After school snacks for the journey home

[AlternativelyWired]

We live a mile and a quarter from school. It's a big step hill for a quarter of that. Sometimes we head straight up the steep bit if in a hurry or we meander through the woods and along the river or canal if it's really warm and/or we have time. Sometimes we get the bus. Ds always asks what snack I've brought with me. It could be an apple, a kitkat or similar, packet of crisps, oatcakes, satsuma, banana, whatever is to hand as I rush off to pick him up. I take one item because he'll be having his dinner about 5pm. He's 7 if that's relevant. Some of the other parents seem to take a picnic. I'm not kidding-a whole bag of food-a sandwich or breadsticks, crisps, oat biscuits, pots of fruit, chocolate biscuits and a drink. Ds has snack envy especially if I've had the nerve to bring him an apple. In the summer/if it's ever warm/hot I always take an ice cold drink as that walk home can take an hour if we take the scenic route. Other parents always offer ds something from their picnic as they seem to feel sorry for him stood at the bus stop with them STARVING 🙄 It's only if we get the bus that we witness these picnic bags. The bus journey takes 10 minutes.

What snacks do you take for your primary age dc? Do you offer them a steady stream of food and drink if they don't ask for anything?

No one seemed to have any snacks after primary school when I was there. Maybe something small when I got home but generally no.

I think I might explain to ds that just because his friends on the bus have lots of snacks, it doesn't mean that he needs lots of snacks. I think it's become expected for some to constantly offer snacks and ds certainly expects something after school. I don't always remember and then he's not impressed at all especially when he sees the bags of good I shall be more organised with a pot of fruit

DS is a ten and I've never done a regular snack. He only gets something if the stars align and its a sunny day, I have change on me and the ice cream man is outside school. All of these things happen at the same time maybe half a dozen times a year (much to my sons disgust)

I do see friends of his with sharing size bags of crisps and haribo though so I don't think its unusual.

Iv never took mine a snack. They wait until they get home

I didn't.

The only time DS had a snack on the way home was when he's been swimming and was cold & ravenous.

A banana is a perfect after school snack

How very odd.

Lack of proper knowledge about nutrition is probably more to blame. I'm not sure if anyone ever became obese because they were fed a packet of raisins on the school run

No, if you take a long walk home I’d have an apple or a biscuit as you do for a bit of an energy boost, but that’s it. And only because it’s a long walk, otherwise they’d wait.

Surely it depends upon the child? And the family set up?

Perhaps those families do high tea while they are on the journey and then a little snack supper before bed?

Perhaps the child has a high metabolic rate and needs lots of calories when they get out of school. Perhaps they are too busy/anxious/distracted in school to eat properly, so a big snack on the way home is the only way to stop a meltdown?

I can think of dozens of reasons why patents might choose to give a big snack on the way home.

I’ve never done after school snacks on school run days (we walk 1.2m home 3 times a week) but loads of parents do at our schools. My kids have always moaned but tough - I just know that if I start bringing snacks then one day I’ll forget and the kids will have a fit.

Ive never seen anyone with a picnic though! I’d probably agree that they’re probably off to a club or something though

I've never taken any snacks. If they wanted something they had to get a move on and get home early enough.

Anyone else strongly object to describing DC as 'starving' after school or if they haven't had a snack for a couple of hours . I really don't think many mumsnetter's DC can be described as 'starving'. Yes, they might be a little bit hungry but that's about it..

I do find the constant snacking for little kids a bit odd. I know a few parents who don't go anywhere without the good old snack pot. I wonder if kids will learn to understand the feeling of hunger properly.

Never took food, didn't see anyone else take food either, must be a new thing. Mine had a small snack on arrival home (took 15 mins to walk home) some days as we ate at 6.30 but not if they needed early dinner because of a club

I'm 38 and used to get a snack after school - but I was going straight to the stables and not often home before 7pm
Used to be more of a picnic as I was always hungry!

We live less than 5 minutes walk and DD has a flump every day. Silly habit I wish I hadn't started as she is a pest if I forget.

It was the norm for parents at dc school to have sweets or ice creams when they picked their kids up.

My children have always had a 4pm snack and that was the only one they had, but now they are older they have dropped it in favour of the pre-dinner nibbles hate that word that I usually do at about six.

Children are encouraged to snack too much at the expense of eating proper meals, imho

DD doesn't get anything until she comes home, the walk home is a mile. When she's home she gets something like crackers, a piece of fruit and a biscuit or maybe a couple of squares of chocolate. We usually don't eat until about 7 so that's why she has as much as she does.

I either give:
marmite sandwich
cheese sandwich
croissant
hot cross bun
banana
cereal bar
biscuits
apple

Lack of proper knowledge about nutrition is probably more to blame. I'm not sure if anyone ever became obese because they were fed a packet of raisins on the school run

@Mangofandangoo 🙄

I also find it rather "odd" that you've deliberately misrepresented what I said.

No one's arguing that a child will become obese because of one "packet of raisins". The problem is that it often isn't just a packet of raisins, but a snack with enough calories to make up practically an extra meal for a child.

For those children it may be their dinner before going on to an after school club.

When my children were in reception I used to take a cup of milk that kept them going until an early evening meal.

Whatever works for you but don't judge others.

@GiltEdges

all are different though, my sons each none stop, a mixture of crap and good food. They are so slim you see each rib, because they never stop moving, they’d cycle for 3 hours easily.

My children will sometimes have a snack after school (once they get home as we live very close). It depends on what we have on that evening- if it's an early activity they have a snack first (cheese straws, cucumber, carrot, crisps etc) and then a later tea. If it's a later activity they will eat their tea first and have some toast or something before bed.

You need to do what fits best for your family, the level of activity they do and what they eat during the day (my 7 year old often gets distracted at lunch and she comes home with a full lunch box).

I only brought snacks when DC were having friends back. If DS had some uneaten lunch he'd sometimes have that.

Like PPs, if others are having a full picnic I would assume there is a specific reason, like going on to an activity or child not able to eat in school.

Absolutely nothing if going straight home but we are a 10 minute walk from school and children have dinner at 5pm. If going to a sports activity, I will have a snack in the car, usually plain yoghurt or Babybel