To think toddlers don’t need snacks?

[Cuppasoupmonster]

I was just pondering this when washing up. I’ve never really given DD snacks, she has her 3 meals a day and that’s usually it, maybe once or twice a week she will have a digestive biscuit or yoghurt if dinner is going to be later than usual. However it seems like when we go on days out with other mums and toddlers, they come laden with snacks that are whipped out every hour or two. AIBU to think toddlers don’t really need to snack and this might be contributing to the obesity crisis?

Happy to engage, I’m not a coward. I have brought in depth and nuance, but I’m no scientist and therefore just wanted to chat in general terms, like one does on internet threads 🤷🏼‍♀️ kids are more overweight now than ever, some people will say it’s junk food, but I was wondering whether a culture of constant eating and never letting them feel hungry also contributes to this.

The only responses I’ve had are ‘We ArE aLl DiFfErEnt’ as well as the usual hyper sensitive personal attacks 😂

I’m no scientist
No shit. You had us all convinced you had some idea what you were banging on about. 😂

Well....er....this is awkward....but there's not many habits we've retained from those good old days, so I guessing the way we eat and what we eat might have changed slightly too.

But you do you love.

Of course they need snacks.and are allowed snacks.they can have chocolate and chips.mcdonalds.qauvers.fried chicken.pizza.digestives.fizzy drink.they can have a 1900 calories pizza one night.they can have popcorn at the cinema. They can be on holiday and have 2 bitmaps on the way to the airport. They can go through a whole packet of KitKat.
They can do it fucking all.and still be healthy overall.still be cooked goodcmeals.still no after eating 10 biscuits they don't really feel like More! Hey can no that all foods are goods. That there is no shame.no limits and no shame in wanting any type of food.they can have dairy and fats.they can want veggies too! Hey can be taught balance.rhey can then no all foods are available so not need to binge.they can be hungry and eat and just fancy a cookie because they look nice and not actually be hungry.
They can be healthy.they can not be obese eating all different ways.
And actually what's fu king them up is the disordered views in foods.the rise in eati g disorder.the shaming.
When did people actually start getti g bigger...when shame,thin ideals,diets, fat phobia took the rise.before that kids were just eating.intuitively.siddenlt they were told how fat was bad and given every diet talk undervthe sun nd bam.a world of ashamed bodies that's done nothing for their health.^^

I never limited my kids - they could eat what/when they wanted, neither have ever been overweight.

My DGS5 constantly grazes on mainly shite beige food - he's a healthy weight too.

I am more careful about what I eat....I'm fat as fuck 🙄😅

I'm late to this thread, but I think OP might be onto something.

I remember when my little one was between 12 and 18 months explaining to my Child Health Nurse that if I skipped his afternoon snack (due to disorganisation) he'd eat a wonderful evening meal, full plate of veges, good serve of sausage / tofu / egg, plus rice or pasta. When I was organised and giving him 3 meals and 2 snacks in a day the only things I could get into him mid-afternoon were biscuits or cake (because he wasn't yet hungry), then he'd leave most of his tea and all we could get into him before bed was yoghurt.
Really, I was asking her permission to give up on the 3-meals-2-snacks rigmarole that is drilled into us all (I'm an anxious mum and looking back I'd say I don't trust my own intuition enough, by the by).
Her response, "It's very impotrtant at this age that they get three meals and two snacks a day."
So yes, @Cuppasoupmonster, I think this snacking idea has become a dogma that health professionals parrot regardless of the particulars. And I think you're right to draw a comparison with the dietary advice we were given in the 90s, such as eggs causing high cholesterol, or cutting fats being more important than cutting sugars.

Nah you wanted a wind up thread to see in the new year

i have to monitor my blood sugars and oats do terrible things to them, fruit like apples also - berries are much better. It’s quite a your mileage may vary thing.

My kids are all very slim and assume like their father have high metabolisms. They like to graze throughout the day.

Snacks include fruit, veg, a biscuit, yoghurt (frozen), crisps, toast

What makes it a new phenomenon? Is it just because you didn’t have snacks as a kid?

By that logic your kids will one day come onto mumsnet and announce smuggly that they too have solved the problem of obesity… and it’s a ‘new phenomenon’ called snacking 😂

I don't see the issue. For instance many 3 years olds will have the breakfast you describe and then a yoghurt an hour later. Or the lunch you described but with pomm bears afterwards not with their lunch. If anything you give snack type foods alongside meals. Some people will give bigger main meals and then snacks afterwards or inbetween. It depends on portion size, how much a kid will eat at any given time and your approach to parenting.

Ignore the OP, we've been snacking for centuries. She seems to think an apple consumed at 11 instead of 8:20 is the cause if childhood obesity and is ignoring the actual facts.

I disagree that "none of us" had snacks as children. My mum wasn't handing us snacks every 10 minutes and she didn't keep food in her handbag the way some parents do now, but at home there were always biscuits and fruit and we helped ourselves from quite a young age. And we could always have a glass of milk. I certainly had a snack when I got home from school as we had to wait till Dad got home to eat.

The problem is, there may be a valid point lost in here somewhere, but op has phrased it as 'my DD doesn't need snacks so therefore this proves that all other parents are ramming unnecessary food down their children's throats because they are such shit parents', without pausing to consider that appetites, children, and even snacks, all vary. Sweeping generalisation.

Hangry is a thing.

YABU.

Never once said that, it’s just the usual over sensitivity and projection on here.

We only used snacks very strategically eg if at the supermarket, when toddlers can be difficult. If we'd given them regular snacks they'd never have eaten main meals,

That said, I did give a snack on the rare occasions work called me when I was at home, resulting in a thundering to the kitchen whenever the phone rang. Regretted that one!

I didn’t really snack as a kid no, my mum definitely wasn’t the type to carry Tupperware boxes around full of crackers and grapes. I think a handful of posters have understood what I’m saying but once again I’m amazed at how little it takes to get people foaming at the mouth on here.

I think snacking is fine. My 3 year old needs them. She’s small and doesn’t eat much in one go so it’s good to spread the food out and give her more opportunities.

Haha no you’re not amazed. You 100% knew this would be a great way to pass NYE if you’re that way inclined

What way inclined? Wanting to discuss something that affects a quarter of our kids? Healthy eating in general?

Yeah, all that

Much like adults, all toddlers are different. Some need snacks and some don’t.

We allow snacks. Dd has free access to her own snack cupboard as I feel good food education is the important thing. She needs to learn how to have treats in the house and still make positive decisions because if they don't learn to manage their hunger when they are young, then how can we expect them to make positive decisions as adults. She's also very active and when going through a growth spurt with school and sport included in the mix, she could probably out-eat a rugby player. She's also very slim so snacking can't be that bad for her. Obesity comes from sitting in classrooms all day, coming home and sitting in front of a device in the evening and both parents working so less time to cook nutritious meals, not just snacking. Snacking was definitely a thing when I was a kid, but we were also sent outside as soon as we'd done homework to play with friends and sent out at the weekend to play.

Same here, always has been.

Hmmm, can you see how it might come across like that though?

I’ve never really given DD snacks, she has her 3 meals a day and that’s usually it, maybe once or twice a week she will have a digestive biscuit or yoghurt if dinner is going to be later than usual. However it seems like when we go on days out with other mums and toddlers, they come laden with snacks that are whipped out every hour or two.

I think you're being a bit disingenuous there.