How long do kids have snack time? - Page 5

[mamazee]

She has said that sometimes kids like the look of what she has and want some (her school isn't nut-free so often nuts). But too often she asks me why she can't have rice crispy treats or candy disguised by the name "fruit snack."

[Tricks4Kids]

I'm an adult and I need to snack between meals!  It is good for your metabolism and your concentration to eat frequent small meals through out the day!

[Zach'smom]

I wish my ds's school had snack time!!  He doesn't eat lunch until 1:00!!  I have to feed him a protein heavy breakfast to get him to lunch without starving!!!  At his elementary school there is only one recess a day and that is right before lunch, so it is pointless to have a snack then.  I think a lot of issues could be resolved if they were allowed a quick 5 minute healthy snack break mid morning. 

[limabean]

DS's school has morning snack time for all grades (K-6) -- it's the first 5-10 minutes of morning recess, and they have the kids sit at the lunch tables during that time so that they'll eat a little something before going off to play. I'm glad -- I always give my kids a morning and afternoon snack, so I'm glad DS has a chance to eat his morning snack at school. I'm not sure what the middle and high schools in our area do. 

I remember having a snack break even in high school. During our morning break from 10:15 to 10:35, the snack bar was open and I'd often buy a bagel or get part of my bag lunch out during that time. Even now I can't go from my 7:30 breakfast to a 12:00 lunch without wanting a little something in between -- I'm eating trail mix right now! 

[JenRave]

This is all so strange to me, but then most school things are!  I went to an ACE school for my first several years of school, only went to normal school for a few years, and then I went to boarding school as a teen.  And that was in the 70s and 80s when no one worried about all the stuff they worry about now.  My parents were abusive to me, and borderline poor, and deliberately underfed me and sent me to school with inadequate lunch at the ACE school and told people I just didn't like to eat.  I was skin and bones until I was a teenager and big enough to start scrounging food on my own.  Of course now I'm fat - that's what happens.  So I say bring on the snacks!  If you deprive a child they just eat more later to make up for it.

[ancoda]

I had snack time through 5th grade.  Though we did stop getting more then lunch reccess after 3rd grade.

[Polliwog]

Each class at my son's school has a snack time. It's in the classroom and a good time for the kids to sit and socialize for a few minutes. They're supposed to bring something healthy and most of the time the kids bring pretty reasonable stuff. Parents can donate extra snacks to be kept in the teacher's office for those children who can't., or don't, bring one.

[Giraldo 05]

Hi am glad to read everyone posts I have three children and one of them is not allowed to have snack. I guess it depends on the teacher and there is no policy that children have to have snacks. My daughter constantly complains of stomach pains because she is so hungry and I already have a doctor note to be allowed to take a snack but is not worth anything. The school provides healthy snacks twice a week but most children including her self don’t like them. I always pack her healthy bars just incase one day my daughter will be allowed to it before lunch but she ends up waiting after school. My daughter goes in everyday at 8:40 a.m. and her lunch is after 1:00 p.m. plus she is in an after school program that ends at 5:30 p.m. and is not allowed to eat any snack. I don’t know what else to do? I have an appointment with the principal this Friday and I hope everything goes well. I know for some people is not a big deal but for me and my daughter it means a lot it avoids stomach pain and provides her energy before lunch. I work from 8-5 p.m. and I get hungry before lunch every time I can imagine my daughter.

[JudiAU]

Our school has snack time from K-4 but it is fairly early in the morning at around 9:15 and the school day only starts at 8:30. Lunch is at 11:20. Snack is combined with quiet reading time. I started out packing a substantial snack and DS has actually complained. So now we are down to smallish something plus a water bottle. Each student brings their own snack and the teacher also has a barrel of pretzels or some graham crackers for someone who needs one and doesn't have it. No sharing.  I offered to bring in some shelf stable snacks at the begining of the year *(30% free and reduced price lunch population) but the teacher didn't want pointing to the huge pretzel barrel.

I absolutely would not want to do a shared snack. Sounds like a hassle and frankly, the snacks I would imagine most parents sending wouldn't meet my standards for healthy sanck.

I suspect it in is response to a few things. When I was a kid your were expected to have three meals and an afternoon snack. But more parents now are flexible about eating times and more kids are used to snacking throughout the day. So, some kids probably do need a boost then. Some of the kids come to school for morning care and they are often at school by 7:00 a.m. I doubt many of them have time for a nutrtious breakfast before they get to school. Also, at least for most of the kids i know, they drink a lot of water during the day. DS returns an empty water bottle each and every day.

[loraxc]

I know I'm in the minority, but I think snack time is silly for kids over K age. I never had it when I was a kid and I doubt most of us did at that age. Snacking has been suggested as a major culprit in the childhood overweight and obesity rate (more than 30%).

DD did not have it last year in grade 2 but now has it again in grade 3. I'm really over it. At home, we don't have snacks unless my children request them. I want them to eat when they're hungry, not because "Oh, it's 10:00 and I always have a snack then." Many of the kids we know snack all day long and then don't eat much at meals. My kids are hungry at mealtime and I like it that way.

I mean, I guess I kind of get it in that it's hard for a school to operate the way I do at home.

[meemee]

i wonder if that is the reason why our school district only allows snacks for K. any kids requiring snacks after that has to get a letter from home.

dd has never taken snacks and didnt need to. neither did i. dd does eat a hearty breakfast. somedays she just eats her fruit for lunch.

Originally Posted by loraxc 

I know I'm in the minority, but I think snack time is silly for kids over K age. I never had it when I was a kid and I doubt most of us did at that age. Snacking has been suggested as a major culprit in the childhood overweight and obesity rate (more than 30%).

[lonegirl]

It has been proven that humans should be grazers and eat small meals or snacks throughout the day (about 6 of them) instead of 3 big meals.  My son eats at 7 then has recess at 10 that is 3 hours...lunch is at 12 (5 hours) that is a longtime without food.  I think that kids may have weight problems not because there is snack time...but because parents look at snacks as being "treats". A small yogurt or a piece of fruit is a healthy snack that will give them the extra energy to keep going. Then after school my son has a snack or finishes what's left in his lunch box.  I work til 6 and get home around 630 so dinner isn't until 7.  Again 12-7 is too long to wait

[mtiger]

Being realistic, most kids need some sort of snack between meals - their bodies use so much energy just growing. Add in any additional activity, they need even more. My kids both had snack-time through elementary. In MS, they didn't, and technically weren't supposed to eat in the halls between classes, but most teachers turned a blind eye to granola bars, etc. As long as they didn't drop trash all over, it wasn't a big deal. Same in HS. My daughter (who is a huge eater) was lucky enough to have teachers who had no problem with students eating in class, and she took full advantage of that. Pretty much, she would take two full meals (one for during lunch, and one during one of her classes), plus a carb-heavy snack for the ride back (before practice), and some cheese/crackers, fruit or veggies for in-between. And yes, she ate a good breakfast every morning (usually some variation of a homemade breakfast sandwich - english muffin, eggs, sausage/bacon, cheese... x's 2).

[meemee]

you know its interesting eating personalities.

dd was a grazer till she was about 4. at 4 she changed to meals. and here is the thing. by 1st grade she had to change to an early morning person. before that she was a late morning person. she now does better with 3 meals instead of 6. gosh if she had a hearty breakfast which would be around 7 she just eats a fruit at lunch and eats big after she gets home at 3. and then a light dinner. however at 10 the difference i notice these days are dd's portion sizes have gone down. she takes a much smaller lunch these days than she did from 1st to 4th. 

when i am active with a full day - running to many appointments - i only get hungry around 2 and that was all i ate the whole day. i just wasnt hungry. i did that for YEARS. BUt when i had a sedentary job i'd be grazing the whole day. now i do 3 meals and i dont need a snack.

here is another thing i have discovered. sometimes - both dd and me have the time to eat a giant breakfast. literally eating our main meal with dinner foods, not bfast foods (which then becomes our dinner). our eating for the day goes so much differently. it is something i'd like to do on a regular basis. 

[NYCVeg]

Dd's school is pre-K through 5th, and they have snack all the way through. The school offers reasonably healthy stuff--usually something crunchy, like brown rice cakes, plus a fruit or veggie (apples, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, cucumber). Sometimes they get baby carrots with hummus. 

We just looked at a middle school that has big boxes of apples and bananas out all day. When the kids are transitioning between classes, they can grab a piece of fruit if they're hungry. 

[IdentityCrisisMama]

Originally Posted by mamazee 

I didn't have snack time after like kindergarten, but my dd is in 4th grade and still having daily snacks. I wonder if kids are too reliant on snacks. She has a good breakfast and IMO should be able to go through to lunch. She doesn't need a mid-morning snack during the summer - she's too busy playing. I'm just questioning the need, and wondering when it ends.

I haven't read the whole thread but I kind of feel this way too. Often DC will have a chewy type granola bar between breakfast and lunch because so many parents feel strongly about snack. It kind of bugs me. 

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by mamazee 

For young kids, their parents are responsible for them eating breakfast, but at some point it's the kid's responsibility to eat breakfast before school. If my dd didn't eat breakfast, she'd be hungry during school, and the next day she'd probably eat breakfast.

I never ate breakfast when I was in high school. I was always hungry for a lot of the morning. I still never ate breakfast. I still don't eat first thing in the morning, because even the idea of food first thing in the morning makes me feel ill.

Everybody's different. Going from breakfast to lunch without snack may work for your dd, but that doesn't mean it works for everybody.

Snacks have become kind of out of control, I think...but I mostly worry about the content of most snacks, not the timing. If my kids want a snack, they can get nuts, cheese, veggies, fruit (fresh or dried), yogurt, etc. They're not chowing down on chips, cheesies, etc. I really don't worry about it.

[IdentityCrisisMama]

Originally Posted by IdentityCrisisMama 

I haven't read the whole thread but I kind of feel this way too. Often DC will have a chewy type granola bar between breakfast and lunch because so many parents feel strongly about snack. It kind of bugs me. 

Quoting myself like a dork to clarify something. My DC's school does group snack (all grades K-5) so the parents contribute money or a bulk snack. Therefore, we have little control over snack other than the ones we provide for the entire class. It bums me out that DC gets a filling snack (anytime) before lunch. I really wish they would just do a "everybody bring your own snack" type thing. It would simplify so many issues that have come up over the years. 

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by loraxc 

Snacking has been suggested as a major culprit in the childhood overweight and obesity rate (more than 30%).
 

Many of the snacks I've seen young kids eating, both in school and out, are lacking in anything but carbs (in the form of sugar), trans fats and calories. When ds1 was in kindergarten, I ran into another mom in the grocery store. I was in the candy aisle (indulging in one of my binges, as I do have food issues), and she said, "yeah - just picking out a snack for M's lunch box". She was buying full size chocolate bars - around 250-300 calories each, and almost all of that sugar. I mentioned it to ds1 (not naming the kid) and he said, "yeah - about half the class brings that kind of stuff". DS1's snack was usually a half cup of kiwi chunks, or broccoli florets. One of his friends brought an apple, orange or banana every day.  The kind of snack makes a big difference.

And, fwiw, the skinniest of my kids is the one who has always grazed, barely eats full meals, but snacks multiple times a day.

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by mamazee 

I don't think they "should be left to find their own breakfast at a certain point." I think that if someone else isn't getting them breakfast together, at some point of age they should have the ability to take on that responsibility. 4th graders are 9 years old. Kids that age are able to put a breakfast together if they need to. They aren't helpless. I think older kids are sometimes infantilized.

I have to agree with this. Sometimes, dh gets up and works from home on the computer, so I sleep in a little. If the kids get up before he leaves (he wakes me up when he goes), dd1 (9) gets her own breakfast and gets breakfast for dd2, and ds2 (7) gets his own. And, years ago, when ds1 was in first grade, I had to leave for work before he got up in the morning (he wasn't alone - my babysitter lived upstairs and was awake when I left). He got up, got dressed, got his breakfast (although I had put milk in a small jug that was easy for him to pour before I left) and then went upstairs. He was only six.