Problem solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP you act as if snacks during the school day is some novel pinterest mom of snowflake kids concepts.

A snack break during the day is an idea that is as old as dirt. We had this in the 70s.

We also had recess 2-3x per day.

Everyon did. Snacks and recess.

Kids need full tummies and recess to channel their enregy in order for their minds to learn.

They aren't overweight, middle aged, out of shape dcum women and should not eat like you do. Their needs are different, and what is healthy for you is not healthy for an active growing kid.

Larla's mom is right.

+1 When I was in ES (70's), we had a recess time where kids would have a snack if they wanted and the lunch, with additional time to play outside if we wanted. In middle school (80's) there was a break called "nutrition" -- only about 15 minutes but, as the name implies, was to allow for a snack if needed, and then lunch was later.

[Anonymous]

In 4th grade, my child had the last lunch of the day that was not until 1:15. The teacher incorporated a morning circle time around 11am that included snacks. I imagine the same could be true if a grade has a 11am lunch and instruction goes until 3:30.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My best takeaway from "Bringing up Bebe" (an account of an American raising children in Paris) is that the only snack children have there is their "gouter." Served at about four, it's the only non-meal food French children expect. I am raising my daughter similarly and she's a healthy weight, growing well, and happy.

And when I was in France I saw more 4-5 year olds sucking on pacifiers than I could possibly imagine. Why is the French way better than ours?

[Anonymous]

So many aspects of our public education system are still stuck in the Middle Ages.

[Anonymous]

I'm a teacher and my admin doesn't allow snacks at all, even for the grades who have lunch very early or vey late. We are a high FARMS school, and many students do not have enough food at home to bring in a snack so it would be a case of the haves and have nots. There is also an allergy concern since it's difficult to completely regulate what kids bring from home. Students at my school speak over 20 languages, and some of them are very difficult to find translation for information that goes home to parents.

It would cost a lot of money for the school to provide the snack, so that's out. So they don't have snack and so far everyone has survived. Maybe it's not ideal in all situations, but it's reality.

I do think the snacking culture has gotten out of control. We had a sports practice on Friday evening and a few families had coolers full of snacks for their kids (siblings of players) to graze on. Then the players saw their siblings eating so they would walk away from practice to come have a snack too. It happened during the game as well, and the game was at 1pm, so right after lunchtime. Even if they had an early lunch before 12pm they still should be able to wait a few hours before eating again. This was stuff like granola bars and crackers. These kids are being taught that they need to be eating constantly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher and my admin doesn't allow snacks at all, even for the grades who have lunch very early or vey late. We are a high FARMS school, and many students do not have enough food at home to bring in a snack so it would be a case of the haves and have nots. There is also an allergy concern since it's difficult to completely regulate what kids bring from home. Students at my school speak over 20 languages, and some of them are very difficult to find translation for information that goes home to parents.

It would cost a lot of money for the school to provide the snack, so that's out. So they don't have snack and so far everyone has survived. Maybe it's not ideal in all situations, but it's reality.

I do think the snacking culture has gotten out of control. We had a sports practice on Friday evening and a few families had coolers full of snacks for their kids (siblings of players) to graze on. Then the players saw their siblings eating so they would walk away from practice to come have a snack too. It happened during the game as well, and the game was at 1pm, so right after lunchtime. Even if they had an early lunch before 12pm they still should be able to wait a few hours before eating again. This was stuff like granola bars and crackers. These kids are being taught that they need to be eating constantly.

This.

[Anonymous]

These kids are being taught that they need to be eating constantly.

When was the last time you went to any event where moms were standing around and there were NO Starbucks cups?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are wrong. My snowflake needs to eat some protein every 4 hours or he needs to eat some serious meds to deal with the migraines. Since lunch is at 1:30 this year, he has a snack at about 11:30.

Wow. Migraines in a child? How awful.

They are awful, though as we learned from our pediatric neurologist, migraines are really a term for any 'unexplained' headache. At least that's how she uses the term. But a first grader who can't stand light, and just wimpers until he is put to bed in a dark room with no sound, is a heartbreaking sight. The fact that making sure to eat some protein at least every four hours seems to keep the worst of the headaches at bay has me firmly in the SNACK-YES camp.

[Anonymous]

When I was in elementary school almost 50 years ago, we indeed got a snack time. So the idea that kids should not go too long without eating for optimal educational time isn't a new one.

And no one thought of '60s kids as "snowflakes."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher and my admin doesn't allow snacks at all, even for the grades who have lunch very early or vey late. We are a high FARMS school, and many students do not have enough food at home to bring in a snack so it would be a case of the haves and have nots. There is also an allergy concern since it's difficult to completely regulate what kids bring from home. Students at my school speak over 20 languages, and some of them are very difficult to find translation for information that goes home to parents.

It would cost a lot of money for the school to provide the snack, so that's out. So they don't have snack and so far everyone has survived. Maybe it's not ideal in all situations, but it's reality.

I do think the snacking culture has gotten out of control. We had a sports practice on Friday evening and a few families had coolers full of snacks for their kids (siblings of players) to graze on. Then the players saw their siblings eating so they would walk away from practice to come have a snack too. It happened during the game as well, and the game was at 1pm, so right after lunchtime. Even if they had an early lunch before 12pm they still should be able to wait a few hours before eating again. This was stuff like granola bars and crackers. These kids are being taught that they need to be eating constantly.

This.

I hate the term "snack constantly"! So sick of hearing it. Having a snack or two in a day around meals does not mean snacking constantly, it means eating every 3 hours. Last time I checked, stuffing yourself past the point of being full so that you can make it to the next meal without being lightheaded and ravenous wasn't good either. Want to get kids to ignore their stopping point? Tell them they can't eat for 5 hours. Then when they're older and more in control of their food choices they'll have the capacity to eat more volume since they had to stuff themselves earlier in life and they won't have the ability to put down their fork when they're perfectly full because they won't know anymore what that means. My kids are in elementary and there's no snack. They wake up early and I try to delay them eating breakfast as long as I can do they can make it to lunch. I am feeding them high protein/high fat meals (i.e. Not a pop tart or cereal) and they're fine but I still worry that all those extra portions they're taking on so they can focus on the class right before lunch properly will mean not that they'll "snack constantly" but they will overeat as adults. There is nothing wrong with 1-2 snacks a day for active kids eating healthy foods! None!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Why on earth should this be such a problem in the U.S.? Allow kids to eat when they are hungry and develop healthy eating habits. End of story.

It's rude and messy.

Do you want to sit next to someone who is eating and crunching while you are working?

FWIW, I was a teacher. Kids could bring a snack and eat it outside at recess. Problem solved.

Ahhh, recess! That would be really nice if we lived in a world where kids still got recess!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher and my admin doesn't allow snacks at all, even for the grades who have lunch very early or vey late. We are a high FARMS school, and many students do not have enough food at home to bring in a snack so it would be a case of the haves and have nots. There is also an allergy concern since it's difficult to completely regulate what kids bring from home. Students at my school speak over 20 languages, and some of them are very difficult to find translation for information that goes home to parents.

It would cost a lot of money for the school to provide the snack, so that's out. So they don't have snack and so far everyone has survived. Maybe it's not ideal in all situations, but it's reality.

I do think the snacking culture has gotten out of control. We had a sports practice on Friday evening and a few families had coolers full of snacks for their kids (siblings of players) to graze on. Then the players saw their siblings eating so they would walk away from practice to come have a snack too. It happened during the game as well, and the game was at 1pm, so right after lunchtime. Even if they had an early lunch before 12pm they still should be able to wait a few hours before eating again. This was stuff like granola bars and crackers. These kids are being taught that they need to be eating constantly.

Sad and moronic post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Why on earth should this be such a problem in the U.S.? Allow kids to eat when they are hungry and develop healthy eating habits. End of story.

It's rude and messy.

Do you want to sit next to someone who is eating and crunching while you are working?

FWIW, I was a teacher. Kids could bring a snack and eat it outside at recess. Problem solved.

Ahhh, recess! That would be really nice if we lived in a world where kids still got recess!

Kids still get recess.