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.

A banana

How do you know the 'snacks' aren't dinner? I used to train gymnastics 3-4 evenings a week. I didn't have time to go home for dinner first and so I'd have sandwiches, yoghurt, etc. in the car on the way there.

My ds is almost 6 and always starving. He has a good meal in school but he does sport and other after school activities so I get why he us hungry. I make a smoothie most days - banana, strawberries, blueberries, yoghurt, oats, milk and peanut butter. Fills him up properly and healthily. He eats dinner well so he is definitely hungry.

DD used to come out of school hangry when having school lunches, likely a combination of her not finishing the meal and a small portion
I used to give her a small snack (breadstick/cheese/grapes/apple)

Now she’s on packed lunches, she’s eating more and not hungry, so she’ll happily wait until dinner, although I don’t deny her something if she’s “starving”

Oh the mumsnet competitive starving of children.

Mine always get a biscuit or snack bar or something after school. They have school dinners but it's hit or miss whether they eat much of them and I always remember being so so hungry after school!

My kids normally get the school bus home but I pick up twice a week for after school activities and give them lots of food; essentially a picnic tea. Just have a light supper (something on toast) when we eventually get home.

I see a lot of kids given snacks at the school gate where I live. Pretty big snacks too.

I also see a lot of overweight kids. Sorry "stocky", "solid" or "muscular" kids

its not a coincidence.

Mine get a snack, around 100 calories, could be a chocolate bar or something healthy. They have lunch at 12 and dinner at 6pm. Funnily enough, I don’t go 6 hours without eating either…
I hate these judgy threads

If we are heading straight home I wait till then.

We have a park by the school which we stop at on days with nothing on and I do bring snacks for those days.

We stay around a mile from the school and cycle.

I only do snacks straight after school if it's a day that they are going straight on to after school activities (swimming/tennis classes etc). Otherwise, they wait until we get home. They have had a good lunch and are more than capable of surviving the trip home without eating or keeling over.

I can't imagine being this precious over food. If my children are hungry, they eat. I don't get the fear over food, like just eat. If you're paranoid about obesity, eat something healthy, but you don't need to go around with your stomach hurting. I remember crying after school because I was made to wait from lunch at 12:30 til dinner in the evening, no snacking.

Oh and I'm an 80s child and don't remember ever being given snacks. You just got hungry then when it was dinner you ate it.

You cried because you got a bit hungry waiting for your dinner?

😬

@pixie5121

Yes, as a child I cried because I had no food for 7 hours and was hungry, that's right.

Well, that's not normal, is it? Either your school lunch was far too small or your dinner was far too late or both, but the vast majority of school age children don't cry from hunger if they don't have a snack.

In ks1 I had to hand my DC's snacks as they came out before we even said 'hello'. They were seriously hangry otherwise and the walk home was a nightmare!!!
By ks2 they could wait but still eat crackers and fruit as soon as they get in at 3:30 and a big healthy dinner at 5:30. Both whippet thin healthy kids and the amount of lunch they have seems to make no difference!

I remember at primary school 1 girl in the class had her mum bring her a big chocolate bar after school EVERY DAY!

I think we all got jealous at times but mostly we were all used to her enjoying her big chocolate treat as we watched dribbling!

Mine gets a snack in afterschool club, anything from toast/ pancakes to crisps/ biscuits. I collect about an hour/ hour and 15 before dinner so will give some fruit when we get home if there's a request- if not I don't bother as dinner needs to be eaten too!

I remember at primary school 1 girl in the class had her mum bring her a big chocolate bar after school EVERY DAY!

I think we all got jealous at times but mostly we were all used to her enjoying her big chocolate treat as we watched dribbling!

Mine gets a snack in afterschool club, anything from toast/ pancakes to crisps/ biscuits. I collect about an hour/ hour and 15 before dinner so will give some fruit when we get home if there's a request- if not I don't bother as dinner needs to be eaten too!

I often take an apple or a biscuit but I got annoyed with it being an expectation. Recently it's been a werthers sweet from the bottom of my handbag which seemed to do the trick! For mine it's more tiredness than hunger and a little something helps to head off post school grumpiness. As they get older they can cope with that better and don't need the snack.

I'm surprised that everyone's school age child eats their dinner so early. Mine have a decent snack after school (e.g. cereal bar or similar, and often fruit too) but don't eat until 6.30 - 7, as we all eat together, and either me or DH won't finish work until after 6.

I remember at my primary school, late 70s, kids used to have a tube of sweets for afternoon play. Loved it when my friends had toffos!

I always take snacks up to school for DD (6 and in Y1)
She was tiny at birth, is still tiny now and can do with the calories.

She usually has something, gives something to one of her friends (whoever happens to be close by, or her best friend) and the rest come home. She can take it or leave it however, but I'd rather me have something and her not want it than vice versa.

Never did after school snacks. They either eat what's left of the packed lunch or have some fruit when they get home. I try to get them to wait for dinner.

High school kids are often armed with big bags of Haribo and energy drinks.

Since you've got to look over 25 to buy an energy drink without ID now, I'd doubt that. Sweets and cans of coke/sprite though...