E's last snack is at 2pm. She and DH get home at 4:45ish. Girlfriend is HUNGRY at that point and so gasp, sometimes she gets a 3rd snack, usually fruit, while we're cooking dinner.
I KNOW! DD's last snack is 3:30. She and DH get home at 5:30. She has some milk, half a banana and is still hungry. She then proceeds to eat ton of food for dinner at 6:30.
I used to be not thrill that DC gives her goldfish or cheezit or things like that. But she's hungry at snack time after finishing whatever I send (ex. a container of applesauce or yogurt), so now I pack her a container of crackers as well (goldfish, wheat thins...) because she doesn't eat cheese and she still wants stuff from DC after that. And she's peanut.
Okay, I use the phase clean eating here, but it's not a phase I use IRL. I was just trying to express what we prefer to eat.
In regards to meal size, they are not that large. IMO, it's better to not gaze all day on snacks and I would rather he eat more balanced meals at meal time. I'm not anti-snacking, if DS is legitimately hungry, but I don't see the point in giving a snack for the sake of giving one if he's not hungry. I use to give a snack after nap, but DS showed no interest. If he's hungry, he asks for food and I feed him, obliviously.
I don't think it is a superior parenting choice, it's something I feel is important at this stage in life and the research I've done. Other people don't let their child watch TV/screen time before age two, everyone has their issues.
There are two things you have to remember. First, toddler nutritional needs are different than adult nutritional needs, since they are growing. It is almost unfair to project your nutritional standard onto a growing kid. Growing kids NEED carbs. Now, they don't need a ton of sugar (and unfortunately, that seems to be an issue) but carby snacks themselves are not a bad thing when we are talking about kids growing upward. My kids go to different preschools, have similar snacks (and no snacks at home either, although they did eat snacks at home when they were two)....and I have never seen an overweight child at their schools.
Second, the way your 20-month old eats is not how your 4 year old will eat. I know its a great image of a kid who eats only healthy foods, but even if you try to protect them from the evils of goldfish, you will fail. I come from a health-loving family, I have been a health-oriented person my entire life, and my kids still eat like kids. It is what it is -- the best thing you can do is teach moderation, and healthy foods vs treats. My kids are almost 5 and they get it. Kids are smart. Use your energy to focus on that, not what you cannot control, unless you want to be an overbearing, smothering mother (which I know you don't). He will be fine!
The average working person here doesn't take an "afternoon tea" that consists of anything more than, well, a cup of tea and maybe a biscuit. That's how we handle it.
Across the channel, the French are practically religious about their "gouter." DH says all the people at his office would go out to the boulangerie at 4:30 pm on the dot for their afternoon croissant or baked good.
See, this was my experience with both the English and Scottish folks from my years living there. I'm surprised that @villanv's experience is so different than mine. All of the parents discussed afternoon tea as something provided after nursery or school. They ate dinner, as a family, later because of longer committees. My Scottish mom friend here in the US does this too.
Obviously it's not high tea. It might be a biscuit--that's or a pastry was common with my colleagues--but small sandwiches, cheese, slices apples, and sometimes something homemade and sweet is what they did.
Post by dragonfly08 on May 30, 2014 10:03:40 GMT -5
DD #1s school sent home a snack menu at the start of every month, so I knew what she'd be having each day. It was a while ago (she's in 5th grade now), but I seem to recall it was typically a carb and a fruit. Maybe string cheese once in a while, since they did have a kitchen. For a drink there was a choice of water or juice.
DD #2 went to a co-op preschool. They provided a carb, rotating among several things kept in the closet such as goldfish, pretzels, crackers, Pirate Booty, etc. The parent working in the classroom that day provided a fruit or veggie brought from home to go with it. Water was offered as a drink.
Snacks were planned to be allergy-friendly so that, for the most part, all of the kids could participate. One or two kids with more severe allergies did bring their own snack daily, or had a safe shelf-stable snack labeled with their name kept in the classroom from which they could be served. Was it an ideal snack? Maybe not every day. But I'm a big believer in everything in moderation, so my kids aren't going to live a life where they never eat goldfish, or processed food, or drink juice.
Plus, as to the whole idea of offering snack in the first place, it's more than just about whether or not they're hungry. It's a learning experience in sitting down, waiting your turn, using good manners, cleaning up after yourself. Plenty of kids chose to skip their snack if they weren't hungry or didn't like it, but they still had to follow the rules and for some of them, that was huge.
I must be MOTY here, but I could honestly not care less about LO eating gold fish. His daycare menu is not the healthiest, but at least he eats! And I know him sitting down for 2 meals plus 2 snacks a day give him a chance to reboot and learn manners. When I have him home with me I count down to snack/meal time because then I can atleast know he will be quiet/occupied for 10-15 minutes!
Here is LOs snacks on an average week: (all served w. water) Monday morning - cheddar fries, afternoon - nutrigrain fruit bar Tuesday morning - soft pretzel, afternoon - honey teddy grahams Wednesday morning - graham crackers, afternoon - pretzels and chips Thursday morning - popsicle, afternoon - pretzel crackers and cheese Friday morning - chocolate teddy grahams, afternoon - chips and salsa
I think PPs are right that we can't raise our kids in a bubble and keep them away from junk food forever. But I also think it's ok to not be totally comfortable with the food offered at daycare and try to find something in the middle. Snacks at our dc are all cookies and crackers and bars, with fruit OR veggie only being offered once a week. I usually have DS eat their lunch but send in snacks for him. At this point it's a balance that we're happy with, and will probably change as time goes on.
Also, they sit down to eat something every 1.5 hours! It seemed crazy to me at first but also understandable when trying to keep that many toddlers happy. DS got used to it very quickly, lol.
Post by teatimefor2 on May 30, 2014 10:46:01 GMT -5
This preschool we just toured happily let's parents bring in their own food. So no worries on that front.
My son eats carbs and has a balanced diet for a toddler. He loves toast, pasta, multi-grain crackers, etc. He is just not a snacker. I ask if he's hungry and he says no, when he was younger he just refused to eat. He wasn't hungry.
His pedi knows what he eats and when and she's very pleased. He's at the top of the charts and jokes that he can even miss a meal. Even as a newborn, he refused/ didn't wake to nurse. Our second night home, we woke him up. Once he hit his birth weight of 8 lbs 15 oz, he was sleeping in four hour stretches.
I have to say the whole post us now rather funny! Loving that we are literally bitch eating crackers or however that goes!!! LOL
While we're talking about snacks, I'm really hoping Invisalign will help me cut back, since I will need to take them out and rinse before putting it back in. You also need to have it in for a minimum of 20 hours a day, and any drink besides water requires taking it out. So I will stop grazing all day for the health of my teeth!
Now I just need to figure out a way not to linger over coffee.
I embarrassed myself in public many times by desperately clawing my Invisalign out just to snack on a cookie. After a while it wasn't worth the effort!
Post by pinkdutchtulips on May 30, 2014 11:09:51 GMT -5
late to the party but yes, you're being way.too.picky
alot depends on the portion size of said snack. it really isn't alot and quite honestly kids burn energy like you wouldn't believe - especially at daycare where they are constantly moving around, playing, doing something active a good chunk of the time.
i gave my dd goldfish crackers as a snack all the time or if we were running errands, i always had them handy in case she got hungry as they make an excellent on the go snack. the key is portion control - don't give a ton of them, ration them out and when they're done, they're done no 2nds !
I'm imagining DD going six hours between meals. LOL NO I'M NOT because I'd rather run screaming into the seventh circle of hell.
I mean, good for you? But you know your kid is the exception here? And this is a preschool catering to *gasp* average toddlers.
I'll be honest, my BFF doesn't give her child snacks either and most of my mummy friends are British and they don't do snacks either. So in my world, snacks are not the norm. He just eats a lot at meals. It was just a question and apparently I am in the minority. Question answered.
one of my mommy friends is British and *gasp* her kids have snacks - something like grapes or cheese but yes they do have snacks !
While we're talking about snacks, I'm really hoping Invisalign will help me cut back, since I will need to take them out and rinse before putting it back in. You also need to have it in for a minimum of 20 hours a day, and any drink besides water requires taking it out. So I will stop grazing all day for the health of my teeth!
Now I just need to figure out a way not to linger over coffee.
I'm planning on getting Invisalign next year, and I have absolutely considered this a plus in my decision. I've heard the average person loses five pounds.
Post by redpenmama on May 30, 2014 11:31:29 GMT -5
That is the snack policy at my DD's preschool as well: Everyone rotates being "snack helper." Yes, Goldfish were a popular snack, but everyone always brought in fruit, cheese, or yogurt as well. We were also required to bring in 100% fruit juice for the kids. My DD probably had juice twice in her first two years. But, I wasn't going to be the "please serve my kid water" mom. I decided a Dixie cup of apple juice for snack twice a week was not going to kill her. So, I'm firmly in the everything-in-moderation camp, and you (you being any parent) are going to have to let go of a little control of your kid's diet at some point because like others said, schools, parties, sleepovers etc. will start, and you're not going to be able to regulate everything the kid eats forever. Eating 15 Goldfish for a snack is not going to ruin his "clean eating" diet. And if he's like my DD, he will associate that snack (or juice in our case) with school and not ask for or expect it at home.
This preschool we just toured happily let's parents bring in their own food. So no worries on that front.
My son eats carbs and has a balanced diet for a toddler. He loves toast, pasta, multi-grain crackers, etc. He is just not a snacker. I ask if he's hungry and he says no, when he was younger he just refused to eat. He wasn't hungry.
His pedi knows what he eats and when and she's very pleased. He's at the top of the charts and jokes that he can even miss a meal. Even as a newborn, he refused/ didn't wake to nurse. Our second night home, we woke him up. Once he hit his birth weight of 8 lbs 15 oz, he was sleeping in four hour stretches.
I have to say the whole post us now rather funny! Loving that we are literally bitch eating crackers or however that goes!!! LOL
Then wouldn't he just not eat the snack if he didn't want it? Glad you found a preschool you like.
I doubt the school is offering goldfish every day. I feel like it was probably an example mentioned.
I think most preschools assign parents a week to bring in snack? I know a lot of preschools do, anyway.
For awhile, I was sponsored by SunRype fruit strips so I had an easy snack. It's actually hard to pick a snack! I want to bring something relatively healthy and something kids like. But I also have to abide by rules (like nothing made in a facility that makes peanut products) and budget -- so that is quite limiting. There are some really healthy crackers out there, but I don't like spending a lot $$$$ on feeding preschoolers. I usually do in-season fruit from costco, veggie chips & hummus.
Even when they eat goldfish, its not like a huge plate of goldfish. It's a handful. Usually with an apple or banana or grapes. eh.
DD has goldfish at daycare but I don't give them to her at home. I think they are too salty. I am ok with plain Cheerios and graham crackers. At home she usually has yogurt, cheese, or fruit/veggie for snack. I can only control at home, not daycare.
Post by DarcyLongfellow on May 30, 2014 16:41:58 GMT -5
I'm not reading 4 pages, but I just wanted to say that not all preschools provide snack. At my daughter's preschool, every kid brings his or her own snack in a lunchbox. The school never provides food, and the only time the other parents provide food is at parties (Halloween, Christmas, Easter, End of Year, etc.), and some parents choose to provide their own even then because of allergies, etc. So if providing his own food is important to you, I'd look around at different preschools.
It is also great once your kids start talking and you can ask them what they had for snack.
Little kids cannot lie...when my daughter has a cookie or something, she flat out looks at the ground and says, "I don't want to tell you." LOL.
See, I wouldn't LOL. My kid wouldn't be ashamed of a cookie. A kid that is ashamed of a cookie... that doesn't make me feel good about what the relationship to food is there. I'm happier with my kid that is in danger of throwing a temper tantrum in the checkout because he knows what chocolate is.
Post by Ashley&Scott on May 30, 2014 17:45:03 GMT -5
Oh BTW, M eats goldfish everyday when I pick him up from DC. They have little baggies in the office for the kids to grab on the way out. They're geniuses, he happily leaves the classroom for a snack, then he eats contently on our ride home. It also buys a little time to make dinner since he's not starving when we walk in the door.
It is also great once your kids start talking and you can ask them what they had for snack.
Little kids cannot lie...when my daughter has a cookie or something, she flat out looks at the ground and says, "I don't want to tell you." LOL.
See, I wouldn't LOL. My kid wouldn't be ashamed of a cookie. A kid that is ashamed of a cookie... that doesn't make me feel good about what the relationship to food is there. I'm happier with my kid that is in danger of throwing a temper tantrum in the checkout because he knows what chocolate is.
Who said anything about feeling ashamed?
We have a one dessert a day rule in the house (as long as they are well behaved all day) and she knows a cookie is dessert! I see nothing wrong with limiting sweets. I think its a good thing that she recognizes a cookie is a treat. I actually never count a preschool snack as their daily treat, but I may give them smaller options after dinner if I know they had stuff already. But that is a healthy reaction to food, that is called moderation, and that is what I preach.
This preschool we just toured happily let's parents bring in their own food. So no worries on that front.
My son eats carbs and has a balanced diet for a toddler. He loves toast, pasta, multi-grain crackers, etc. He is just not a snacker. I ask if he's hungry and he says no, when he was younger he just refused to eat. He wasn't hungry.
His pedi knows what he eats and when and she's very pleased. He's at the top of the charts and jokes that he can even miss a meal. Even as a newborn, he refused/ didn't wake to nurse. Our second night home, we woke him up. Once he hit his birth weight of 8 lbs 15 oz, he was sleeping in four hour stretches.
I have to say the whole post us now rather funny! Loving that we are literally bitch eating crackers or however that goes!!! LOL
Stop, you're making it worse. Lol!!
Glad you found a pre-school that allows you to send your own snacks. Apparently it's flameful, but I agree with you that goldfish every day is a bit unhealthy.
But OP's kid would only be going 2x a week (right?) and it's not like they would be serving goldfish on both of those days, or even one. So she's upset that her kid would be offered a handful of goldfish, what? Once or twice a month?