Do you let your kids snack on fruit between meals?

[ShabbyAbby]

I don't let my kids snack freely on fruit. They like fruit and could eat mountains of it, but I'm happier when they have something with protein and/or healthy fats.

Do you have a blanket rule like "you can only have fruit between meals" or are snacks a mix of the food groups?

Tia x

Fruit bowl has always been a free for all and unlimited, although I have mentioned it if one seems to be overdoing it. They get all other nutrition from meals. Mine are teenagers now she the tile still applies but they also scarf through chocolate at an incredible rate... once it's gone, it's gone though, so limited by availability rather than common sense!

*the rule still applies. I'm on my phone!

No snacking in our house on fruit or anything else.

Snacking on fruit is fine in this house, so long as it's not too close to dinner.

Freely available fruit for all R.N. this house. Although I know that is incredibly old fashioned of me!

Yes I let them snack on fruit if they want it but I don't let them overdo it.

Our main meals focus more on protein, fats and starch so I'm not concerned that they should have those food groups over fruit when snacking.

But the word “snacking” is bsnned because it makes me shudder.

I'm pretty sure that I read something recently that said the modern obsession with protein isn't actually a great thing.

DD has a mixture of snacks - biscuit, fruit, cheese. I focus more on timing so it's mid morning or mid afternoon (when, despite what many MNers seem to think, it has been the norm to stop for a drink and a quick bite for donkeys years) and not just before a meal. No snacking after dinner, though.

Although I know that is incredibly old fashioned of me

Bertrand You think you're old-fashioned..... I let mine have BISCUITS and CAKE [SHOCK]

What's so bad about letting them have fruit?

I let mine have peas. Apparantly that’s shocking because of the carbs.....

Yes of course...I let them have pretty much free reign on what they snack on between meals as long as they still eat their main meals and aren't doing ridiculous things like eating ten packets of crisps or the entire contents of the biscuit tin.

No snacking in our house on fruit or anything else

What if they're hungry?

@funnystory exactly. God if mine wanted to snack on fruit I’d quite happily let them eat the entire bowel.

Low carb diets don’t have room for fruit in them though so that may be the reasoning. I’m partly low carb- no rice, pasta or bread- but I absolutely refuse to give up fruit. I don’t know how people can’t eat it.

formerbabe - no one complains of hunger. They get plenty of food at mealtimes.

As teenagers I find mine get the munchies late evening despite having eaten three square meals so I always keep snacks in for those reasons. As small children they would perhaps eat fruit or a drink with a biscuit now and again.

"No snacking in our house on fruit or anything else."

That seems terribly draconian. There's nothing wrong with the occasional piece of fruit.

If my DC are complaining they're STARVING between meals and I don't really think they can be (and it's not too close to mealtime) I offer them fruit. Sometimes they have some, sometimes they turn their noses up.

They're still fairly young though. I imagine when they're teenagers I would give them free access to ordinary fruit though.

Yes what @formerbabe said. I don't actually have any restrictions on what they snack on and when, but obviously they know they can't eat 10 cakes, they understand healthy eating.

no one complains of hunger. They get plenty of food at mealtimes.

Sounds a bit like when I was a child. Weren't given snacks either and I didn't complain of hunger because my mum was a bit weird about food. I was hungry though, just used to finish off school friends lunches or sneak food from cupboards.

Yep. A digestive biscuit and something from the fruit bowl after school is standard here. If DC would like another piece if fruit after dinner, fine by me.
That would be the limit thought because 1 or 2 pieces a day would be all they're interested in.

obviously they know they can't eat 10 cakes, they understand healthy eating.
Yep...children done learn by being banned things.

Mine snack on fruit, veg, biscuits, flapjack and cake if it's around. I don't ban anything but try to guide them into good choices rather than guilting them into them.

DS13 is unfillable; at 6 foot tall he's genuinely hungry a lot of the time, he's also very active so needs more to sustain him than he did when he was younger. His between-meal choices are always good ones, though, and he understands what his body needs for strength and energy especially with doing so much sport.

DS8 is a picker and would happily graze all day but go without 'big' meals. He tends to snack more and has a sweeter tooth, but again understands that his body needs a mix of foods rather than just 6 packets of digestive biscuits (which is what I suspect he'd eat if he was allowed to).

Mine can have fruit more or less whenever they like (3 and 5)but they sometimes ask for some cheese on crackers or something. They have the occasional biscuit too.

No restrictions on fruit in our house. If they want to snack between meals they have access to the fruit bowl and things like baby bells/rice cakes within reason, obviously not allowed to sit and eat 5 babybels.