To not carry about endless snacks and things for my DC?

[AwfulMaureen]

I seem to be seeing an awful lot of parents with snacks in bags....I remember that I did do that a bit when the children were tiny...as in under 3...and their meal times weren't always regular. But now they are 9 and 6 I don't...however I see that the parents of their friends have things in their bags all the time....bags of cheese or chocolate bars...cartons of juice etc. This is not for long gaps between meals whilst waiting for swimming lessons or anything...it's constantly!

Walking about town with a friend and her bag is full of bloody food! Her son is NINE...surely he can wait a couple of hours?

Well no YANBU to not do it for your DC

But why do people need to do it for theirs unless they're diabetic or they're on a long journey?

YANBU in the slightest.

It always amazes me the amount of times I see posters advising others to 'take some snacks to keep your DC occupied', when they're going shopping/to a wedding/on a journey...or anywhere they think the child will be bored.

Teaching your kids to comfort eat from an early age is probably not going to do them any good in the future.

The weight loss topic is already heaving with comfort eaters who say they find it a difficult habit to break.

Under 3 I always had cheese and crackers if we were likely to be out more than an hour or two.

I totally agree about older children though. They really don't need constant snacks. Good to have some water for them but they should be able to manage until their next meal.

I agree. Just posted on the school trip / water thread with this exact pondering. When and how the hell did we become such a nation of snackers. No wonder we're all fat! (well 64% of the adult population).

Stop with all the non-stop non-essential snacking!

Well I often carry snacks for myself as I get irritable if plans change or are delayed and I get hungry, i know that sounds weird! I'm a grown adult.

So I don't think it's unreasonable for a parent to pre-empt situations like this for their kids, it will make life much more pleasant for everyone.

9/10 I carry snacks for the DC, after breaking down one night and spending 3 hours waiting for recovery.

There again I also got an emergency hospital bag, after being down A&E with DC with no money, DS in a dressing gown and slippers and me only in PJ

What has it got to do with you what is in other peoples bags? Get a life.

I rarely bring snacks and my kids are under 3. Everyone is different but my children don't eat well at lunch and dinner if they have been snacking.

And in RL whenever I've helped out on a school trip, the amount of parents who've said, "Oh I packed extra sandwiches and snacks for the trip" has also amazed me.

Why? It's not like going on a coach outing = automatic starvation

Unless someone has a medical condition like diabetes, there is no need to snack and being a little bit hungry isn't going to kill them.

How will children learn to distinguish between hunger and eating for the sake of it if they are never hungry?

Because different they are different DC to the DC you have

I feed my children when they're hungry. With DD1 (5yrs) that's all the time but she has a super fast metabolism, is literally never still, needs tons and tons of sleep, runs everywhere and is v slim. She wouldn't get the calories she's needs from 3 meals a day

DD2 (2.1yrs) eats all bloody morning from the minute she wakes up till about 10.30-11am then had nothing till tea time. So often we go out in the morning and I feed her snack after snack after snack (If we're at home she has her 'lunch' just after the school run) but probably eats a 'normal' amount throughout the day just at odd times. I'm very very lucky that both my children eat v well though and like all healthy foods so they have a good overall diet, no typical snack/ processed foods, just lots of fat: protein / veg and fruit etc

No my children don't need to snck constantly but I'm god they listen to their bodies and in the case of dd2 am happy to help her do that. I want her to eat when she's hungry, not eat at traditional mealtimes just because the clock shows a certain number.

Monkey what has ANYTHING got to do with ANYONE? I'm starting a discussion ffs. YOU get a life!

YANBU
Unless we're going somewhere where no food/drinks can be bought, I don't tend to take much with me anymore. I am a bit tight though, and will take snacks if they'll be needed rather than pay for expensive stuff that might not get eaten while we're out - but not over and above what is needed foodwise for the day.

I have 2 under 2 and never take snacks. we dont really eat them tbh. except cake. . I'd be as fat as a house if we had snacks on top of 3 meals a day and cake and I do get grotty with low blood sugar.

a packed lunch is different. I'm very tight. probably why we dont eat snacks

Apologies for all the typos!

Yonis I disagree. I think my DC would accept multiple snacks...but they don't get them. Mine are also "super slim" and energetic...as well as active. They're not underweight or overweight but they have three meals a day and if they are STARVING as they sometimes are in the couple of hours between coming home from school and tea time then they can have an apple, banana or a cracker.

I see no need to take things out...if we're out when it's a meal time then we either visit a cafe or have a picnic.

But Juniper if something as natural as temporary hunger makes you irritable, surely that means you just haven't learnt to deal with it?

So imo it is unreasonable for parents to 'pre-empt' a situation like that, rather than teach their kids that temporary hunger is something we should learn to cope with.

Most of the time if I'm hungry, it'll pass after half an hour anyway...but perhaps if my parents constantly put food in my mouth the minute I felt hungry, I would never have learnt to cope.

Why does it bother you?

Let

It

Go

Life will be so much calmer.

I almost never took snacks with me when the children were little. If they were hungry, they had to wait until we got home, or until I got them something, (and I didn't make a habit of buying them snacks either). I am clearly a neglectful and uncaring parent - but they all survived, and are now old enough, and have enough money to buy their own snacks.

Worra that's it! Why can't people bear to let their children suffer temporary hunger? It happens...it's like needing a wee and not always being able to go...tiny children might be the exception.

Fabulous it bothers me because the entire country is facing an epidemic of obesity! And I'm interested.

My life is very calm thanks

Sorry, I'm confused about what you disagree with?

I never take snacks and rarely take drinks unless we're going to be out for a long time. This backfires on me because when other children have snacks/drinks DS wants one and I don't have one for him, then there's an awkward thing where the other parent feels they have to share and even if I say oh no, he's fine, because they've offered it to him I can't always refuse on his behalf (and it seems a bit mean to).

I always feel bad and a bit confused on these situations wondering if I am supposed to be carrying snacks at all times, but if we don't meet other people, then he generally doesn't want or need one, so I sort of think why? They'll only get left in the bag and squashed or ruined anyway.

Why are some people trying to close the conversation down? This is not Soviet Russia

Yes Maureen, I liken temporary hunger to needing a wee too.