Talk to me about after school snacks

[DietCokeChipsAndMayo]

My children seem to be hungrier and hungrier every day after school and are eating more and more crap which obviously I don’t want
I’ve moved dinner time earlier which does seem to be helping but particularly the little 2 don’t really understand that food will be coming in an hour/hour and a half and you don’t need to fill up on lots of different things as soon as you get home
None of them like anything particularly ‘protein’y which is a problem as they seem to be mainlining carbs which obviously does next to nothing in keeping them going

What do you usually do for after school snacks?

Toasted crumpets are standard here at about 3.30! Watching with interest as I could do with a bit of inspiration!

DS get a choice of apple, pear, banana or nowt.

I wouldn't give fruit. So boring and doesn't fill you up particularly. Children need something a little substantial but not so much so that they won't eat dinner

I'd go for toast and peanut butter or crumpets with cheese. A hot chocolate. Maybe some ritz crackers with a bit of cheese. Small bowl of soup.

Having said that, my youngest would eat a couple of rounds of cheese on toast, fruit and popcorn. He'd then demolish dinner and tell me he was hungry! He's still the same at 14 except now he's 6 foot and skinnier than a rake. No idea how

I never got too hung up on after school snacks .. just feed them and it all works out

I like to have dinner ready when they get in from school, DD 11 and DS 9 get home at 3pm, DD13 at 4pm. Its home cooked filling foods like chicken curry, bolognese, casserole, stew etc. This seems to fill them, might have some fruit at about 6 and then cereal or toast before bed. I tried to have dinner at 6pm but didn't work, kids were hungry and snacking from when they got home and then were not that hungry for dinner. It also means dinner and clean up is done and dusted earlier.

We do cereal with banana chopped up most nights. They’re fed tea at school/nursery and get in at 5 so usually pretty hungry. We’ve got loads of bananas at the moment so tonight will do banana pancakes. Sometimes stuff like plain biscuits (digestives/rich tea), oatcakes and cheese, toast, crumpets.

Give them their dinner? Otherwise crumpets or toast and then dinner later

Pizza crumpets (just crumpets spread with some red pesto and topped with cheese then grilled).

Chopped apple, breadsticks and hummus.

Boiled eggs and toast.

Soup and crackers.

Banana sandwiches.

Chopped up Apple & peanut butter - find it really helps fill up as takes a while to eat

Lump of cheese & raisins - good combo, cheese helps keep them full.

Make sure they've drunk enough too, glass of milk can help keep hunger at bay for a while!

Fruit juice ice lollies have been popular in warm weather recently. Or a piece of fruit, or a drink of juice and a biscuit/slice of toast.. Depends what I have in...

Mine get a snack on the way home from school which is a bit limiting as it needs to be portable. We do nuts, fruit or crunchy bars mostly. Something less healthy on Fridays.

You could switch it around and serve the kids dinner earlier and then a snack before bedtime.

I've been in that situation and I just got to the stage of giving them a piece of fruit or a ceral bar and bringing dinner time forward. So now dinner for my lot is a 4 otherwise they will be eating everything in sight.

Bananas. milk and a couple of biscuits or a cereal bar.

Mine are getting older (which helps with trusting them to make healthy-ish choices) but I've found that it's about offering a balance between protein (which helps them to feel full), carbs and sugar, and mixing it up a bit during the week. So there are some 'treat' days (I don't call them that!) and some healthier.
Examples: babybel or mini cheddars plus "nice" fruit (in our house things like grapes, plums etc are a bit of a treat); cheese and crackers plus small smoothie; one bar twix/two finger Kit Kat plus apple or satsuma; chocolate bar/cake bar plus some veg; carrot sticks with hummus and something sweet like a cookie; bag of crisps/twiglets/snackajacks plus some fruit or veg.
If they are still hungry after that I tell them they won't starve if they have to wait for dinner
Hope that helps

Apple or a banana. Anything more than that and they don’t eat their dinner.

Whatever smallish snack she fancies. Packet of crisps, rice cake, fruit or crackers. She's 11 so knows how much she needs to eat whilst not being too full and therefore leaving her dinner.

Usually something like

Toast or crumpet and butter
Bread and butter
Flapjack/cake/biscuits
Fruit
Sausage roll/cheese twist
Cold sausage

Depending on where we were at the time

Have you considered making dinner later?

We used to have afternoon tea and a chat around the table when my DC came in from school as they had lots of activities so needed to eat dinner quite late. Although they didn't have to get up until 7.45am though so went to bed a bit later than other DC of their age.

Things like crumpets, sausage rolls, cheese straws or scones, half a toastie, hummus/baba ghanoush and crudites, cheese and charcuterie, samosas, boiled egg and soldiers, falafal, tuna or salmon fish balls, usually with some kind of salady bit on the side followed by fruit or sometimes cake or homemade cookies as a treat. A small side plate sized portion rather than meal sized eg a cheese scone with cherry tomatoes and a bowl of blueberries, hummus and veg sticks and a sliver of chocolate cake.

You've inspired me to have a hot cross bun

Crackers, cheese and apple
Peanut butter and carrot sticks
Hummus and veg/crackers
Biscuits and fruit
Ds1 at 15 now demolishes whatever leftovers happen to be in the fridge (pasta, couscous etc) especially as he's often at the gym and doesn't eat properly until he gets back at 8ish.

I find a glass of gold top milk deals with hunger and thirst, and then something like a banana, crumpet, or flapjack. Fruit after that if still hungry. That way, they’ve had protein, carbs and fruit/veg.

But mine are 10 and 13 and they both do activities that finish quite late. So a big snack at 4.00 is fine as the main meal is at 7.30.

Mine likes crackers and cheese or a brioche.

Nothing with carbs - thats just a step on the route to obesity. Half of these "snacks" are actually meals. Fill up with carrot sticks, or celery or fruit at a push. Fruit contains a lot of sugar, dont forget.

Or just have dinner earlier

My DS usually comes home with half of the contents of his lunchbox still uneaten so often he'll have the half of his sandwich he's left, and then something like grapes/crackers/yoghurt/orange/crisps. Try not to give him too much so that he then eats majority of his dinner.

My eldest isn’t so hungry anymore. Portions must be bigger in junior school. My youngest is so hungry that he practically bites off my hand when I pick him up. I usually bring a snack to pick up like rice cakes or soreen bars. Then a more substantial snack when we get home, like hummus and breadsticks or dairylea and crackers or a Cheese sandwich. And then dinner at 5:30. When my eldest was in reception. I used to do them
dinner at 4:00! But I’m pushing dinner back later or they just start asking for food right before bedtime.