To get cross about snacks after school

[Effnjeff]

My DCs finish school at 4pm and despite having had a hot lunch insist they are starving the moment they get in the car. I am then pestered with snack requests.

They normally have dinner around 5.30 but if they've stuffed
themselves with snacks never finish their meal. Hence then hungry again before bed.
I'm sick of waste, constant snacking
and being a 24/7 cafe.

I really don't know what the answer is - should I have dinner ready as soon as we get back? Is - 4.30 dinner too early?
Should I only let them have fruit and put up with constant whinging until dinner?

What do you give your DCs to eat and when, after school??

I basically think a lot of the obesity crisis is caused by eating "by the clock". Children eat when they're hungry and don't when they aren't. So if my daughter is hungry, she gets food. If she doesn't I don't push it. She has days where she eats a lot, and others where she barely eats anything. She's healthy and growing with energy to do the activities she enjoys outside of school. I'm not going to force her to eat to a timetable as it's not in her best interests.

I wouldn't worry about it Kits

My Mum was the same as you. We'd get in from school at 4.15 'starving', and she'd tell us (quite rightly) to wait until 5.15 dinner time.

I used to offer to chop the veg and consume at least a quarter of it as I went along

I think that our personal metabolisms should play a big part in how we eat. My DH never eats breakfast and manages til lunch quite happily. I eat breakfast at 7.30 and have to have a snack - if I wait til lunch at 1 I will be a wobbly wreck. Every one is different. Trust your instincts on what your dc need.

I give really boring snacks, Kits. I wouldn't worry. My snacks are raw fruit/raw veg/small amount of cheese/small quantity of very plain crackers or on a red letter day all of the above. DD is delighted to be offered something as interesting as a Ryvita. She seems OK if a bit skinny (but so am I so, well, whatever). If your kids were really hungry, they would ask for food, right?

Starving after school apparently, I've Always fed them snacks but might be time for a change...

They're probably thirsty rather than hungry. I'd go for a drink and healthy snack but there's rarely anything sugary and snacky in the house anyway. If they don't want fruit or a sandwich/ raw carrots they can't be that bothered.
Otherwise give them a healthy small meal like soup and bread and a smaller additional meal later like an omelette

Good point about them probably being thirsty as much as anything else.

I'm inclined to make it a small snack only and then a bigger dinner to encourage good eating habits but I do take on board what's been mentioned about metabolisms.

Ah well, a new week has started, I will endeavour to turn over a new snackage leaf

My DD (6.5) has a drink after school but no snacks and an early 5pm dinner which she eats all of. She eats much better at three set meal times if she has no snacks. We're more relaxed at weekends but still limit the snacks. It suits us as a family.

I tell her it's good to be hungry and she won't get hurt from being hungry. We're not big snackers as a family so she sees no snacking as normal.

My dgc have cheese and crackers and a drink at 3.30 when we get home, sometimes it's toast and Marmite. They have dinner at 5 and always eat it. On swimming days they eat later so have a more substantial snack like Weetabix as well as the cheese or toast.
My dd has a 'no sweet snacks before dinner' rule and I stick to that usually.

They are hungry at 4, so I feed them.

A ham or jam sandwich, then dinner at 6:30

Works well.

I have distinct memories of being utterly starving coming out of school. Playing hard, working hard and behaving is hungry work. I think a snack is good - focus on healthy with yoghurt, fruit, veg dips with humous or soft cheese or even a sandwich. Keep tea to 5.30 or 6 (which is perfectly normal time. We also have snack before bed with bed at 9 for lights out 9.30 but we don't need to be up till 1/4 to 8 for getting ready and school run. DD is more of an afternoon eater than morning or evening. But she is also queen of carbs which I have been trying to ween her from

I do think it depends on your bed time. I have 4 DCs and the preschoolers are in bed before 7pm, the older kids by 8. I aim to feed them between 5 and 5 30 and they eat loads at this time, and they're eating the veges and protein I want them to eat, not just varying forms of carbs (and yes, I know veges are carbs too, but not sandwiches, crackers etc). If I were you I'd give them their main meal (if possible) when they're most hungry and a snack later, if necessary. They all calm down a bit as well when they've had a full meal and we get a bit more relaxed family time.

thats very early for dinner we eat between 7 and 7,45 dc in bed at 8

Nearly all kids are really hungry straight after school.

I think the options are either really tiny snack and have dinner earlier, or a "proper" snack and then dinner later than 5.30.