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Thread: Snacks

  1. #1
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    Snacks

    Hello All!
    This is my first post, I have been doing home child care for 61/2 years now. My current group is a great bunch, but I am curious about how other daycare providers handle snacks. My morning snack is more breakfast like ( 1/2 bagel and fruit, or egg and toast, or cereal and fruit etc) lately I have three dck (two 2 yr olds and 1 three year old) they always want more snack, but never eat their lunch. I have decided that 1 serving at snack is enough, we will eat lunch in less then three hours, they will not starve. However they still wont eat lunch, but then as soon as nap is over, bugging for snack and always want more then 1 serving. Afternoon snacks are typically, cheese and crackers, or graham crackers and apple sauce, or fruit and yogurt etc. My snacks always consist of two parts, are always a full serving or more (for toddlers) My lunches are not crazy fancy, but they are not typical kids junk lunch (I rarely serve hot dogs or fries, or grilled cheese, but rather a real meal, todays lunch is tuna casserole, side salad, roll and cantalope....I guess my question is, do you restrict snack to just one serving? and for me to do that is that too strict? In the past I haven't had an issue with kids not eating their lunch so I never felt I needed to hold back on snack. Thoughts?
    Last edited by MsBell; 01-17-2013 at 11:09 AM.

  2. #2
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    It took me a few months to find out what worked best with my bunch. We do morning snack around 9:30. Usually fruit and yogurt or toast and applesauce....etc. Then lunch is around 11:30 and they are so busy playing all morning they usually wolf down lunch. we do leftovers, grilled cheese, pasta...anything that they, in a group tend to enjoy. Afternoon snack is 3:00 and I always make sure to include a carb, crackers and cheese, cereal bars, graham crackers, toasted english muffins, and a fruit or veggies. That's what works here and we stay pretty close to those times, they all come to expect food at those times. following a schedule was key for us.

  3. #3
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    First, did I read that this is your first post? Welcome

    So far as snacks go, think back to when you were a kid. In my family a snack was just meant to hold us over till dinner....it wasn't a food free for all. When I worked in daycare centres, snacks were small and there was typically one serving for each child. It was intended to keep the blood sugar up enough to get through the day....just a little something. One serving is ample for the snacks you've described. I've no doubt they want seconds as they're more 'treat like', even though they're healthy. What I do, with kids 18 mos and up, when they don't eat their lunch is to give it back at snack. If it's a messed up pile of mush, then no, it goes in the compost, but intact food is returned. If they're hungry, they'll eat it, THEN get the snack. So far, it's been successful.

  4. #4
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    Also, you might want to rethink the kinds of foods you are serving for morning snack. It sounds like you serve great, healthy food, but your morning snack is very filling (bagels, eggs, etc) and that may be why the kids are not hungry at lunchtime. Maybe stick to fruit and some dry cereal or a half piece of toast, etc. Light snacks instead of really filling snacks would be your best bet.

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    I attended a wonderful workshop once on creating healthy eating habits and one of the best advice I ever heard came from there

    Our job as the adult is to provide access to healthy food options at regular intervals and set the 'expectations/rules' for etiquette at the table ~ it is the child's job to decide IF and HOW MUCH they will eat within those regular intervals and rules ... aka if the rule is you sit at the table until you are finished and the kid leaves and than tries to come back well he'd be DONE because that was the rule you set as the adult ~ aka no up and down from the table when you leave that means your done!

    They suggest that this is BEST because than children can learn to self regulate their own 'hunger / feeling of fullness' ... and the more we push them to eat stuff, make a big deal and so forth the more we 'interfere' with the development of that self regulation and create picky eaters, binge eaters, children who do not know their 'full' feeling and overeat cause they were constantly encouraged to eat as babies when they were indeed 'full' .... fact is that some children are morning eaters and will consume most of their calories in the morning and than taper off and nibble in the afternoon and evening and others are opposite and will pick breakfast and snack and than eat more at lunch and evening meals.

    My snacks both morning and afternoon basically consistent of unlimited fresh fruit and protein but only one grain serving
    Lunch is unlimited protein, veggies and fresh fruit and one grain serving
    Water is served with all snacks and meals to encourage them to 'eat' their calories and not drink them ~ their 'dairy' serving is covered in their meal.

    I serve 'small portions' of each food group to start to reduce waste and will offer seconds, thirds and so forth until either what I prepared is 'gone' or they are saying they are 'full' ... if there are leftovers that have not been touched than they get packaged up for my spouse to take next day for his lunch if they have eaten everything I had prepared and are still hungry I will serve more fruit or veggie.
    Children construct their own intelligence. The adult must provide activities and context, but most of all must be able to listen. Children need proof that adults believe in them. Their three great desires are to be listened to, to understand, and to demonstrate that they are exactly what we expect."
    Loris Malaguzzi

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    I cut way back on my snacks as I found exactly what you are finding that basically the kids were managing to eat just enough at both snacks to tide them over for the day and not eat the lunch which compared to the snacks was considered yukky.

    I started serving things like bagel and scrambled egg as the lunch and had much better success.

  8. #7
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    Or you could serve lunch in the morning and then snacks for lunch and afternoon times Steamed veggies for morning snack when they seem good and hungry would not be a bad thing

  9. #8
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    I do generally restrict snack to one serving, for that reason. snacks are usually quite yummy and they fall between meals usually after a ton of play, so kiddos are quite hungry, they glom it up and always want more. that's when I look and them and say: "lunch will be soon enough, clear your spot and go back to play", although I do enjoy snack most days myself and feel it is nice to have that extra bit of healthy food, I also don't believe it is 100% neccesary and can sometimes hinder the childs hunger just enough to know, "if i don't eat lunch, I can hold out for pm snack" uh uh! not here, I am required to provide the silly snack am and pm, so I do..if I had my way, with my lite eaters? I wouldn't offer snacks at all, ensuring they eat a quality lunch. I do however, give each child what I know they can handle and still eat lunch, not to mention, I don't require a large consumption of lunch but each child must take part in lunch, one bite of each item is enough (not satisfactory to me) but enough to be done. If they want a treat after lunch or seconds of a specific item, they must clear their plate completely. Maybe your snacks are too large, or too close to lunch time? can you move them a little, or offer the kids less?

  10. #9
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    Welcome to our forum MsBell. I hope you enjoy it here and since you are an experienced caregiver you can help us a lot too I'm sure.

    I serve breakfast at 8:30 or 8:45, then lunch at 11:30 and snack after naptime, so 3ish, as soon as we get to it after naps and diaper changes and potty. By arranging my meals 3 hours apart or more the children are always hungry. If a parent comes in and tells me their child ate breakfast at home at 7 for instance, then I know that child will only need a small amount for breakfast. It's been working great for me because we go outside from 9-11 most days so trying to have a snack in there wouldn't work.
    Frederick Douglass
    It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.

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