Would you cut out morning snack??

Lately I have been thinking that my morning snack time is a waste and I'm wondering if I should scrap it from my daily schedule. I just need some advice ...please!

The thing is as of right now I only have one dck here early enough to serve breakfast, besides my own. I try to serve breakfast around the same time every day (8ish) but sometimes my own kids aren't up yet or the dck won't eat because he just drank a full bottle of milk before drop off. The other dck's I get don't come until 9, 9:30ish and as far as I know they are just finishing breakfast before they come over. I serve lunch anywhere from 11:45 - 12:15.

I know smaller more frequent meals are best but if I push breakfast back a bit, wouldn't that be a small enough gap between breakfast and lunch that the kids wouldn't really need a morning snack? Would it be okay for the later drop off kids too??

Thoughts and opinions please!!

Are the kids eating morning snack? Or no, and that is why it seems wasteful? Or, are they eating snack, and then pushing their food around the plate at lunch time?
I found that I had to cut back morning snack, because it seemed to affect the kids appetite at lunch. Now we just have a piece of fruit and a smaller serving of milk. Still gives them something to hold them over, and it gives us something to do midmorning as a way of changing activities.
The way you describe it, I would not be surprised if the kids aren't all that hungry, having just eaten breakfast. Perhaps just cut back to a drink and a couple of crackers, and see how it goes?

I serve snack at 8:30 and it is meant more for my kids that come before 7 since it has now been over 2 horus since they ate and that assumes they actually ate that early. For your group you could make breakfast be 8:30 for everyone even if your kids get up earlier and then it is breakfast for some and snack for others. Anyone arriving after 8:30 it is assumed ate at home at the same time you served at daycare. That makes everyone on the same page come lunchtime. In the warmer months or if you hav been active offering a drink - even of water around 10 would be the most I would do.

I understand the push for frequent meals but even as a newborn a child ate every 4 hours and I don't understand why as they get older we need to move to feeding them every 2 hours. It doesn't teach them to feel hunger just to eat whenever they see food offered - not what we want them to learn.

I had to cut out anything except a drink between 9-11 or they didn't eat a proper lunch. I also found when I served full snacks that kids were eating the snacks morning and afternoon and at lunch doing the starchy foods and milk and that was enough to tide them over for the day. Without the chance to fill up in the morning they started eating a better lunch including some meat and veggies because they were hungry. I also made lunch earlier at 11:00 and then a bigger after nap snack of muffin, fruit, milk etc.

Another method I tried that was actually quite effective was no snack and lunch at 10:30. Then we played a bit more and had "dessert" - fruit, crackers, milk ie snack at 12:30 just before nap. I found they ate really well and those that didn't eat enough lunch were sometimes given it back if I was in one of those moods.

I have four children that arrive between 7:00 and 8:00. We have snack at 8:15am. Parents are to provide their children with breakfast prior to drop off, however sometimes the 7:00 ones haven't had their breakfast and they will eat theirs at the 8:15 snack time. Snack time is till 8:30am and if anyone arrives after that they wait till lunch time to eat.


Therefore, I would just do the breakfast/snack time between 8 and 8:30 for you and then lunch at your requested time. I wouldn't offer anything else in between. Except like playfelt said, water if their thirsty, summer time etc...

Little ones really should eat every couple of hours, even if it's not a huge snack or a huge lunch. Even my own kids (11, 9 and 7) have snack in the mornings and afternoon. Maybe a smaller snack, but I really don't think it should be eliminated, as they expend so much energy that they burn those calories rather quickly. Just my $.02 though.

The waste comes for morning snack or lunch ...varies all the time. Because breakfast was not too long before snack, they either won't eat the snack or they'll eat it and then not be hungry come lunch time. It just seems like the timing is too close together. I think I may skip out on the morning snack for a bit and see how it goes. If I think it's needed or the kids ask for it on particular days, I have no problem giving it.

Try it out i'm sure they will eat all of there lunch! Just offer 2 snacks in the afternoon! like at 2pm and 4pm!

Rather than two hours think in terms of 3 hours. That is also the only way you get large blocks of time and aren't spending most of your morning washing hands, serving food, cleaning up from food and washing hands again. That means snack is finished no later than 9 am - as in it tops up breakfast for those eating little or earlier and is 2-3 hours after for those that come early. Then lunch at noon is 3 hours later. Then they nap for two hours plus prep time and diapers after means they eat 3 hours after lunch too. It is the spacing that is the important part if you are going to serve enough for them to get the sensation of eating and digesting and waiting for the next meal. Constant grazing is certainly to be avoided for adults or kids.

I serve snack at around 9:30 and lunch at 11:30 and my kids eat both really well. However, for morning snack I serve mainly fruit with some small amount of grain product such as crackers, rice cake, etc. That way they are still hungry for lunch. I serve a slightly more substantial afternoon snack, but again, it is a snack, not a meal. Also, I don't serve juice as it fills kids up without much nutritional benefit (better to eat fruit than drink juice) and adds too much sugar to their diets.

So, day one of the no morning snack thing and it went okay.

The kids were getting a little cranky sooner than I wanted to serve lunch. I tied them over with a couple crackers while I prepared lunch. Then - they all ate lunch well and 3 of them even asked for more! I'd say that's a success ...so far!