Does your 10 year old have an after school snack? If so, what?

[ScrumpyTree]

Just that really please.

We have our dinner around 6.30pm.

I'm not a fan of the non-stop snacking that we seem to have accepted is a normal part of childhood.

At school my 10 year old has a snack at 10:30am and then lunch at 1pm. I make sure she has a decent breakfast but often doesn't eat a lot of lunch. (Often doesn't eat big portions of anything.)

So I feel to get to 6:30pm dinner is a long way but also feel like if she's going to snack after school I want it to be something worthwhile and not just a biscuit or some sweets. So will have apple and peanut butter, a soreen, some berries, a banana or a piece of toast.

If she has sweets then I'm happy for her to have some after the more substantial snack or after her dinner (or lunch at the weekend/holidays.)

She's so slim that I worry I'm getting it wrong. I don't want to move dinner as we enjoy eating together and generally eats well.

She should be slim. Unless she is underweight or doing a lot of training for something like gymnastics or swimming, I would say what you are doing is fine.

Banana and a kiwi.

You should be able to see her ribs so she sounds fine.
My DD is similar, she has a small lunch ( at her request ) and usually a spoonful of nut butter with sliced apple, Greek yogurt Honey and fruit or chopped walnuts, sometimes a fruit and veg smoothie.

I have 3 DCs who are now older teens

Mine were always so starving at the end of school day at that age (despite huge packed lunches) that they were like rabid sharks who curled back their lips and bared their teeth!

I've always given them a snack immediately they got home at 3.45-4pm - toast, fruit and yoghurt, a smoothie, soup and bread & butter, chicken noodle packet , cheese and ham toastie , pitta bread with dips, maybe some nacho crisps in oven with melted cheese and sour cream& salsa, ... anything that temporarily fills them up. We then ate main meal at 5.30-6pm
I avoided jacket potatoes and baked beans etc as that would be too filling for too long.

My lot were so active at school (like many DCs are ) that they were hungry mid afternoon and burn it off quickly!

Little pot of cashew nuts also went down a treat

Thanks. She dances twice a week and plays very actively still at playtime lots of running etc.

Recently we have had to weigh and measure her and it put her BMI at 3% so where I've always been happy with her slimness as she's full of energy and seems to just grow upwards and not outwards it's made me a little edgy to have her so low on the NHS scale.

Ive never ever limited her meal portions but also unless it's a special occasion compared to others there are less sweets/treats. But a couple of times a week there will be cake/ice cream/sweets which if you believe Mumsnet is too often anyway!

Hard not to worry that my keenness for her to be healthy has hurt her.

Sorry don't give them all of that it was an either or list...!!!

Also mine loved half a pita bread pizza - halve your pita bread smear on tomato purée or pasta, greater cheese abs bit of town ham, bake in oven 5 mins ...

Hehe torn ham grated cheese not the autoincorrects

It's not a disaster at all of they have a small bit of cake or couple of biscuits when they get home, that wouldnt worry me but I wouldn't let that happen every day - sounds like your daughter is active and healthy - so she will probably just benefit from bit of energy boost
So a banana smoothie (try adding 1/3 tsp from one of the powdered wild blueberry packets - aa that's lush and v healthy vitamins- with small cup of milk maybe some oats in your smoothie)

Pitta bread pizza a nice idea. Would work well the days she has to have early dinner before clubs. (Generally then I'll offer her toast or cereal when she's back home.)

My 10 year old is a skinny boy. I wish he'd eat a healthy snack but he's very fussy. He eats like a mouse and has quite a limited diet. When he gets back I give him a big glass of whole milk and either a couple of biscuits or some dark chocolate (dark chocolate is healthy at least!). I usually give him a fruit based dessert after dinner to make up for the biscuits!

Mine (DS) has toast after school. Sometimes a half bagel with cheese.

Are you denying her food when she's hungry? You say it's been your quest to be healthy (which could be disordered eating) but if she's not hungry it doesn't sound like it.

What does she want after school? If they're going onto clubs and v active sounds like she probably does need something.

Crumpets
Sandwhich
Toast and marmite
Cheese strings (I know!)
Houmous and breadsticks

All go down well here.

@3littlebeans

Nope never deny her food unless it's within 15/20 minutes of a meal time but even then generally I'll say there's fruit in the bowl etc.

I will deny sweets/chocolate biscuit as she would have just the treat and then not something more filling. So lately I've said "yes after you've had a banana/some nuts etc" which works.

Sounds like you're doing great!

DD had
crumptes
cereal
banana
homebaked cake/muffin
toast with butter
greek yoghurt with porridge oats, syrup and raisins
whatever else fruit is available

She would often add some chocolate or a biscuit to it, we have a free for all cupboard she can go to unless it's 1/2 hr before meals.

And sorry @3littlebeans didn't answer your second half in my first reply.

The nights she dances I'll do her dinner as soon as we get in from school.

Generally it's a quick one. Fish finger sandwich/bowl of pasta/cheese quesadilla. Maybe a yogurt too.

And then like I say she'll have cereal or peanut butter toast when she gets in.

On non club days sometimes she asks and sometimes she doesn't. But there are always snacks available that she can help herself to and lately she's enjoyed making her own toast etc.

The days she doesn't ask I offer but I don't want to make an issue by forcing a snack if she's said no. Same with extra helpings at dinner etc. If she says she's full I like to trust her as I was made to finish my plate and hated it. And then was a chubby kid and was told off for being greedy.

I just wanted food to be a total non issue other than making healthy choices.

In my household

A thin bagel with melted cheese, marmite or cream cheese. Quesadillas are fab, I like to add cheese and something else like ham or mushroom. Butter and garlic puree to make quick garlic bread on English muffin or baguette.
Slice of cold quiche. Slice of cold Spanish omelette. Pan fried and then microwaved wrap (so crispy and also cheese melts) with tuna/ham/tomato with cheese. Finger salad and cashew nuts.

Things to dip;
carrots sticks, red pepper, cucumber, toast soldiers, celery, tortilla cut into triangles and baked, melba toast, bread sticks, vegetable crisps

With dips; hummus/ flavoured hummus, salsa, guacamole, sour cream and chive, whipped cream cheese (well I just stir with fork, add milk and sometimes a fresh herb or garlic puree), tzatziki. Theres a sweetcorn a chilli dip from Tesco that is very nice

Also not often but sometimes frozen prawn gyoza (on hob 3 min) with soy sauce, frozen Jamaican patty (microwaved). English muffin pizza, grilled with tomato paste and cheese maybe topped with tomato or ham