Not to give DC a snack on way home from school?

[chainedtothedesk]

Quite happy to let them snack once we are home but my DD (9) has asked that I arrive at school gates to collect her with a snack. She's noticed other parents arrive with a snack and says she's hungry too at the end of the school day (often doesn't eat the fruit I give her for morning break though!) And doesnt want to wait the 15-20 min it takes to get her home. I suspect hunger doesn't come into it , she's just hoping she is more likely to get a bag of crisps or similar, rather than toast, if they eat on the way home rather than once we get there.
Today we saw a family eating a chocolate bar and small pother of Pringles on the way home which prompted the question (though not for the first time)
AIBU to make my DC just wait a little until they get home and suggest that they have something a bit healthier than chocolate and crisps?

Nobody will like me but I generally can't stand people eating in the street. School gates included.

^^ When I was at school (in the 70s ) we were forbidden to eat in the street if wearing school uniform, we all obeyed without questioning the rule at all!

And I still agree, I am incredibly greedy but could never walk around stuffing myself, if I go for a coffee I would always sit down in a coffee shop rather than grabbing a take away.

You saw a family eat a chocolate bar and a pot of Pringles... wow I hope you reported them to the diet police.

She could eat the fruit that she forgets to eat/doesn't want in the morning on the journey home or why not let her have a small snack (assuming she eats her dinner later with no fuss)... she is a growing person.

Ragwort - I am with you on this. It was drummed into me that it was very common to eat walking along the road (and actually it is pretty unattractive) and it is something I have never done or will do.

I am a lifelong snacker, born in 60's, grew up without regular meals mostly snacking. Nobody met me at school with snackfood of course b/c even little kids walked selves home back then.

We used to meet DC at school with bag of crisps. I love my food so prefer to sit down & savour it properly, but otherwise would eat on the move if convenient.

No regrets! None of us is even overweight.

I think the notion of common is a bit subjective. When I was younger, I never remember it being an issue. People ate in the streets all the time -fish and chips, ice cream, bags of crisps. Sure, no one would eat a four course meal but that's impractical.

Now and again won't harm. I'm a teacher and often reach for a bit of rubbish at the end of a hard day

Maybe as a treat on a Friday, it being the end of the week/weekend.

My dd's used to want to go to the healthy tuck shop after school, but most of the stuff they sold we had st home, and we only live one street away from the school so not worth it. We do it on a Friday as a treat now.

I hate snacking. Drives me nuts. It's much more work for me and I do not agree with eating or drinking in the street. However my DC have snacks at school and it's meant I've had to continue it at home otherwise they lose their marbles. DD1 is six and starting first grade tomorrow. Her school day is 7:30am to 6pm. She has breakfast, lunch and dinner at school as well as two snacks. When she gets home she has supper before bed.

Her lunch last year was at 11:45am with morning snack at 10am and afternoon snack at 2pm. Dinner was served at 4:30pm. She is eating approx every two hours. They then carry around a water bottle and suck from it whenever. This means the class need the bathroom at different times. The school ended up putting toilets into the classrooms.

Wow that's a longschool day!

It's a long day but truthfully last year they had the same program but called the time in school from 3-6pm aftercare. It's pretty much exactly the same program.

It's longer than most people's work day. Does everyone in the school do it? My youngest would only be up an hour longer than that!!

Nearly every stays until 6pm. It's a 50/50 split as to who comes in for breakfast. Starting at 7:30 or 8:15 doesn't make much difference to the length of the school day.

Wow that's really long - do they do a lot of extracurricular activities in that time? It's the opposite over here, DD's school day is just four hours for the next couple of years then it'll go up to five hours and finally six (longer if she chooses extra optional classes)

My son has to wait until he gets back from school for a snack. He goes to a childminder and she gives them a piece of fruit when they get to her house if they are not staying for tea (on my working days we eat tea around 6 so it's a while from lunch at 12 for a little one). If I'm not working we eat at 5 so he waits. He has a big breakfast, fruit and milk in a morning then a decent lunch with a pudding so I think that's enough until tea time. Many of the children at the nursery I work at come in eating sweets/crisps and drinking pop and then go to the shop for more on the way home! Obesity and tooth decay are rife in the area and it's clear why.

Overeating, calorie surplus - DD doesn't eat breakfast on school days because she's just not hungry, they're not allowed to take in packed lunches or snacks (control freak school), they're given fruit at morning break, she may eat it if it's apples, grapes or melon, also fruit just makes me hungrier, I don't know if it does her, lunch was too small last year, so it still will be, and we have a 45 minute walk home. A tuna sandwich made from a small loaf is just about right. About half the size of a normal sandwich.

natsku Yes lessons are 8:15-3 with 3-6 being outside of the classroom setting. They set up the after school program to mirror what 'successful' DC have provided to them which studies they followed highlight doing 2 or more enrichment classes and tutoring. The homework help is tutoring and is mainly done by teachers or qualified aides such as reading specialists.

4 pm is what is called here in Italy 'merenda'. Official snack time. Yogurt, piece of focaccia, piece of fruit. Everyone does it at school gates. But then tea at 7,30pm in general.

Mine take a snack to eat when the childminder collects. Otherwise they have to wait until 6pm, which results in tears, anger, moods.... and so on.

Fruit and a biscuit. Much jollier 25min walk home.

And I shall be calling it 'merenda', thanks to Penhacked.

My mum's French, so it's goûter for me. And even though French school dinners are delicious and do actually fill up a hungry growing child, goûter is generally sweet and un-nutritious. My favourite was always a chocolate sandwich.

I don't like the constant grazing that goes on nowadays either but I wonder what the situation is at school. My dc's primary school has always given them very little time to eat their lunch. When dd came out today she told me her year group were the last whistle for lunch and they had exactly 10 minutes to eat. Therefore she didn't have enough time to finish her lunch. She had to eat a snack in the car on the way to her gymnastics training. I've been hearing the same complaints from my dcs about this for years. The lunchtime controllers rush them and they often don't finish.

I wouldnt begrudge my child food tbh. As long as the healthy evening meal is being eaten, they are growing and I was always hungry/eating as a child and am not at all overweight. Just try and make the snack healthy or maybe not sometimes! There's more to obesity than snacking.

My children are hungry straight after school and I bring them a health snack for the car journey. To be honest, I'd rather they eat in the car and there is one less job to do when we get home! Means they have more time to play/home work.