To think children can go a couple of hours without eating

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

Not sure if this is just the people I hang out with but every park play date I go on at the moment (there’s quite a few- child is 4), the other parent brings with them copious amounts of snacks.
I’m in no way a food nazi, my child has a morning snack, the odd ice cream when out on hot days, a biscuit pudding after her dinner - I always carry water and an apple- but even I think she can manage 2 hrs in a park without me having to produce a family size bag of crisps, popcorn, a fruit shoot, a haribo.
I’m really fed up of it, firstly because I’m the grinch who says “no” when my daughter asks if she can stuff her face 2hrs before dinner and secondly, because then (unsurprisingly) the other kid sits there eating rather than playing.
If you take a picnic amount of food to a 2pm play date- pls why?

That's crazy. You take them to the park to play, get hungry and tired.
Water fine but they don't need to be constantly eating.
With so much childhood obesity parents need to think about food more like fuel rather than giving children a never ending supply of snacks creating bad habits for life.

I only tend to snack after 9pm, with wine. Doesn't ever cross my mind that kids need to. I suspect the reason of dd's mates prefers dd to go there is cos I don't have an open snack cupboard. Unless you count apples.

With so much childhood obesity parents need to think about food more like fuel rather than giving children a never ending supply of snacks creating bad habits for life.

There's more adult obesity than childhood obesity - surely we should be changing the way children eat to instill better eating habits because previous generations have got it really wrong.

Ok, so newsflash, all kids are different.

Your children may not require snacks throughout the day, while others do.
I, as an adult don't eat big meals and tend to eat little and often so I don't judge others that do the same, regardless of age.

France is sometimes held up as an example of lack of good food habits, but even there the children are given an after school snack at around 3-4 pm ('gouter').

*of good food habits!

@54321nought

My 5 year old has lunch at 11:30 at school and i collect him 4 hours later at 3:30 so yes, I bring him food...!!!!!

why?

thats only 4 hours!

just why?

I don't think you be a parent...!

[quote DemBonesDemBones]@BastardMonkfish quite! I know what is 'causing' the hunger. Lots of sport and never sitting still. Being kids. I'm ignoring this poster.[/quote]
then you "know" wrong, and have completely misunderstood some very basic science

snacks cause insulin spikes, cause sugar dips, cause hunger.

Repeating this over and over again causes obesity, heart disease and diabetes, and is the main cause of death in the developed world

This is very very basic science, look in any GCSE biology text book

Its quite shocking how badly educated a lot of posters are about the basics needed to start their children off on a healthy life

I'm going.to say it again, the NHS recommends (healthy).snacks to.children over 1 (up to 5 I think but I dont think they say it must stop after 5 either).

Also 'a piece of fruit isn't necessarily the best/ healthiest option either, mini meal type things with a couple of different food groups eg veggie sticks and hummus or.toast, peanut butter and berries are recommended.

Maybe the NHS have 'misunderstood the science' too but I'd rather take my advice from them and use it in conjunction with my knowledge of my own child.

@54321nought you're talking nonsense.

@AliasGrape

I'm going.to say it again, the NHS recommends (healthy).snacks to.children over 1 (up to 5 I think but I dont think they say it must stop after 5 either).

Also 'a piece of fruit isn't necessarily the best/ healthiest option either, mini meal type things with a couple of different food groups eg veggie sticks and hummus or.toast, peanut butter and berries are recommended.

Maybe the NHS have 'misunderstood the science' too but I'd rather take my advice from them and use it in conjunction with my knowledge of my own child.

I think you will find the NHS are 100% aware , informed, and prepared to explain insulin spikes to you. Look it up on the NHS website

Look up the NHS advice on how to avoid dying of diabetes or heart disease.....

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

I think toddlers tend to self regulate anyway

Omg they don't when just offered constant food. Newsflash: there are tons of fat kids in the UK.

I have a few friends like this and food tends to be a distraction/shutting their child up tactic.

It's not even just veggie sticks or fruit, it's full on toast, biscuits, carbs every time the child makes the slightest noise.

I have a friend who does this and it's drives me bonkers. It's full on tupperware boxes full of fruit, veg, nuts, trail mix....constant grazing. Then she moans when the kid won't eat its dinner at night.

If i'm out for a while, I pack one packet of veggie straws, and if DS is lucky, some water. My logic is, i'm never very far from a cafe/supermarket/shop...we don't live in Brigadoon. So if DS starts throwing a shitfit in hanger, i'll buy something. Who the feck has time to be the Nigella Lawson of toddler snacks at 7am!?

@MadameOvary81

I have a friend who does this and it's drives me bonkers. It's full on tupperware boxes full of fruit, veg, nuts, trail mix....constant grazing. Then she moans when the kid won't eat its dinner at night.

If i'm out for a while, I pack one packet of veggie straws, and if DS is lucky, some water. My logic is, i'm never very far from a cafe/supermarket/shop...we don't live in Brigadoon. So if DS starts throwing a shitfit in hanger, i'll buy something. Who the feck has time to be the Nigella Lawson of toddler snacks at 7am!?

Totally agree! We have a car in London, worse case I could track down some additional food- but actually DC can wait/ eat her apple and then eats all her dinner

Its quite shocking how badly educated a lot of posters are about the basics needed to start their children off on a healthy life

But, as I keep saying, the majority of obese people are 45+. So how has three square meals started them off on a healthy life?

I'm also struggling to find any real evidence that snacking on the same amount of calories as you would eat in three meals does cause weight gain - do you have any links? Most of the research I have found says that it doesn't, but I'd be interested to learn more as it's such a fast-moving area of study.

www.nudge-it.eu/topics/snacking-a-cause-of-weight-gain.html

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7470437/

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9155494/

But it causes insulin spikes, which will eventually lead to obesity, heart disease, diabetes etc,

Just had to correct this nonsense you keep repeating.

Snacking does not cause insulin spikes. Snacking may or may not be be beneficial to those with diabetes (there's different schools of thought).

But there's no causal link between snacking & obesity, heart disease or diabetes.

@Waspsarearseholes

Gosh, I've never seen the words 'insulin spikes' typed so frequently, furiously and desperately in all my 35-odd years of reading. OP, you sound utterly dreadful, to be honest. I'd count my lucky stars that any parents were still willing to meet you at the park. Maybe you ought to send them your list of 'park playdate rules' so that you can really cement how fucking judgemental and completely unable to understand that different families have different eating habits from your own perfect set-up you are. You won't have the bother of telling your daughter she's not allowed snacks or her witnessing the disgrace that is other children eating snacks at the park then as you can just be there alone in your perfect little bubble. People like you are absolutely infuriating. You have no fucking idea.

Wow so riled by me- touch a nerve? Nope far from perfect, it’s just a pattern I’m seeing over again on all these play dates and I wanted a MN opinion on it

snacks cause insulin spikes, cause sugar dips, cause hunger.

Do you know what else causes hunger? Growing and burning calories.

No wonder Britain has so so many fat children and fat parents.

@MadameOvary81

I have a friend who does this and it's drives me bonkers. It's full on tupperware boxes full of fruit, veg, nuts, trail mix....constant grazing. Then she moans when the kid won't eat its dinner at night.

If i'm out for a while, I pack one packet of veggie straws, and if DS is lucky, some water. My logic is, i'm never very far from a cafe/supermarket/shop...we don't live in Brigadoon. So if DS starts throwing a shitfit in hanger, i'll buy something. Who the feck has time to be the Nigella Lawson of toddler snacks at 7am!?

I think I'd be a bit annoyed if a friend abandoned a playdate to go buy a snack for her child, and wonder why she hadn't just put something in her bag in case!

@54321nought

Nothing here ...
www.nhs.uk/start4life/weaning/what-to-feed-your-baby/12-mont

Now your toddler is 12 months old, they should be having 3 meals a day. They may also need 2 healthy weaning snacks in between (for example fruit, vegetable sticks, toast, bread or plain yoghurt)

Or here ..

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.whittington.nhs.uk/document.ashx%3Fid%3D6215&ved=2ahUKEwj8vLzQv8DyAhWEgP0HHXFxDn0QFnoECDsQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1n_K4cbOdeCFSmtZ9WTWDt&cshid=1629493357901" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.whittington.nhs.uk/document.ashx%3Fid%3D6215&ved=2ahUKEwj8vLzQv8DyAhWEgP0HHXFxDn0QFnoECDsQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1n_K4cbOdeCFSmtZ9WTWDt&cshid=1629493357901

It is important that children eat regularly and that meals and snacks are spaced evenly throughout the day

@gemloving

We have breakfast, and leave straight after & sometimes stay for 2-3h but I premake the snack the night before. It's usually cucumber, carrots or tomato.

I always keep a small chocolate as I struggle with a meltdown in public and bribery works lol

This is totally reasonable. But above people have suggested as snacks things like crisis, bread, jammie dodgers...

Fruit I totally get, but I can't get my head around giving kids processed sugary shite between meals, surely that's just perpetuating them whingeing for crap junk food?

I'm only in my 30s and as a child the choice for a snack was fruit or nowt til mealtimes.

Also if a child is snacking on fruit, veg, nuts and trail mix that sounds like it's pretty nutritious, more so than what a lot of families serve for dinner, so I find it really hard to see why anyone would have a problem with it