2.5 yo snack obsessed - is yours?

[Hus837]

Does anyone else's toddler ask for snacks ALL day long? Mine is 2.5 and he is just constantly asking. He's been a fussy eater ever since turning 2. Before that he ate everything. Now he rarely wants normal hot dinners etc, but wants snacks all day. If we are en route to somewhere, on the bus, out for a walk etc he will just constantly want snacks.

I know they say to pick your battles with 2 year olds so at the moment I'm just making sure snacks offered are all healthyish, no junk etc, but they are still pretty sugary (fruit).

I'm still basically letting him have them if he wants. Should I be saying no and sticking to set snack times? I used to do this when he was a baby but don't know if I'd just be just creating a battle for no reason. I do still have set mealtimes but I know that he won't want to eat what's offered, but I still offer it. He'll eat bread but ignore cooked meals. This started before the snacking went crazy but now it's a vicious cycle iyswim.

Today he's had breakfast (he likes porridge and wheatabix) plus he's had:
Apple
Banana
Organix oaty bar
Rice cakes
Yo-yo bear
Berries
Natural yoghurt
1/2 Bagel
All before lunch

Do you just wait out this phase or should I be tackling it more directly?

Mine is the same age and I wish she ate those snacks!

She won’t eat meals either.

Today she’s had a cup of milk, a crepe and three wotsits.

Yesterday was the same, she just picked at the broccoli with her cottage pie for dinner and ate one spoon of that.

Fruit hasn’t passed her lips since she was less than a year old, despite it being offered and around everyday while her older siblings wolf it down.

My eldest was just like this. I tore my hair out over it. He grew out of it so I am not worried, somehow her weight is stable and she is very active and growing well.

Just keep on with your ds - I would kill for dd to eat in a day juat what he’s eaten this morning!

I would tackle it indirectly!
If it's less than an hour to a meal time, " no, we're going to eat soon"
Offer a drink.
"Let's just do this first."
Offer something he doesn't really like - then you'll know if he's hungry!
Make meals that can be eaten cold, and offer it again for the afternoon snack.

Mine is the same as @MegGriffinshat - survives on fresh air, tangerines and toast. Eats everything at nursery but picks at his food at home, after a really strong start and having a great appetite in the early days.

What happens if he’s doing something he really enjoys? DS will sometimes ask for snacks if he’s bored at home, but rarely if we’re out somewhere. Agree that diverting attention is the best way. Let’s tidy up first / no it’s nearly lunch time / etc. Are meals offered at similar times every day? I try to stick to nursery timings every day.

They learn it at nursery, unfortunately. Staff know that snacks keep them occupied, help move from one activity to another, and prevents hangry tantrums.

School sorts it out, but I struggled with it until then.

I wouldn’t be concerned with not wanting a cooked meal but half a bagel with say fruit and yoghurt should be lunch, not a snack. You probably just need to adjust timings. I would however ditch those processed fruit snacks like the yoyo and organix bar. He doesn’t need them if he’s having a banana and apple, it’s unnecessary grazing and the yoyo things especially can be quite bad for teeth as they’re sticky and high in fruit sugars.

That's a hell of a lot of food. Breakfast and then 8 snacks? No wonder he doesn't eat meals.

Yeah I know, but like I said in my OP, he started refusing meals months before the snack obsession started.

Yes I agree. I'm trying to offer less of those type of things. He just loves anything new and anything in a packet - which is mortifying for me as I have always home cooked everything from scratch. I make these homemade breakfast muffins which contain no sugar and only fruit, flaxseeds and stuff - he used to love those as a snack but stopped wanting them.

I do think nursery has contributed as they have different things there which I hadn't offered him before, like crackers, and sweet puddings etc.

It's so hard!!

I limit my toddlers snacking by having set snack times and only eating in her high chair.

quite often she says she doesn’t want lunch but wants snacks so I say “ok, let’s have snacks for lunch!” Then give her a sandwich and some fruit anyway but call it a snack. That seems to appease her toddler brain!

If we are en route to somewhere, on the bus, out for a walk etc he will just constantly want snacks.

Don't carry snacks with you.

So many parents do this and I really can't understand it.

I hear you, neither of mine would eat a lovingly prepared flax seed muffin either! And they all love a packet but I try to keep those sort of snacks for on the go as unlike a banana the consequences aren’t grim if you forget it in the bottom of your bag haha.

I’d just do weetabix and the banana for breakfast. One snack only, an organix bar isn’t the end of the world. Then snacky lunch so from your list a bagel, rice cake, handful of berries, natural yoghurt for pudding. Serve it at 11 if he’s really hungry but at the table and as a proper meal.

Why eat meals when better food is on tap? This is something I'd stop doing meal time and one snack at most in-between

Like I've said, he stopped eating meals months before his snack obsession began.

Thanks @FlounderingFruitcake yes good idea, I'll try bringing lunch forward on the days he's at home.

Yes but now he's obviously hungry and wants snacks so has learned that better food is available. If you sit down to a meal your not bothered about then later eat lots of snacks your not hungry for the next meal your not bothered about. If cut them out give small portions of meals so it's not overwhelming you can always give seconds and eat together without mentioning eat up etc. When you finish take the food away and get on with the day bringing next meal forward if he's asking for food.