'reversing' after school food: proper supper then tea before bed ??

[Countingthegreyhairs]

I have a Swedish friend who does this with her dc and I am contemplating trying it.

She gives her two dc (7 and 9) their 'proper' supper as soon as they come in from school which is usually around 4pm, -then they do homework for an hour - then play for an hour - then it's time for bed at which time they will have a bun and a glass of milk. She says it works really well because they don't fill up on carbs before their proper meal - are really ready to eat their protein etc - and it gives them the proper energy boost to get their homework done.

She then eats later with her dh.

My dd (5) is always ravenous when she comes home and I have to restrain her from eating too many snacks (even though they are healthy ones like oat biscuits & banana) and then she is either too tired or too full for her supper. It's a constant battle at a time when she is already quite 'temperamental'. So I am contemplating changing to the above system. Especially because we live abroad and school here starts early and the dc have an early lunch.

Do you think it's mad or do you think it has some merits? (It's obviously only possible/practical on the days when I don't work after 3pm.)

[DanJARMouse]

I have DD1 in part time school (afternoons) and DD2 in nursery 4 afternoons a week.

We get home at about 3.50pm, and they will have a biscuit.

We then eat as a family right about now (DH calling me!)

If the girls are still hungry before bed, they are offered fruit and milk.

Works for us.

FWIW Breakfast is 8am and lunch is 12 noon.

[UniS]

no harm in trying it for a week or just a few days as an experiment. if you like it do it more regularly, if you don;t revert to norm.

[BonsoirAnna]

Try it and see - not a bad idea IMO though I have never heard it before. My DD also tends to stoke up on carbohydrate at 5pm and not want protein later.

[stuffitllama]

I think this is a good idea. It gets the veg and all the good stuff down them when they are ravenous. Then later for us eg it's toast, bananas, hot chocolate, the treat stuff. Well bananas good too but if they want a chocolate brownie it's fine because they ate their dinner. Let's face it they do need carbs. I do dinner at 5.50 then snack between 7 -- 7.30.

[londontipton]

I do this - "teatime' is actually their proper supper eaten at 4.30 (no snacks allowed before)

I then let them graze a bit before bedtime - scones, biscuits, fruit, hot chocolate etc.

[ladyjuliafish]

We have our dinner at 4-4.30 and the dcs have cocoa at 6-7. Sometimes they will have a snack then too but not always. DH starts work at 5 so it works for us. I think it would be quite difficult for people with more conventional hours.

[PortofinosDHwillDieIfHeForgets]

DD never eats with us in the week as DH is usually home late. We're abroad too, and she has soup mid-morning, a cooked lunch and fruit/yoghurt, then an afternoon snack about 4pm at the garderie which is usually another piece of fruit, a cake/cereal bar and a drink. When we get home about 6 she generally doesn't want another "proper" meal. She'll have a ham sandwich, or beans on toast, sometimes just toast and honey, but then I usually give her a banana or something as well. Then she has milk or hot choc and biscuit before bed.

[CherryChoc]

My neighbour used to have his tea (as in main meal - too many different terms!) at about 4.30-5ish after school, then he had supper (as in a small snacky meal) before bed, e.g. an apple and some biscuits or crackers.

[Timeisablindguide]

I always do this and a lot of my friends are the same - our kids are so hungry after school that to give them a snack spoils their appetite for a full meal later so we do tea around 4.30pm. By the time they've left the table it's about 5pm, play for a bit, reading etc and then some cereal and milk later as a sort of supper. Works really well IMO.

[BONKmesenselERZ]

my DS and DD have a proper cooked meal at 4pm and then a snack at bedtime, has always worked for us as a family because me and DH eat about 7pm!

[fishie]

it is a shame there is no opportunity for a mid-afternoon snack.

[bigTillyMint]

We do that on the night they have to be out for an early club and it works well.

They normally have fruit and a biscuit or something about 4 and tea about 5.30pm, with me and DH is he's in. No supper though!

They do eat a large portion at mealtimes

[thegrowlygus]

Sounds sensible to me - not at that stage just yet with mine, but that was the routine when I was little at home. Teatime, then some supper before bed.

[DanJARMouse]

I will add that both DD's currently get snack at school/nursery in the afternoon.

Typical for DD1 is a piece of fruit and cup of milk and for DD2 is a biscuit, fruit, raisins and milk.

[bracingair]

yup i do that too! DD is ravenous when she comes home from school - 4ish. She eats supper so much better at 4. Late on she will have a fruit or cereal. I much prefer it as instead of coaxing her to eat, she wolves it down. Only prob is hard to do errands on the way home from school, and it is hard to have supper ready so early. But definately worth it as they eat so nicely.

[Jux]

I think it's a much more sensible system really, particularly for younger kids. All my relatives do this with their children, but I don't, simply because it doesn't fit in with our whole family routine. I'd love to do it though, but it would mean cooking two proper meals, instead of one and dd not eating with us. She's 9 now anyway, so it's less appropriate.

[nannyL]

pick up at 3,30
they have a drink of water on the car

we get in at 4pm

dinner on the table by 4.30

in bath by 5.30

then they can have a snack with their milk with mummy / daddy after i have gone home

it works well for me! and my 3 and 6 year old boys

[Countingthegreyhairs]

Wow! Thanks everyone for your replies. Loads more people doing this than I realised - it obviously has its benefits. Thanks for your input everyone.

Fishy - there is time for an afternoon snack - but it is just moved to before bedtime iyswim!! It is still just as leisurely .... Hopefully it won't be a problem if we attend to teeth properly ...

I think I am going to try it ... dh gets in too late for us all to eat together anyway ... and I think it may reduce the "witching hour" traumas of transition between school and home if dd has a proper (protein-based) meal immediately when she gets home, instead of fuelling the general angst with carbs if that makes sense.

The other benefit would be for my waistline in that I really don't fancy eating a proper meal at 4pm so hopefully it will reduce my calorie intake (when I feed dd at 5.30pm/6pm I am tempted to eat with her and then eat with dh later on too!!)

To be frank, I guess it was a sort of snobbery/worry about what friends and relations would think that has stopped me doing it before now ...which is ridiculous considering this concerns a five year old...!!

Thanks again everyone ...