what is a healthy snack routine for a 4-5 year old?
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Anonymous
| My kid is starving in the morning and has breakfast by 8 am, then he gets a morning snack at prek between 9-930, then they eat lunch, then an afternoon snack at pre-k (I guess 2-3ish), then a snack at pick up from me, then we normally go to a playground and he eats dinner around 7. I think we eat dinner later than most families, but does that otherwise sound like what you do? |
Anonymous
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This totally depends on the kid.
My oldest kid could snack 10x a day and still eat all his meals. Bottomless pit and very thin. My younger, snacks ruin the next meal so I am more careful about snacking. |
Anonymous
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My kids (2 & 5) are both on the following rough schedule:
Breakfast at 7:30 Lunch at 11:30 Snack at 3:30 Dinner at 6:30 |
Anonymous
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Nope. DD just turned four. Breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner.
Your kid is eating two more snacks than mine. |
Anonymous
| My kids have always eaten whenever they wanted to. They are all teens and young 20s. No one is fat. You people are creating eating disorders. |
Anonymous
It has less to do with eating disorders/withholding food and more to do with mindless/bored eating (and filling up on empty calories). Unless snack is always nuts/cheese/avocado/protein or something healthy. |
Anonymous
| This is the exact schedule my kid has during the week, although we eat dinner closer to 6:00. She is almost 4. During the weekends I feel like she snacks more and I don't withhold snacks, but I will cut her off close to dinner or if she just keeps asking for stuff. It's generally healthy stuff. |
Anonymous
I don't know what the snack is at school - it can be anything from oatmeal to a bagel to fruit/saltines. Cupcake if there is a birthday. I've also seen popsicles, goldfish, vanilla wafers -the range of things. The go-to car snack is an apple sauce pouch and cheese stick. |
Anonymous
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Mine is only 3, but:
7:30 breakfast 10 snack 12 lunch 3 snack 6 dinner 7:30 offered a banana or protein smoothie before bed |
Anonymous
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My kids aware 3 and 4.5 and their food schedule is:
7:30 - simple breakfast at home 9 - snack/ second breakfast at preschool 12pm - lunch 3:30 - snack 6pm - dinner at home 8ish - snack (fruit of some nature) and milk before bed They are both on the skinny side and don’t eat a ton at one sitting. |
Anonymous
This is more or less my 4 year olds schedule. Also mine, except I add coffee. 
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Anonymous
| That was our routine until my kid was around 6 or 7, at which time he was able to sustain from breakfast until lunch without a morning snack. |
Anonymous
| In my frig I keep a big container of sliced apples and I let them go at it whenever they cry for a snack. I should own an orchard. |
Anonymous
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Kids are 5, 3, 1...
7: Breakfast 9: Breakfast #2 at school 11: Morning snack at school 12:30: Lunch at school 3:30 Afterschool snack 6: Dinner 8: Pre-bed snack As long as snacks follow the same pattern/rules as meals in terms of nutritional content, why does it matter if kids eat many small snacks v several large meals; the former more closely mirrors humans’ natural health cues. |
Anonymous
Er this may match boredom eating cues but a "natural health cue" to eat 7 times a day? Sure maaaybe if I spend hours at the gym. 
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