Anyone else make snacks ALL day...

[MamaMonica]

I thought dd nursed a lot. Like all the time. Now I have two kids under four and I make meals and snacks all day! These kids eat all the time. i just get one lunch cleaned up and someone needs to eat again....:

[dotcommama]

Yup - I'm with you. My oldest ds will actually eat a complete meal, get up and say, "I'm hungry, can I have a snack?"

I keep a lot of stuff handy that they can help themselves to throughout the day like cut up fruit in the fridge or Veggie Booty, nuts and so forth in the cabnet. That way I don't have to spend my entire day in the kitchen making snacks.

[alexa07]

Nope! We are a "How to get you kid to eat, but not too much" family (book by Ellyn Sater.) 2 snacks are planned each day and 3 meals. No other snacking allowed.

[tlc4tots]

I'd love to hear what people feed their kids for snacks. I'm always looking for new idea's.

[misfit]

My kids seem to eat constantly -- but my son is thin as a reed and so I chalk that up to fast metabolism. My daughter is small for her age and also pretty lightweight, so I don't mind getting lots of healthy food into them.

I try to get them to fix their own food and clean up after themselves, and to stick to healthy foods as much as possible. DS can fend for himself quite well at 8, dd can manage quite a bit at 5, but can not use the microwave or toaster, and can't pour drinks from heavy containers.

Some of my favorite healthy snacks for them are:

String cheese
Baby carrots
Red peppers
Bananas
Strawberries in season (my dd was stunned to learn that strawberries are good for her body, she thought they must be an indulgence because they are so yummy )
Toast with jam (in our house this is NatureBake 100% whole wheat all natural bread with Smuckers 100% fruit jam)
Nancy's honey yogurt (they eat it plain! )

Not so healthy but not toooo awful snacks include light salami, deli turkey, and natural Cheetos.

[seanjoshmom]

Yes, yes, yes. A neighbor put it well when she said she feels like a short order cook.

[khrisday]

I got so tired of it, I made a menu. Each day I write what will be for meals and snacks. If they don't liek what I am serving or want something between (with 3 means and 3 snacks they shouldn't, but they do) they can have fruit or veggies. I feel much better about their eating and my patience now.

[LunaMom]

I got really tired of this, too, plus I started noticing that even though dd's snacks were mostly very healthful, she wasn't eating much at mealtime and we were wasting a lot of food. AND I read that constant eating, no matter what kind of food it is, is not good for the teeth. So I have cut down on snacks and try to make sure she has about a two-to-three-hour interval between her last snack and a meal. I just say, "okay, this is the last snack before dinnertime," and that's the end of the story. I also won't let her snack in front of a video anymore, because I know kids don't listen to their bodies while watching tv and will eat even if they are no longer hungry, so all snacks are served at the table now. That makes healthy snacking easier, too, b/c a lot of the "living room" snacks were the crunchy, non-staining kind, while the kitchen snacks are more likely to be things like yogurt, veggies and hummus, etc.!

[sparklemom]

Yes, I feel like I'm constantly either preparing, serving, or cleaning up food. But it is actually a blessing to have this "burden" in that we have this food available to our family (so many people don't).

I do not intend to make an issue out of food in any way ever. If my dds are hungry, they eat. If they're not, they don't. It's not their fault that I'm the one who has to prepare it and clean up for the most part. If they could they would (they're only 2 and 4) and they help when and however they can. But we are certainly grazers around here.

The kitchen is my office for sure. I do find it helpful to prepare foods for snacking ahead of time----wash and cut fruits and veges to have ready for eating right away for example.

[Lucky Charm]

I do not intend to make an issue out of food in any way ever

I'm with you sparklemom.

i keep healthy snack (and 1 or 2 baddies) for my kids who seem to eat at warp speed. if they are hungry they can eat, if not fine. i do limit about 1 hour before dinner though. and wheter they are hungry or not, we sit down for dinner every single night. I cook "big" 5 nights a week. what we dont eat gets devoured after school. i go through 3-4 gallons of milk, 4 boxes of cereal and 2-3 loaves of bread a week. i also have cans of black beans, tortillas and shredded cheese for snacks. the baby loves strawberries, apples, thick pretzels and pieces of cheese. lots of orange juice and ice water.

[Lady of Z Lake]

Yes! My dd is always hungry. And she generally eats very good, healthful meals. So, I keep a snack basket in the pantry that she can reach. In it I keep prunes, organic fruit chewies, granola, dried veggies/fruits, etc. I don't mind if she serves herself when she's hungry unless it's close to dinner time.

She'll also often ask for an apple or grapes or other fruit that I need to wash or prepare. I don't mind feeding her those snacks because they're so good for her! Maybe I should worry about her teeth... ?

[brookely ash]

sparklemom - you are so right about this being a blessing, we have so many healthy options available to us, preparing them isn't that bad when thinking about people that are starving or only get rice to eat.
- brookely ash