to stop giving my kids a snack as soon as they come home from school?

[ElderberrySyrup]

...Because they don't eat their tea?

I already feel like a mean mum because some of the others are waiting at the school gate with a snack for their kids so they don't have to walk home with an empty tummy.

I'm just fed up to the back teeth with cooking stuff that they only bother to eat if it's their favourite, and I have 3 kids who like different things so that usually means 2 out of the 3 sitting there whining and a whole load of wasted food.

AIBU to institute a new snackless regime? Or only fruit and veg snacks?

Oh it wasn't a criticism, just an observation!

Mine are skinny little things with the appetite of a horse so I only have that to go by. DD1 especially probably wouldn't cope without eating something. Maybe they are just too full if they are having a full meal in the day? Mine have a full school dinner but I know that not all kids eat like mine. Try and sandwich and some soup and see if that goes down better.

Elderberry mine have school lunch dinners on Wednesday , because appetite of heavy after school Wednesday clubs. I give them a sandwich or beans on toast when they get back at 630 . I agree they don't need 2 hot meals.

How about something protein based? Cheese, bit of ham, cooked chicken.

Tilly - taking turns to choose is good idea - dunno why I never thought of that (it is how things work round here in many other areas of life, bedtime story for instance).

We also live a 5 min walk from school and dd1 (7) will have a snack when she gets in, usually crisps (yes i know) and a banana or similar. Tea is served at 5pm and she still does well (9/10 clears her plate) I dont think the school dinners are big enough to fill her until tea time. Oh and she has a plain biscuit and juice just before she comes out of school.

If you can bring dinner forward, maybe do it about 4.30, then they could have something for supper before bed eg toast, cereal, if needed?

you know, I never cease to be amazed by the variations in children's appetites, both between different children and the same child from one day to the next....

How did people manage in the days when you never threw food away? Did all children exist in a perpetual state of near-hunger?

I opened this thread as I misread and got smack instead of snack. I am very disappointed not to have a bun-fight to lurk in and will now have to get on with some work

I think the snack after school is far better or have tea ready for finishing school and supper later in the evening.

Most dc I know get grumpy when hungry after school and a snack seems to stop this and the fighting that goes with it

Ha ha-I read that as 'smack' as well!