snacks for neighborhood kids?

[slightly crunchy]

Do you ever offer food/snacks to neighborhood kids who are out playing with yours in the yard (impromptu playdates ages 5-8 or so where my child typically has an afternoon snack and some times eats outside)?

If not, would it bother you if a neighborhood parent offered, say, cookies, to your kids and you weren't there to ask first?

Assume we know already that there are no allergies or food intolerances and that the snacks are reasonably healthy and homemade.

[LynnS6]

If it's snacks and impromptu, I don't mind once in a while. If they suddenly appear at snack time every day, then I do mind. What steams me is when the kids come over and then 10 minutes later start asking me for snacks! I don't let MY kids do that!

I don't care if other parents give my kids food every once in a while either.

We did have to start bringing snacks out in the evenings for OUR kids because our neighbor's kids were always having snacks and our kids were always in their yard. I didn't want them to have to feed our kids every evenning (and I didn't particularly care for their snacks). So, I made sure to bring out snacks for our kids, and have our kids offer some to theirs too, just to even things out.

[onlyzombiecat]

If the children are frequently over during snack time I would probably ask the neighbor parents in advance if it was okay to offer food or drink to their kids if your dc is having something. If they say no or are never available to ask I'd probably have my dc eat the snack inside and then play.

I don't send my dd out to play without supervising her yet so this hasn't really happened to us. I wouldn't get mad about someone giving her something once but a snack often might impact what my dd eats at home and I'd want to know about it.

[corrie43]

My problem is we are broke and I am ending up feeding 3-4 kids snacks every day and a lot of times lunch. I feel bad turning them away, and one if them is my son's best friend. I love having him for lunch because my kids will try whatever he tries. I try to hand out the inexpensive snacks, but it seems to add up.

I feel like if their parents don't mind if they are in your yard alone, they probably wouldn't mind you giving them a sanck.

[TeaBag]

We struggle with this. We're on a tight budget and there are always kids at our house. There's this one little girl in particular, who is always coming over to play and then telling my dc "Go ask your mom for a snack" : But I do what I can. I also keep a bunch of cheap, really-not-good-for-you, popsicles in the freezer.: They aren't ideal, but I can't afford to offer carrots or blueberries or crackers and cheese to all the kids in the neighborhood all the time, so when my children have had a snack and the neighborhood is in my backyard, meaning 6-8 additional children, I offer those. It's a treat for my kids as well, who normally get the 100% juice popsicles. But, I do love the neighborhood being in my backyard. It's the fact that the kids are close, and I can keep a better eye and ear on what's going on, instead of if they were next door, etc. kwim?

[Twocoolboys]

I agree. Keeping a stock of the inexpensive freezer pops is what we do. And, it is a little bit of liquid to help keep kids hydrated while they are out playing in the hot weather. I used to only give my kids yogurt, cheese sticks, all fruit-juice pops,etc. for snacks and that is what I would give the neighborhood kids as well. But, I can't go broke feeding the neighborhood either! And, the kids seem to prefer the freezer pops anyway.

[adtake]

I havent reached this point with my own kids yet, but i rememeber from my childhood...

what if you get with the parents in the neigboorhood and set up snack days? like each family has a certain day they provide snack...even if the ykids are at A familys house B family have snacks for the day. maybe the B kids can bring with them...??

I understand about the popcicles...I dont like the cheap/sugar ones either...have you looked at cheap 100% juice and making the pops yourself? have the kids help? dont know if the proce works out, but might be cheaper and healthier?

good luck ladies! hope the neighboorhood kids end up at my house

sandra

[BlueNote]

Nah, I always feel honored that the mother in question thought of my children to offer the snack.

[KaraBoo]

I have never had a visiting child ask me or my child for a snack. Water, yes, but food, no.

I don't have a yard. I live in an apartment. When my child has friends over, I try to have snacks available but they rarely eat them. They are too busy playing.

If it's a problem of money, then yes, you might consider telling the kids that they can go home for snacks but are free to come back over to play.

[MOM2ANSLEY]

I would offer a snack if they had been there a while or if dd was hungry.
And I afree with corrie43- if they are allowed to go on impromptu playdate, then parents should not mind a snack.
As far as budget.....
Icepops imo are great...cheap and hydrate
Popcorn would be a fairly cheap and somewhat healthy snack, and if a child is old enough to visit without a parent they are old enough that it would not be a choking hazard....

[Alkenny]

My kids usually come inside for their snack while the neighbor kids are outside. We've had 'episodes' where it seemed we were feeding the whole neighborhood and we just can't afford to.

[PancakeGoddess]

We don't have kids in the neighborhood but we do give snacks on playdates. It is very expensive to feed the 3 boys I already have, so it's usually cold water and microwave popcorn. They get excited about that and it's not too expensive. Sometimes tortilla chips or pretzels. It's not that exciting around here

[supervee]

We share willingly, but I ask the parents first. We have "standing permission" for reciprocal snacks with one neighbor. We take turns. I just asked "Is it okay for us to give snacks to your kiddos? Is there anything you don't want them to eat?"

If the kids couldn't eat something we really like, I'd give snack to my kids inside.

I don't ask before giving ice water.

[Losgann]

I agree with a pp who said they don't mind if it's every once in a while, but showing up at snack time every day starts to wear a little! That's happened to us frequently.

I like the idea of the cheap popsicles, but then I have beaucoups popsicle wrappers littering the yard once everyone vacates! : They never make it anywhere near a trash can!

[moondiapers]

Nope I don't. I brink my kids in for snack then they go back outside. I do occasionally send the kids home to ask their parents if I can give them an otterpop though. Money is REALLY tight for us right now, and I don't know what allergies the other kids have etc. My own children are not allowed to accept snacks from other parents without asking me first either. There are some foods that I just don't let them eat more than a couple of times a year KWIM.

[LynnS6]

If money is really tight, don't feel bad about not feeding the neighbor kids. I'll offer water in a pitcher if we have nothing else. We have a water pitcher that's small (1 qt.) and even a 3 year old can pour from it. I put it out on the table with cups, and make them pour their own. (I am NOT their servant.)

I feel like I'm parenting the whole neighborhood at times, but I also make them clean up stuff (like popsicle wrappers, empty cups), and ask me politely. We have one particularly brazen neighbor girl and I when she asks I will often say "it's not snack time at our house right now. If you're hungry, go home and ask your mom/dad." The result of that was once that she whined "but I don't want to go home and I'm hungry now." So, then we had the little lesson on it's not polite to whine for snacks while at someone else's house :!

Some kids just have NO manners, and I'm not going to let it slide if they're at my house. My house, my rules. No whining, no begging, and only polite requests are considered.

But if your budget is short "no snacks, sorry" is a very acceptable rule! How on earth are the kids expected to know that you can't afford it? How many times a day do your kids ask for something and get told 'no'? Probably a lot. So, these kids are used to it. You don't have to be a neighborhood martyr.

[mama2toomany]

We have a fridge in the garage full of bottled water so when the kids are playing in the heat they can have a bottle of water.

I did get upset with a mom not too far down the road for giving my son cake..

[BlueNote]

Since we rarely have kids over to play, or impromptu playdates, we don't usually have this problem. We also have "boring" snacks... no cookies or things like that. Even if we had cookies, they usually have flaxseed in them, so "mainstream" kids don't like them.

[srain]

Addressing those who can't really afford to give out snacks: some cheap snack ideas:

popcorn
pretzels
peanuts
raisins
bread
apples (they're cheap 'round here, anyway)

Make sure you give the stuff out in small bowls, too, because they're likely to devour whatever's there!

When I was a kid, one of the neighbors set out a big water cooler with a spigot outside the back door every morning. I think not needing to ask for drinks meant the kids were less likely to ask for snacks-

[clane]

We have a neighborhood kids who comes over and requests soda and chips within minutes of being here. Mom doesnt care what he eats and he gets really peeved at me for explaining that soda & chips are foods that our kids eat on special occasions like parties and cookouts. He snubs the water or juice and freshly popped plain popcorn I make for them...oh well, his loss...

Prob. goes home to tell family what weirdos we are LOL!