Finding the right balance between meal times and healthy snacks is essential for your child’s well-being. Across the globe at any given time, children can be seen whining to their parents that they’re hungry, importing them to give them a snack. As soon as my children come out of school, both of them immediately ask what I have as a snack for them, and if I ever get a snack out for them somewhere public, such as in the playground, other children immediately swarm around, keen for any pickings. In this post I discuss the best times of day to give children a snack, offer ideas of what to give them and advice on how to work out whether a child is genuinely ravenous or can manage to hold on without a snack until the next meal.
Young Children Have Really Small Stomachs
Young children and toddlers have stomachs around the same size as their own fists. That’s pretty small, so if you’re wondering whether your child really does need to snack in between meals, the answer is yes. While most adults can bear the feeling of being really hungry sometimes before their next meal, and don’t necessarily need to reliably eat their meals at the same time every day, children are different. They thrive on predictability and routine, and it’s no different when it comes to snack times and mealtimes.
Children’s attention span and behaviour can be greatly affected by how tired they are and how hungry they are. While it’s impossible to ensure they eat at exactly the same time every day, the more you can strive to stick to the same eating schedule as often as possible, the better.
But Kids Do Need to Learn to Feel Hungry and Be Okay With it
My kids have always been really good eaters. I think one of the reasons for this is that we were very strict on snacking from the word go once they were established on solid food. We thought carefully about when we gave them snacks and kept them small. This meant that, come mealtimes, they were actually, properly hungry and we never had much trouble getting them to eat well. I’m always surprised how many parents claim their kids are terrible eaters at mealtimes, only to see them dishing out a large snack half an hour before they’re due to eat.
It takes time for children to learn to regulate and control their emotions when they’re hungry, but it’s something they do need to learn. Of course, young children should be given small snacks to keep them going in between meals, but they still need to get used to the feeling of getting hungry before mealtimes. This is a normal part of life! If you have a child who struggles with the feeling of hunger close to mealtimes, be firm and tell them it will be time to eat soon. Distract them any way you can and consider bringing their evening meal forward a bit if they’re really finding it difficult.
Don’t Offer Snacks Too Close to Mealtimes
This sounds obvious, but in my view, one of the main reasons a lot of kids don’t eat well at mealtimes from an early age is because they’re just not hungry enough. A child who isn’t very hungry will pick at the parts of a meal they really like, fill up on this, and feel no need to bother with the rest. It’s best to offer a snack fairly soon after they’ve eaten a main meal, as this gives them 2-3 hours to get properly hungry again before their next meal. For very young children, or children who are used to having snacks much closer to mealtimes, it may take a while for them to get used to waiting longer between their snack times and mealtimes. It’s worth persevering though, especially if you do have a child who doesn’t eat well at mealtimes, or is a very picky eater, as they will get used to it in the end and actually be hungry enough at mealtimes to eat properly. This will hopefully make mealtimes a lot less stressful for everyone.
Offer Healthy, Nutritious Snacks Whenever Possible
I will hold up my hand here and admit that I am terrible for giving sugary snacks such as biscuits and flapjacks to my kids when they come out of school. While I tell myself they need the blood sugar at this time of day, I know that the real reason is because these kinds of snack foods are quick, easy and most importantly, popular with my kids. I fully salute those parents and caregivers who manage to get their children to eat apples and rice cakes as their after-school snack, but for my kids, this just isn’t realistic at the moment. In fairness, both of them are very good eaters at mealtimes, they regularly snack on a variety of fruit and raw vegetables at home, and we do limit their sugar intake at home by not always offering a sweet dessert etc. We all have to reach compromises with our kids, and this is mine. I’m prepared to be relaxed about sugar after school when they’re tired and sometimes grumpy or fed up, but I’m much stricter with it the rest of the time.
Whenever possible, it is of course best to opt for nutritious snacks like apple slices (or whole apples for older children), baby carrots or sliced carrot sticks, or cubes of cheese and plain crackers to keep their energy levels stable and small stomachs satisfied. It’s much easier to insist on only healthy snacks when children are still very young and unable to really express an opinion. It gets much harder as they get older to maintain such healthy eating habits for them at snack times and after meals. My children have even made up their own songs to express the importance of getting dessert which involves the repetition of “Sproglets can’t survive without their pudding,” over and over again. So yes, as they grow older, the demands for sugar grow as well, and while sweet snacks, treats and desserts are okay sometimes, it’s important to stay firm the rest of the time and set serious limits.
Educating Kids About Healthy Snacking
For older kids, especially those experiencing a growth spurt, a morning or afternoon snack packed with whole grains, peanut butter, or fresh fruit can go a long way. Try to educate older children not to develop the habit of constant snacking between meals though, and to opt for small portions to prevent weight gain and promote healthy eating habits.
As kids grow older, talk to them about what sort of things they like and involve them in choosing their snacks to encourage a sense of autonomy and appreciation for healthy foods. It’s also important to keep letting them try new foods to snack on, such as different dried fruits. Focus on creating a snack schedule that aligns with your child’s eating schedule and avoids food waste. A good thing to remember is that smaller portions can help prevent childhood obesity and set the stage for a healthy lifestyle. A young child, for example, probably only needs half a crumpet as a snack rather than a whole one.
Another tip for encouraging the eating of healthy snacks among younger and older children is to leave them out for them at home. My children always have access to the fruit bowl as we leave it on the coffee table in the living room. Now they’re older, they’re usually sensible at the times of day they reach for an apple or a clementine, and it means I don’t have to badger them to make sure they’re eating fruit every day. Raw carrots, pitta bread and humous are another example of a quick, easy snack that can be left out for children to enjoy at their leisure (providing it’s an appropriate time of day and far enough from the next mealtime). Just remember to keep the portions small, especially for very young children.
Bedtime Snacks
Sometimes children will complain they’re feeling hungry at bedtime, even after eating a substantial evening meal. This is often one of the signs the child is experiencing a growth spurt. For a bedtime snack, choose options like a piece of fruit, a cheese stick, or cream cheese on whole-grain crackers. Avoid soft drinks (they really are incredibly bad for your child’s teeth, especially their milk teeth – stick to water at this time of day) and screen time close to bedtime to ensure a restful night’s sleep.
My Personal Opinions on Sugar
Personally, I don’t subscribe to the idea of never letting kids eat junk food or sugar. I know many would disagree with me over this, but my kids eat incredibly well at mealtimes to the point that I don’t feel I need to massively limit sugar. If I’m honest, they probably have a small amount of sugary food most days but I’m very aware of what they’re eating. While I think it’s important to be really aware of what children are eating throughout the week, I think it’s even more important they’re eating a really good variety of healthy main meals than not eating any sugar at all. If that makes sense. A child who eats plain pasta for nearly every meal and no vegetables, but is barely allowed any sugar, is in my opinion likely to be less healthy than a child who eats more sugar but also has a balanced, healthy diet. Keep an eye on their sugar consumption and just be sensible about it.
A Note on Babies and Solid Food
I’m going slightly off-piste here, but just a quick note here on babies who are approaching the age of one and aren’t taking particularly well to solids. At this age, once solid food has been established from six months (this will take longer to establish for some children than it will for others), solid food should be offered at mealtimes before milk, and not the other way around. This can be confusing for parents as it’s basically the opposite of what to do when they first start solids, which is to offer milk first while they’re getting to grips with eating solid food for the first time.
Conclusion for the Best Times of Day for Kids to Snack and What They Should Eat
Getting children of any age used to snacking on healthy food is a really good idea. It’s amazing how easy it is to replace the raw vegetables and organic toddler cereal bars a child was used to eating when they were very small, with biscuits, crisps and other unhealthy food that’s quick to grab and tastes delicious. The child quickly starts craving the unhealthy stuff and parents are often so busy that they just give in because it’s easier. However, incorporating healthy small snacks into your child’s day is essential in supporting their growth and establishing good lifelong eating habits. By putting a bit of thought into your child’s snacks and snack times, you can encourage them to eat nutritious foods and instil the importance of a balanced, wholesome diet. Remember, the key is variety, moderation, and making good choices together as a family.