To be concerned about 'snacks'

[dayoneoftheschoolholidays]

So it's the first day of the school holidays for us.

My daughter (9) is an absolute nuisance for asking for snacks every waking minute of the day, it's manageable at the weekend, but 40 solid days of this incessant mithering is going to finish me off.

We have been to a play centre today and out and about running a few errands, so not bored lazing around the house.

But all she's done is mither about food and snacks, slushies at the play centre, vending machine, etc...

She got slushy, and we had a McDonald's lunch for a first day off treat, but since getting home it's the usual mithering for junk food.

She's a healthy size and weight, fits into clothes for her age with plenty of room, plays football, swims, does gymnastics, so I'm not concerned about that side of things, but obviously if I allow her to stuff herself silly it could become an issue in the future.

She eats well, three decent meals a day and plenty of healthy snacks available whenever she wants such as fruit, rice cakes, water, vegetable sticks etc. But she constantly wants biscuits, crisp, chocolate, sweets, fizzy drinks.

We don't not allow it. She is allowed maybe 1 or 2 small things a day, the odd fizzy drink when we eat out, we don't have a ban on this stuff, I just want her to enjoy it in moderation and not gorge on it for the sake of it.

I've explained it isn't healthy for her, she needs to have a drink if she feels like she might be hungry, or grab an apple or something, not constantly pester me for crap food, but it goes in one ear and out of the other and before I know it she appears again mithering for 'snacks'.

How do you/would you manage this?

Is she bored?

Do you keep much junk food in the house?

We do have 'junk' type stuff but not absolutely loads. Few packs of biscuits, couple of multi packs of crisps, some haribo, Freddos, nothing out of the ordinary. But I do keep it on a top shelf so she has to ask first.

She can't be bored all day long. But I think there is an element of boredom when she's asking for snacks.

She loves to read and usually has her head in a book, decent sized garden she likes to practice gymnastics in, she has a laptop, switch, we go out every day even if it's just a walk round the park or to the shops.

But the snacks for the week then let her have them within a few days then it's easy "all gone until next shopping day".

I was thinking of doing this but for each day.

Every morning top up a box with what snacks I'm prepared to let her have in a 24 hr period and once it's gone it's gone.

I don't want to be controlling with food but I can't deal with the hourly arguments and debates about snacks it's exhausting and makes me so snappy with her.

My dc have a basket each which we fill each morning. I put in there, their packed lunch (as I would make it for school) and several snacks and then I measure out cereal for their supper.

The children were told that this was all the food that they were allowed that day except for dinner.

For the first few days, everything was eaten by lunch (except their supper) but they have got really good at managing their food intake and actually thinking about whether they are actually hungry or not.

We have done it for a while now and it's got to the point now that they often don't eat all of their food in the baskets.

For my ds I just pack a snack box for the day. I find that if I ask him to get a snack he heads for the sweet stuff, if I make it then he's happy to have whatever I give him. He's only 6 though. I think its alot to do with mindless snacking and feeling bored. I feel you though, it's like snack snack snack.

Mine are younger but I hand out a lot of cream crackers as snacks! I try to offer savoury things such as toast, crackers, cheese sandwich, fruit, cold sausages etc.
I think the idea of putting all snacks in a box for the day is a good one.
mine are always asking for snacks so they often get lunch as a series of snacks

Snack box for the holidays. It’s the only way. Weekly focuses their minds!

When mine were small I never had snacks in the house - it was meals and that was it. I hate the culture of constant snacking for children and think it creates bad eating habits. Humans don’t need to eat every half an hour!

HOWEVER, I find that now my DS is a bit older (he’s the youngest of 3), I am being asked for snacks a lot more. Maybe it’s a boy thing? He knows we don’t have much like that in the house (maybe some ice creams in the freezer in summer) so he’ll have a piece of toast or something, but I’ve definitely noticed I’m being mithered more about it.

So my solution is just not to buy them and offer fruit or toast instead. She’ll soon get bored of asking!

Unfortunately, nursery and school build snack time into their day from a young age and so it becomes the norm for kids.
We do a snack box for each day and once it is empty, they get no more snacks that day.
Usually has things like fruit, yogurt, popcorn and a treat food.

Thanks for replies

I think I will do the daily junk snack box and that's all she's getting apart from meals and fruit.

I feel like my head is going to explode after one day and if I hear the word snack one more time I won't be responsible for my actions

Is she saying ' I want a snack/Freddo/biscuit' or is she saying 'I'm hungry'?

"Can I have a snack"

Some great suggestions re daily snack boxes. I do think that some people are just snackers though. I could happily snack on healthy bits all day and just eat one evening meal. I much prefer it.

Mine are all grown up now but I never had this constant pestering for snacks.
Fizzy drinks were for special occasions, crisps and biscuits were not bought.
They could chose some sweets as treats on Saturday and during the holidays it was a treat to have some chocolatey cereal.
Snacks offered were toast, fruit.
If you do not keep treats in the house the pestering will stop.

I agree, Generally I think three meals and fruit/veg snacks is enough but kids these days seem to think they will drop dead if they're not munching on something at all times.

I was reading this and thinking what a good idea, and then I realised that at school (I was away at school) we had tuck boxes that had to last about a month and a small amount of money that was given out weekly to spend at the tuckshop and that was it.

We seem to have got into a weird thing recently where we expect kids to have access to all sorts and to be able to control themselves, but so many kids can't, and never could.

It's a smart way to limit it but still give them control.

I wouldn't mind this! We have grapes, apples, strawberries, carrots and blueberries in the fridge today but no interest!

After getting incredibly wound up with her I told her it's any of those of nothing for the rest of the day and she begrudgingly took an apple. It's not hunger, it's just a habit!

I just say 'fruit or yoghurt' on repeat once they start asking. They know that is the answer but still go through phases of constantly asking!

I'm most intrigued by your use of the word, "mithering". I've never heard anyone use that before but I like the sound of the word.

Sorry I can't be more helpful, I think what above PPs have said sounds good but I struggle with this issue with my own children too.

I think to encourage moderation you'd be best giving her all junk snacks for the week over a few days eg. We've got these but that's it until shopping and when it's gone it's gone. Then she'll learn not to gorge if she wants it to last. It if you give junk snacks every day you are rationing them and I think that will encourage her to expect some every day. I'd rather have some junk snacks, then none for a couple days then another junk snack etc.

During lockdown my SIL did snack baskets for each of her kids, for the same reason as you. They had 1 on the bench (crisps, cereal bars, chocolate, etc) and 1 in the fridge (yoghurts, juice drinks, etc) and it was funny to see how each child dealt with it.
Oldest nephew (has ASD) was very sensible with how he ate his, spaced out throughout the day
Twin 1 (girl) ate all her sweet treats as soon as she could and then complained that it wasn't fair that she'd eaten hers and her brothers still had theirs
Twin 2 (boy) spaced them out slightly better than his sister, but mainly used the sweet stuff to annoy her with (waving chocolate in her face long after she'd eaten hers)

Anyway, it's definitely something I'd implement in our house when my DDs are older

Mine are exactly the same!! I'm going to try the snacks for the day idea and once it's gone it's gone!

I would have some junk snack free things. Maybe the 2 days before shopping day.

Warn her on the last snack provided day this is it until shopping day and if once she eats them they are gone and nothing left. It will hopefully help her learn about delayed gratification eventually.

@Ohdoleavemealone yes I was thinking this!! Nursey used to have breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and tea! I've noticed school have many snacks too!