Quote Originally Posted by bright sparks View Post
You see I'd be wary of this as while an 18 month old may be able to ask for food, it may not be wise to assume they are able to make that call for themselves. I have a 17 month old who asks me for toast all day. Am I supposed to give her that when she asks because she has the competence to know what's best for her? Not at all. The only thing she knows is that she likes toast. If a kid knows I serve their favourite snack that they don't get at home they could totally ask me because they want it and like it, but it doesn't mean they need it or are even hungry, just that they want it. I wouldn't think it appropriate to rely on an 18 month old to request food. Most of my kids will eat and eat and eat if I allowed it. I have a 3 1/2 yr old dcb right now who eats a breakfast of champions at home. He eats breakfast at 7am religiously. He eats a big bowl of oatmeal with fruits and seeds, sometimes followed by a slice of toast with some nut butter. He eats like a horse. By 9am he is asking if it is lunchtime yet. No way after that amount of food is it healthy for me to give in to his request. I think it's a reflection of boredom not hunger. How many people eat out of habit or boredom and mistaken it for hunger. Free play isn't enough for him anymore due to his age, but that is my first thing routine so I can chase my kids out of the door. Once he gets on task with an activity after that, I don't get requests. If he was really hungry, he is at an age where he could ask and mean it but if he then goes a couple of hours not saying anything as a result of being engaged and stimulated at an appropriate level, then that really shows me that he isn't hungry at all. We have a very light snack in the AM as lunch around here is at 11:30 due to my crew needing nap by 12. Afternoon nap is more substantial to see them to dinner time.
I agree with not feeding on demand but I think there is a good difference between letting a child eat what they want on command and asking a child who arrives during a meal time if they wish to join the others. I agree, don't feed a child on command and don't feed a child their favorite food endlessly. I offer food and the kids decide if and what they eat, they get no say in what is served but I don't force it to be eaten. But I do feel that it is unfair to just assume that the child has been fed recently because they arrive sometime between 9-10am. They may have last eaten at 6am with the assumption snack is provided. If this has not been clearly communicated with the parents then the next best thing to do is to ask the child if they want to join the others in snack.

Children have different dietary needs than adults and snacks are key to keeping their brains and bodies functioning and learning at their best.