DD has two dinners. The one before is usually a small amount of leftovers from the night before, then she eats what I cook while she’s gone afterward.

Ask the other parents what they do. If snack,what? Peer influence may had DD "prefer" that kind assuming it's nutritious.

We do snack and dinner afterwards.

We do our dinners at 4PM for practices from 5-8 most days of the week (different kids on different nights). My kids get ready for bed as soon as they get home (shower, pack bags and read), so dinner after would be way too late. My middle schooler gets up at 6, so she tries to get in bed by 9.

When one kid had sprinting practices at 4:30, he only ate a little of his dinner before, but then ate the rest when he got home, since it was a short practice. For all other sports (soccer, gymnastics, dance, swim, basketball) the kids don't have issues going from dinner to practice within the hour. I think their bodies adjust, but I'd rather them have a small snack at 8 if needed than a whole dinner.

Anonymous wrote:School ends at 4 and we usually eat dinner at 6. Now DD10 has her practice at 6pm-7. I am torn, feed her before or after??
Don't like the idea of exercise and jumping around shortly after eating but also think eating at 7:30 seems late especially if she needs to get to bed soon after.
She can roll with the punches either way so it's more a matter of getting my sht together and having dinner on the table at 5. Can do, but will need to take some shortcuts. I thought about "big snack" at 5 but preferred snack food is usually not that healthy at my house.

How old is this fool?

Definitely eat early. She should not be going to practice without food.

Anonymous wrote:Two small dinners - one before and one after.

+1. Sandwich before practice, small portion of actual dinner afterwards.

How old is DC because that makes a difference? When my kids were younger I would have said absolutely small dinner at 4:30 and big/healthy snack after.

Now that they are later elementary and older, it's healthy snack after school and full dinner after practice.

Then again we've also pretty much never had an hour practice for anything unless it's a rec class of some sort. Most team sports are 1.5-2 hour practices.

She can't eat a full dinner at 5 and be running around at 6.

Healthy snack after school, dinner at 7:30.

6-7? I'd definitely do dinner after, 7:30's not that late.

As a kid I had practice 6-9 three days a week, and I'd have "snack" after school that was giant, basically a dinner, and then have dinner again when I got home at 9.

Two small dinners - one before and one after.

She needs to eat to fuel her body.

We do a small dinner before at 430 or 5 and then another dinner afterwards.

Can you have the big snack just be a small portion of the dinner? Mine has an activity 4:30-6:30 so he eats a snack right before and a smaller dinner after. Sometimes the snack is just a small portion of dinner, and dinner is another portion of the same thing.

School ends at 4 and we usually eat dinner at 6. Now DD10 has her practice at 6pm-7. I am torn, feed her before or after??
Don't like the idea of exercise and jumping around shortly after eating but also think eating at 7:30 seems late especially if she needs to get to bed soon after.
She can roll with the punches either way so it's more a matter of getting my sht together and having dinner on the table at 5. Can do, but will need to take some shortcuts. I thought about "big snack" at 5 but preferred snack food is usually not that healthy at my house.