The constant feeding / snacking of children

There was a huge shift around 2000s. When I had my kids, we took food if we would be out over a mealtime. We might, might not take a water bottle.

By about 2005, all toddlers needed a snack in hand and a drink in the buggy. At all times. The buggies were disgusting with food and drink spilled on them.
I regularly hosted a group at home, and the baby/toddler who was brought always- always- was eating- sticky hands, sticky face. I was very aware because my DC only ever ate in the kitchen. They were cleaned up before leaving the table.

Kids don’t need snacks. Three square meals a day, yes. But not snacks.

When DDs were little they had snacks because they can't eat so much at mealtimes, so they had in effect several small bits of food throughout the day. And quite a bit of milk IIRC, which gradually reduced. So what parents are doing isn't necessarily wrong in itself by allowing snacking. Obviously type of food and quantity v activity levels is important. DDs have never been fat though but have always been good eaters.

I don't understand the snacking culture that we have now. When I was a kid snacks were just not a thing, there was no eating between meals, if still hungry after a meal I was told to fill up with bread and jam. If I did have a treat it was certainly not everyday and only one of either crips/chocolate/sweets/pop.We didn't keep biscuits, crisps etc in the house and they certainly weren't part of the weekly shop.I am an old fart though.

I agree with you OP.
I think some of the time children are given food to shut them up. Let the little darling stuff their face with Quavers whilst the parent can doom scroll. Sad all round really.

Crisps, fizzy drinks, chocolate, chicken burger and chips etc are certainly not cheap especially when bought so regularly.

There are many things that are difficult for busy parents to keep on top of, but ensuring your primary school children aren't fat and unhealthy due to the food you feed them, is definitely up there near the top.

What’s that got to do with anything? The issue is snacking. It’s not good to normalise constant feeding.

It is also one reason why we have rubbish and dropped/discarded food everywhere. Drives me mad!

I went to a pantomime when my ds was about 6. A school mum i vaguely knew and I shit you not gave her son 3 fairy cakes, a small bag of popcorn, strawberries!, crisps and haribo. The kid was hyperactive and quite disruptive in school.

I had a pack of crisps or half a tin of rice pudding before swimming every week in the 90s. Otherwise I would get grumpy and hungry and wouldn’t enjoy swimming. There wasn’t time for dinner between swimming and school and I needed energy.

Eating energy dense foods before an energy using activity isn’t why we face childhood obesity issues.

I was a slim child, size 6 until I was 16 and I’m a size 8 adult.

I do hate the baby puffs etc though. People don’t understand the labelling. they’re full of sugar.

My 4 year old asks for snacks a lot but I have no issue with it because she eats 3 proper meals a day and will generally eat nutritious snacks rather than ultra processed foods. She is a very hungry child and average weight.

For the people who are shocked at what people in low income areas feed their kids, the links between poverty and obesity are well documented - highly processed food is addictive and cheaper than fresh produce and often individuals in low-income areas are working long hours with little flexibility to facilitate things like home cooking when the kids get home from school.

It's a shame you find child neglect so funny.

Fortunately plenty of people don't.

Maybe it’s just me and I wouldn’t say I’m that old but I never really remember snacking as a kid, or if it was it was a proper pause sit down pit stop for a snack and cold drink say on a day out or something or at school break times. Or something like toast/fruit or similar when back from school until dinner but not consistently snacking or favourite snacks for the every now and then road trip as a treat. And then otherwise we had proper sit down meals and pudding, and we were sufficiently hungry to eat! There has been a definite cultural shift I think.

It's not just children, I agree with you OP though. Set an example.

I know and they'd call me a terrible parent for letting mine snack. What you wouldn't know is that he's got suspected ARFID so barely eats at all. So if he decides he wants a snack when we're out then I'm always going to give it to him.

I'm 54 and agree! Because swimming pools and changing areas were a lot colder back then.

I agree with your premise. Overall we are a nation that eat far far more processed snacks than our european counterparts - and we carry the extra pounds to show for it.

However, I would hesitate to judge after seeing just one instance. My almost 2 year old sits and has all her meals at the dinner table, using cutlery and proper cups (no sippy cups etc). Our meals are cooked all from scratch, high fibre, good protein and half the plate is veg. Snacks are generally fruit, cheese or natural yoghurt.

However, there have definitely been times when I have forgot to pick up the lunch bag or whatever, and instead of buying the mankly bruised apple for 90p from the leisure centre cafe, I get the chocolate finger for her.

And I don't think anyone responds to feeling judged. I think we need to make unhealthy food less accessible, and reasonably priced healthy food available in food deserts etc.

Can I be the first to say "no wonder there's an obesity epidemic"?

I love crisps

Oh no, they're poor and fat. Avert your eyes!

I am very old and I remember going to the sweet shop after school and choosing fruit salads and mojos . Am not overweight and have perfect teeth!

I’m in my 50s and we always got a snack after swimming! Known as a shivery bite.

Another huge problem with constant snacking is the dental issues. So many kids have to have teeth pulled due to decay. A young girl aged 21 who I work with has recently had all on one implants fitted overseas due to decay in almost every adult tooth. It is shocking.

You are guilty of child neglect if you allow constant snack snck snack throughout the day. You are better off allowing your kids to eat a whole pack of biscuits in one go than letting them have one every 10 mins over three hours.

Google Stephan curve.

Naught wrong with a shivery bite.

Doesn’t everyone have a snack after swimming?!

I agree.

Growing up in the 60s and 70s there were very few places to buy food/snacks/drinks other than supermarkets or newsagents. There were cafes, but they tended to be sit down only, rather than take-way.

The influx of coffee shops and fast food places over the last 40 years or so has really changed the typical high street so that food and drink outlets are now the predominant business, and practical shops have declined.

I often avail myself of their offerings, I don't deny it, but I don't really think we NEED all the Starbucks, Costas, etc. My tiny express supermarket has installed a Costa coffee dispenser. Can people not manage to pop to the corner shop without the need to buy a coffee and a snack to go with it.