Did I create snack monsters, or is this normal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel part of this occurs because many parents keep a snack on hand and give it to the kid when they’re misbehaving which is happening because they’re bored. Car ride and bored? Snack. Bored in church? Snack. Bored at sister’s soccer game? Snack. So yes I feel this is created, if you’ve done these things.

Bingo.

Exactly. Snacks are the new pacifier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel part of this occurs because many parents keep a snack on hand and give it to the kid when they’re misbehaving which is happening because they’re bored. Car ride and bored? Snack. Bored in church? Snack. Bored at sister’s soccer game? Snack. So yes I feel this is created, if you’ve done these things.

Bingo.

Exactly. Snacks are the new pacifier.

I want a midafternoon snack, so I completely understand why my DCs would want one. They are all in elementary school now and eat a heavy snack around 4:00. I want to eat dinner by 5:30 and am starving by then. If I am meeting friends for dinner at 7/7:30, I will absolutely eat a small meal beforehand or a big snack. I agree with the PP who said the mealtimes might need to be readjusted to reduce the snacking.

And I really agree with the PP above. My parents (and my brother and SIL) do this to my niece all the time. If she cries or is upset in any way, they immediately feed her.

[Anonymous]

We aren't big on snacks. They get a mid-morning snack and a mid-afternoon snack - both small. We have a hard rule that they never get to eat in the car, so they don't ask for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read bringing up bebe, snacks are an american thing.

I give a snack after nap. It's usually cheese or yogurt and/or fruit. Sometimes it's refused and I start dinner earlier than usual. No snacks other than that, and he devours each meal without a struggle.

Snacking *all the time* might be an American thing, but other countries definitely have snacks. I recall my French teacher fondly recalling her after-school goûter--which was usually a baguette stuffed with a chocolate bar. The Brits have afternoon tea. The Spanish have merrienda. Eating something in the afternoon, especially kids having an afterschool snack, or adults having coffee/tea with a small treat, seems pretty common.

Yes, but it's not snacking all. the. time. Like one pp mentioned it's the constant snacking in the morning, at the playground, on the car ride back, before lunch, after nap, at church, before bed, the soccer practice. That's where it's an American thing and she's right that is stems from boredom.

Correct, if you'd read bringing up bebe then you'd know she covers this goûter. It's also why I do offer an afternoon snack after nap to try to extend dinner to a time where DH will be home and we can eat 1 meal altogether.

The general notion of always having snacks on you (multiple snacks! your bag is basically a vending machine!) and plying your children with them at the first sign of a whine is what's american.

[Anonymous]

Kids are in elementary school now, but generally we reserve snacks for driving and plane trips. We walk home from school and I start dinner, if the kids are very hungry, I steer them toward fruit, but if DS eats too much, he won't have room for dinner. Luckily they generally have screen time (another issue altogether) until dinner is ready.

On weekends if kids ask for food, we try to give them leftovers or make a sandwich.

But, in general, I think being familiar with a feeling of hunger is a good thing and I don't immediately rush to feed them. Of course, my kids don't turn into monsters from Hell when they get hungry, so this helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read bringing up bebe, snacks are an american thing.

I give a snack after nap. It's usually cheese or yogurt and/or fruit. Sometimes it's refused and I start dinner earlier than usual. No snacks other than that, and he devours each meal without a struggle.

Snacking *all the time* might be an American thing, but other countries definitely have snacks. I recall my French teacher fondly recalling her after-school goûter--which was usually a baguette stuffed with a chocolate bar. The Brits have afternoon tea. The Spanish have merrienda. Eating something in the afternoon, especially kids having an afterschool snack, or adults having coffee/tea with a small treat, seems pretty common.

Yes, but it's not snacking all. the. time. Like one pp mentioned it's the constant snacking in the morning, at the playground, on the car ride back, before lunch, after nap, at church, before bed, the soccer practice. That's where it's an American thing and she's right that is stems from boredom.

Correct, if you'd read bringing up bebe then you'd know she covers this goûter. It's also why I do offer an afternoon snack after nap to try to extend dinner to a time where DH will be home and we can eat 1 meal altogether.

The general notion of always having snacks on you (multiple snacks! your bag is basically a vending machine!) and plying your children with them at the first sign of a whine is what's american.

I'll have to read that book. I'm not against snacks, per se, just the constant stream of them. It really bothers me. My kids are in school now and they have apples and PB or similar after they get home.

[Anonymous]

I never give snacks in the car just because I got a new car and new car seats and I don’t want them to look like the old ones so they only get water. My kids don’t really like cookies,crackers, or pretzels but I do pack things like apples, bananas, clementines, or apple sauce. I do this when I know my kids won’t be eating for a while. They typically don’t get to eat after school because we’re rushing to get ready for after school activities so they will usually quickly eat a piece of fruit once we arrive before they go into class. My kids practices are very long from 1.5 - 3 hours at a time so a snack is sometimes needed to make it to dinner. I definitely don’t hand them out all the time at home.

[Anonymous]

I have 3 kids ages 2-10 and they all love and require snacks.

Older 2 used to go to daycare and would be hungry when we got home. We did not give snacks during the short 5 min drive home. Now I stay home with our youngest and loves to snack. She wants a snack after nap everyday right around when big kids get home from school. Now they snack altogether around 4 daily.

[Anonymous]

I think a lot of you have too many rules/restrictions about eating. As long as it’s a healthy snack, it’s not impacting the eating of actual meals and no one is obese, what’s the issue?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read bringing up bebe, snacks are an american thing.

I give a snack after nap. It's usually cheese or yogurt and/or fruit. Sometimes it's refused and I start dinner earlier than usual. No snacks other than that, and he devours each meal without a struggle.

Snacking *all the time* might be an American thing, but other countries definitely have snacks. I recall my French teacher fondly recalling her after-school goûter--which was usually a baguette stuffed with a chocolate bar. The Brits have afternoon tea. The Spanish have merrienda. Eating something in the afternoon, especially kids having an afterschool snack, or adults having coffee/tea with a small treat, seems pretty common.

Yes, but it's not snacking all. the. time. Like one pp mentioned it's the constant snacking in the morning, at the playground, on the car ride back, before lunch, after nap, at church, before bed, the soccer practice. That's where it's an American thing and she's right that is stems from boredom.

Correct, if you'd read bringing up bebe then you'd know she covers this goûter. It's also why I do offer an afternoon snack after nap to try to extend dinner to a time where DH will be home and we can eat 1 meal altogether.

The general notion of always having snacks on you (multiple snacks! your bag is basically a vending machine!) and plying your children with them at the first sign of a whine is what's american.

And it’s not uncommon to see a 5 year old in France with a pacifier in their mouth. They’re pacifying their kids one way or another.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why the 45 minute soccer game HAS to have a snack schedule for parents to haul to the field. It's ridiculous!

This drives me completely crazy. And every week the snacks get bigger. The parents who bring them think they are so gracious and kind to bring vast quantities of snacks, and enough for all the siblings. I have multiple kids who all play a sport. I'm about to simply give up on feeding my kids on Saturday's because they are GIVEN BY OTHER PEOPLE so much food and sugar (e.g. gatorade) at games.

YES. I don't know where this started. I have given up on trying to limit snacks because my kids have so many snack times built into their schedules. During the week at school they eat lunch very early and then have an afternoon snack. On weekends they have post-game snacks and birthday parties and whatever else. I can't be mad at them for expecting food every couple of hours, it's what happens every other day whether I want it to or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel part of this occurs because many parents keep a snack on hand and give it to the kid when they’re misbehaving which is happening because they’re bored. Car ride and bored? Snack. Bored in church? Snack. Bored at sister’s soccer game? Snack. So yes I feel this is created, if you’ve done these things.

Bingo.

Exactly. Snacks are the new pacifier.

Neither of my kids took a pacifier, and we don't give lots of snacks. The one time this goes out the window is on an airplane. On an airplane, it's Goldfish and lollipop city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of you have too many rules/restrictions about eating. As long as it’s a healthy snack, it’s not impacting the eating of actual meals and no one is obese, what’s the issue?

Eating anything in the car is disgusting. I don't care if it is an apple or a bag of Goldfish or what.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of you have too many rules/restrictions about eating. As long as it’s a healthy snack, it’s not impacting the eating of actual meals and no one is obese, what’s the issue?

Eating anything in the car is disgusting. I don't care if it is an apple or a bag of Goldfish or what.

Unclench

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of you have too many rules/restrictions about eating. As long as it’s a healthy snack, it’s not impacting the eating of actual meals and no one is obese, what’s the issue?

Eating anything in the car is disgusting. I don't care if it is an apple or a bag of Goldfish or what.

Unclench

Enjoy your whiny, demanding kids and your crumb-laden car. Maybe you'll be as lucky as my cousin and get a nest of mice in your minivan.