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Original poster

What time is lunch time?

73 replies

WhiteNoiseMoreToys · 21/02/2023 11:30

DD 3yo is nagging me for something to eat 😂

She had cereal and a banana at 7:30am.

She’s had a stick of cheese and a biscuit at 10ish.

all day every day all I hear is “I’m hungry” “I’m hungry again” “can I have a snack” “can I have something out of the cupboard” and my brain wanted to implode 😂

it’s got me thinking, as she’s nagging in my ear for something else to eat.. is it too early for lunch? I’d usually do lunch around 12:30/1pm but I do know a handful of people that start lunch from 11! That still seems like morning?.. or brunch 😂

what time are we all having lunch these days? (Brownies point for children lunchtimes)

OP posts:
YouFilthyAnimal · 21/02/2023 11:32

It surely depends what time you get up as to how you determine your ‘lunchtime’

If she’s ready for lunch then give her her lunch - what does it matter?!

If your daughter is hungry all day every day though I would say you’re not feeding her enough at mealtimes

Rebellious23 · 21/02/2023 11:34

At work my lunch is allocated and 11.30 is the first and 2.30 the latest. So I reckon between those times is lunch Smile

kegofcoffee · 21/02/2023 11:34

Breakfast 7am, lunch 11.30/12, then dinner 4/4.30pm.

The lunch and dinner are in line with what nursery do. Id love to push it back to 12.30 lunch and 5pm dinner.

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MonkeyPuddle · 21/02/2023 11:35

Lunch is when we’re hungry roughly halfway through the day. We listen to our stomachs rather than an arbitrary time. If it’s 10am I’ll fling the kids a snack but lunch usually is any time from 11 - 1:30 in our house.

TaRaDeBumDeAy · 21/02/2023 11:36

8am - Breakfast
10am - Snack time
11.20am - Brunch or elevenses
1pm - Lunch
4pm - High tea
7pm - Dinner
9pm - Supper

Paperexcelandpens · 21/02/2023 11:36

No young kids but here it is...
Breakfast 6.30am
Lunch 1pm
Dinner 7pm

Tellmeimcrazy · 21/02/2023 11:36

Either you're not feeding her enough or she is doing it for attention. Only you'll know which

TaRaDeBumDeAy · 21/02/2023 11:36

Sorry, 11.30am - 11.20am would be oddly specific 😆

MaryJean87 · 21/02/2023 11:38

When they're hungry. If they have earlier lunch/ dinner I'll just give them a snack later on if they want it. When I worked in nurseries, lunch was always at 11.30.

Geranium1984 · 21/02/2023 11:40

My 2.5yo has breakfast at about 7.30am (2 weetabix), snack at 9.30am (toast and a banana) then lunch at about 11.30am
He has a nap at 12ish so we need to have lunch done by then.

He would struggle to go more than 2hrs without something substantial. So would I!

Does she go to nursery? They usually have lunch quite early there so she might be used to it.

Goldpaw · 21/02/2023 11:42

I'd say it starts around 11.30am and can end as late as 3pm or thereabouts.

JennyDarlingRIP · 21/02/2023 11:42

DS by twelve, me 1-2.
We have a fruit bowl open access policy, if you're hungry you can help yourself to fruit. It works well

bumpytrumpy · 21/02/2023 11:42

WhiteNoiseMoreToys · 21/02/2023 11:30

DD 3yo is nagging me for something to eat 😂

She had cereal and a banana at 7:30am.

She’s had a stick of cheese and a biscuit at 10ish.

all day every day all I hear is “I’m hungry” “I’m hungry again” “can I have a snack” “can I have something out of the cupboard” and my brain wanted to implode 😂

it’s got me thinking, as she’s nagging in my ear for something else to eat.. is it too early for lunch? I’d usually do lunch around 12:30/1pm but I do know a handful of people that start lunch from 11! That still seems like morning?.. or brunch 😂

what time are we all having lunch these days? (Brownies point for children lunchtimes)

Does she go to nursery? They often have lunch at 11.30 there.

Other than that you could try feeding her more protein to fill her up for longer. Eggs on toast for breakfast rather than cereal.

Caspianberg · 21/02/2023 11:44

Ds is almost 3.

Nursery mornings he eats breakfast around 7.30/8am.
Then they have sandwiches, fruit and raw veg around 9.30am again as ‘snack’ ( it varies how much he eats depending on if he ate good breakfast), we eat lunch at home together at 12.30/1pm.

Original poster
WhiteNoiseMoreToys · 21/02/2023 11:48

@Tellmeimcrazy I do think it’s attention as when it first started I thought I was feeding her enough so would give her thing that she would have one bite of them not eat… then I thought maybe it’s choice.. so I left her choose what she wanted and it was always “i don’t want that” “I want something else” “no not that” until her options were exhausted 🙈

although, @bumpytrumpy you could also be into something there.. I’m sure this all lines up with when she had been going to nursery for a few weeks..

My worry was that we all eat dinner together as a family as DP isn’t here for breakfast or lunch so it’s the only time we get to sit around the table together and it’s nice to just all be giving eachother attention at dinner time while we eat and talk about our day.
So I was concerned if I have her lunch too early, then her afternoon snack that she would need dinner early and then we wouldn’t be eating together 🙈

I guess I could try and stretch her afternoon snack, or give her something more filling to last a bit longer?

OP posts:
picklemewalnuts · 21/02/2023 11:50

Littles need 4 or 5 small meals a day, I reckon.

So when people say a mid morning snack, it's more like an extra meal.

So it would be 6ish, 9ish, 12ish, 3ish, 6ish!

At least in my house, as my DC run early. We still do lunch at 12 and dinner at 5! Youngest left home a while back!

LaFemmeDamnee · 21/02/2023 11:51

TaRaDeBumDeAy · 21/02/2023 11:36

8am - Breakfast
10am - Snack time
11.20am - Brunch or elevenses
1pm - Lunch
4pm - High tea
7pm - Dinner
9pm - Supper

Are you a hobbit? 😀

picklemewalnuts · 21/02/2023 11:51

Which reminds me, I'm starving!

It always helps go have freely available food- cheese, fruit or veg- that they can help themselves to. Assuming there are no eating/ health issues!

EarringsandLipstick · 21/02/2023 11:57

All children are different, but that sounds very little for a 3 yo. Mine would have needed toast / bread or something more carb-based by this point.

Likewise cereal isn't filling - as small DC, they had porridge or Weetabix with berries & bananas.

Anyway, I'd feed her at this point!

Icanbetherubberband · 21/02/2023 12:12

In my house breakfast is at 8am
Snack about 10am for the kids
Lunch is sometimes between Noon and 1pm
Snack about 3pm for the kids
Dinner is around 5pm, a bit earlier if everyone is hungry for it and a bit later if we have clubs that night, stop at the shops or park or weekends/holidays. I would much more naturally eat at 7pm, and have a snack at 4ish, so find that eating at 5pm works as I can be patient for an hour.

I try not to feed them outside of those times, as otherwise I am always making them food. In the holidays and on weekends as well a bit the timing can go out the window, and then I feel like I'm on constant kitchen duty. I try to limit it to those set times so I have time to clear up. Also because then they are more likely to eat proper meals and snacks, not just graze constantly. And because it's better for their teeth to have less frequent exposure to sugars.

lovemypuppa · 21/02/2023 12:12

WhiteNoiseMoreToys · 21/02/2023 11:30

DD 3yo is nagging me for something to eat 😂

She had cereal and a banana at 7:30am.

She’s had a stick of cheese and a biscuit at 10ish.

all day every day all I hear is “I’m hungry” “I’m hungry again” “can I have a snack” “can I have something out of the cupboard” and my brain wanted to implode 😂

it’s got me thinking, as she’s nagging in my ear for something else to eat.. is it too early for lunch? I’d usually do lunch around 12:30/1pm but I do know a handful of people that start lunch from 11! That still seems like morning?.. or brunch 😂

what time are we all having lunch these days? (Brownies point for children lunchtimes)

5 hours is an awful long time to expect someone to go without a snack at the very least!

Icanbetherubberband · 21/02/2023 12:17

My 3yo would have eaten double that on an average day eg.

Breakfast
Cereal with milk, banana, berries or grapes, toast with butter, as well as either a yoghurt or a boiled egg

Snack
Crackers, cheese, a fruit and some veg sticks

Q2C4 · 21/02/2023 12:20

We have 2 DC who are 1 & 3yrs old. Breakfast at nursery is at 8am. At the weekend they sleep in longer so breakfast is more like 9am. At home, lunch is then 12:30/1pm. Afternoon snack at 4pm and dinner at 6:45pm.

At nursery morning snack is at 10am, lunch is at noon, snack at 2pm then "dinner" at 4pm (on nursery days my 2 have dinner at nursery then dinner again at home at 6:45pm).

Icanbetherubberband · 21/02/2023 12:22

I would try feeding her more at each sitting, they have little tummies so need some snacks, but can still put a way a fair bit at meal times as well. It helps with the brain imploding feeling, easier to cut up a bit of extra food while you do a main meal than be on food duty all the time. Try adding some more protein, and more fibrous carbs so eg. Weetabix instead of rice crispies, veg sticks with snack, mango or oranges as well as the banana at breakfast, and two cheese sticks instead of one at snack.

MrsHGWells · 21/02/2023 12:30

Children graze a lot and eat far more than we think as they need the calories for growth, much like the walking stomachs of teen boys.

on the basis you are not consciously restricting food for fear of developing weight issues, and snacking on a variety of wholesome foods simply arrange a small grazing platter of snacks (carrot / cucumber/ grapes/ bananas/ apples/ yoghurt/ cheese cubes etc) your LO can nibble on.

you can see what the totality of food has been eaten - versus thinking snacking again.
adults and some females simply don’t eat as much as a growing toddler. Toddlers are busy & active.