Kid is a “snack” fiend

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 4 year old is obsessed with “snacks”…he eats meals well but in between meals he is constantly asking for snacks. I try to give him healthy things like fruit and cheese and apple sauce but he asks for more and more! When we run out of healthy things I’ll move on to giving him some goldfish and chips to hold him off until dinner but I don’t like that they’re not healthy.I can’t tell if he’s going through a growth spurt or if he’s just obsessed with snacks lol. I don’t want to deprive him of food if he’s actually hungry. But I wish he would stop with the constant asking!

Any tips?

Chips and goldfish aren’t healthy? What?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm an adult and am more a grazer versus big meal person. It works for me and my body. One of my kids couldn't care less about snacks and the other is obsessed with them. Since i'm the same way (and believe my body is naturally that way versus somehow my parents made me that way and not my siblings) I don't fight it for him. What I do is...

Make him BIG snacks in a snack box that others would consider more like a meal. They often include 2 hard boiled eggs or half a sandwich or a hearty breakfast cookie or pasta salad etc plus a fruit, a more typical snack food like chips or a little popcorn, and often a second fruit or a veg

This size snack is offered 2x a day. He can have it as early as he wants in the morning and in the afternoon. He will sometimes eat it all right away and sometimes spread it out

Accept his meals are going to be smaller (and sometimes he eats basically no dinner) because he's eating mini meals (versus snacks) in between the other meals.

Once I got on board with this it went so much better. Because the food was more like a meal (versus him filling up on "snack" food) it didn't bother me that it was so big or might make a meal later smaller. Because he had variety and plenty, he stopped asking for more or different snacks. The overall goal of getting "snacks" off his mind / out of our debates and getting nutritious food into him was met

I like this approach

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm an adult and am more a grazer versus big meal person. It works for me and my body. One of my kids couldn't care less about snacks and the other is obsessed with them. Since i'm the same way (and believe my body is naturally that way versus somehow my parents made me that way and not my siblings) I don't fight it for him. What I do is...

Make him BIG snacks in a snack box that others would consider more like a meal. They often include 2 hard boiled eggs or half a sandwich or a hearty breakfast cookie or pasta salad etc plus a fruit, a more typical snack food like chips or a little popcorn, and often a second fruit or a veg

This size snack is offered 2x a day. He can have it as early as he wants in the morning and in the afternoon. He will sometimes eat it all right away and sometimes spread it out

Accept his meals are going to be smaller (and sometimes he eats basically no dinner) because he's eating mini meals (versus snacks) in between the other meals.

Once I got on board with this it went so much better. Because the food was more like a meal (versus him filling up on "snack" food) it didn't bother me that it was so big or might make a meal later smaller. Because he had variety and plenty, he stopped asking for more or different snacks. The overall goal of getting "snacks" off his mind / out of our debates and getting nutritious food into him was met

I like this approach

Thanks! Also to the people that will say "that will never work at school!" it works fine. He's learned to eat a big snack at school fairly quickly and the business at school keeps his mind off of snacking more. It just gives him more flexibility to eat the way his body prefers

[Anonymous]

THANK YOU! I appreciate all the advice.

He’s in school full time but asks for snacks before dinner (or first thing when he wakes up - ugh! And I have to explain why we eat “breakfast” and not snacks and what the difference is. He gets breakfast at school but wants a pre breakfast lol). Weekends and holidays - snacks all day long if we’re home and not doing something super engaging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:THANK YOU! I appreciate all the advice.

He’s in school full time but asks for snacks before dinner (or first thing when he wakes up - ugh! And I have to explain why we eat “breakfast” and not snacks and what the difference is. He gets breakfast at school but wants a pre breakfast lol). Weekends and holidays - snacks all day long if we’re home and not doing something super engaging.

Ha. All meals are snacks to my 2.5 year old. "Do you want dinner?" "No" "do you want a snack?" "Yes"....spaghetti is the snack.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:THANK YOU! I appreciate all the advice.

He’s in school full time but asks for snacks before dinner (or first thing when he wakes up - ugh! And I have to explain why we eat “breakfast” and not snacks and what the difference is. He gets breakfast at school but wants a pre breakfast lol). Weekends and holidays - snacks all day long if we’re home and not doing something super engaging.

Ha. All meals are snacks to my 2.5 year old. "Do you want dinner?" "No" "do you want a snack?" "Yes"....spaghetti is the snack.

Exactly! It’s the real food/meals vs. snacks distinction that’s getting on my nerves. I just want him to eat healthy but it’s hard to explain why some things are ok and other things aren’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:THANK YOU! I appreciate all the advice.

He’s in school full time but asks for snacks before dinner (or first thing when he wakes up - ugh! And I have to explain why we eat “breakfast” and not snacks and what the difference is. He gets breakfast at school but wants a pre breakfast lol). Weekends and holidays - snacks all day long if we’re home and not doing something super engaging.

Ha. All meals are snacks to my 2.5 year old. "Do you want dinner?" "No" "do you want a snack?" "Yes"....spaghetti is the snack.

Exactly! It’s the real food/meals vs. snacks distinction that’s getting on my nerves. I just want him to eat healthy but it’s hard to explain why some things are ok and other things aren’t.

Just to add on…not that I’m against snacks generally! We’re just not going to eat goldfish at 8am. Or 5 times a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 4 year old is obsessed with “snacks”…he eats meals well but in between meals he is constantly asking for snacks. I try to give him healthy things like fruit and cheese and apple sauce but he asks for more and more! When we run out of healthy things I’ll move on to giving him some goldfish and chips to hold him off until dinner but I don’t like that they’re not healthy.I can’t tell if he’s going through a growth spurt or if he’s just obsessed with snacks lol. I don’t want to deprive him of food if he’s actually hungry. But I wish he would stop with the constant asking!

Any tips?

Apparently, he isn't getting enough at meals or he needs some water. Next time he asks for a snack give him a juice glass of water.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:THANK YOU! I appreciate all the advice.

He’s in school full time but asks for snacks before dinner (or first thing when he wakes up - ugh! And I have to explain why we eat “breakfast” and not snacks and what the difference is. He gets breakfast at school but wants a pre breakfast lol). Weekends and holidays - snacks all day long if we’re home and not doing something super engaging.

Sounds like he's doing it out of boredom. Just keep to the set times for the most part

[Anonymous]

I vote apples, apples, and more apples. OP do your kids get enough fiber. If not, you’re not doing your job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I vote apples, apples, and more apples. OP do your kids get enough fiber. If not, you’re not doing your job.

was this really necessary?

[Anonymous]

Lots of apples is a good idea. Put them in his reach so he doesn’t have to ask for a snack. Tell him his only available snack is as many apples as he wants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I vote apples, apples, and more apples. OP do your kids get enough fiber. If not, you’re not doing your job.

Yes, daily poops

[Anonymous]

A snack doesn’t have to be snack food. Can be leftovers from last night’s dinner, or preview of tonight’s dinner

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids can have u limited snacks as long as they're healthy. If they want a snack they can have fruit, a peanut butter sandwich, Greek yogurt, nuts, carrots, an avocado etc etc. If they don't want any of the healthy options then they're not really hungry.

+1. If he's already eating healthy things and still hungry, he's probably in a growth spurt. Offer a peanut butter sandwich or Greek yogurt. Something with carbs, fat, and protein.

Yes most likely a growth spurt; mine has been this way for about…8 years.

Picked him up from after care the other day and he asked if I had a snack for him. When I said no, he said “WHAT?!? I haven’t eaten for like 30 minutes.”

His friends parents call him “I’m hungry”

Before the critics jump on me, he’s a skinny kid with a visible 6 pack so suck it.