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

Yes freely snack on fruit here. They'd rather snack on crisps and biscuits so if they're eating fruit then they're actually hungry.

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

This made me give a wry chuckle as a mum who's been through 4 teenagers at home!

I prefer them to have fruit at mealtimes or in one go rather than grazing on it throughout the day (because I worry about teeth) but they do seem to go through various growth spurts where eating feels endless!

Mine snack on fruit, yoghurt, peanut butter sandwiches, cheese, ham and chocolate cake. ‘Dinner’ is a very minor affair in our house.

I let mine snack on McDonald's, Nando's and Subway

They help themselves to the fruit bowl, although the older one usually raids the fridge for cheesestrings or eats a Weetabix with milk.

Our fruit bowl has always been help yourself whenever you want.

But nobody's allowed to eat the stunt pineapple.

Ds snacks lots. Sometimes he has an extra 'meal' on top of his 3 a day. We all have days where we're hungry and want extra - I'd not dictate when those days are for him!

He has a fast metabolism like his dad, DP. Sometimes DP eats enough to feed an army.

My kids don't really eat fruit although it's there for the offering.

They do help themselves freely to weetabix or yoghurt, and I'm not particularly strict about sweets, crisps as long as they eat their dinner. They're very good for fuel though so don't really eat between meals.

Mostly they're in school from 7.30-5.30pm so eat the bulk of their food there. When they come home I just care that they eat something with vegetables in it.

Can't get worked up about

I fill the fruit bowl each week and ds empties it. He has fruit for breakfast with toast, fruit for snacks and fruit puddings normally. I try to vary it but he eats loads.
Plenty of fibre and vitamins, no bad effects yet. He’s 10.

Yes our fruit bowl is massive and over filled weekly! They can have as much as they want! It used to be emptied after five days...now it lasts two weeks!

DS has fruit with meals and things like cheese or peanut butter and crackers for snacks. He can have food if he’s hungry - I don’t restrict it. He’s extremely tall and skinny and can easily veer into hanger if he doesn’t eat little and often.

Ha. Ha, I’d love my teenage DS to snack (hate that word too) on fruit but he’s not that interested, prefers toast & peanut butter etc. Doesn’t really have a sweet tooth. Will have some fruit for breakfast (if I put it in front of him but that’s about it for the day.

My 11 y/o have fruit after main meals but not immediately before. DT1 would only eat fruit and veg otherwise. If they are hungry I offer fruit or a glass of milk and if DT2 turns his nose up, he's not really that hungry but hankering after junk.

We have a fruit drawer in the fridge and they can help themselves but like a previous poster said I don't see fruit as being able to combat hunger. If they are properly hungry they'll have a piece of cheese and maybe some crackers or half a sandwich. DDs are 7 and 5 so not at the mad appetite stage yet.

My daughter (4) will help herself to an apple mid morning, and mid afternoon. If it’s too close to lunch or evening meal I will ask her to wait but otherwise she can eat all the fruit she likes.
No food is banned, not even chocolate. I don’t believe that’s a healthy approach, she enjoys all foods, and is equally happy with a nectarine, a banana or a slice of cake.

Need to ask before grabbing food.
Nothing an hour before a meal, and I'm the parent saying "no more fruit, what about some cheese/ crackers/a biscuit". My 2 could eat their way through the fruit aisle of Tesco on a daily basis!

Fruit bowl is always full and DC's have free access to it, but since they've all hit teens, they only eat the bananas. Everything else is apparently too much effort. If I sit and peel a tangerine for myself, they're like flies round shit, scrounging segments,but just too bloody lazy to peel one for themselves. Same for grapes - will eat them if I wash and put them in a bowl for them, but completely ignore them in their unpicked state in the fruit bowl.

I cut down on buying the multi packs of crisps etc, but they'll simply open a sharing bag and scoff the lot. Biscuits are rationed too as they'll polish off a pack in minutes. Luckily they're all skinny and very active but it's not ideal.

No food rules at all. They can eat what they want when they want.

Mine can snack on fruit at will. I don't police food that much.

Piece of fruit
Snacking
Free access to the fruit bowl
Unlimited fruit
Before a meal
Offer them fruit.

😖 Argh stop!

I don't know why this thread is making me cringe so hard but it is. It's so prissy. Besides it's bloody fruit not hard drugs. Give them an apple and stop fretting.

Aware IABU by the way. Wrong side of the bed this morning.

I think people’s obsession with must not eat is going to lead in far more eating disorders.

Balance not banning food drink if you think there not hungry . Cook from scratch as much as possible it’s not rocket science

No unauthorised snacking in our house, although there is a biscuit or fruit or cake or sweets break mid morning and another one mid afternoon.

Problems with unlimited fruit:
1)terrible for teeth
2)doesn't fill you up and makes you crave more so ruins appetite for meals
3)expensive
4)constantly empty fruit bowl as some greedy guts would gorge it all
5)replenishing the fruit bowl needs regular shopping trips
6)Apple cores etc all over the house tend to make me go ballistic and cause insect infestations and yucky smells

Aware my post may seem like a tad of an overreaction - comes from many years defending a minority position.

My kind ds have a carby snack after school , apart from that just fruit.