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?

Mine did.

Or he would become a hangry evil demon.

mine ate more snacks as toddlers than they do now as teens, their tummies are only small so little and often is a good way to go, snacks don't have to be unhealthy.

Never had snacks as a kid neither did my children.

Advertisers think everyone should have something constantly.

The rates for childhood obesity are high.

Snacking isn't why kids are obsese.

You and your kids never ever once ate food outside of meal times.... I find that hard to believe tbh.

Never had candyfloss/doughnuts at the fun fair? Never had popcorn at cinema? Never had a mid morning biscuit with a drink? Not an ice-cream at the beach? Not had a pack of crisps on the way home from somewhere? Never had a little cake at a café? Never had any sweets from their Halloween/party bags outside of meals? Never enjoyed an apple at the top of a hill after a walk. Never had a banana after swimming? Never in all of your lives have you accepted a biscuit/sweet/chocolate when offered?

Snacking isn’t the reason why children are obese.

Some children snack, some don’t. Same as adults.

It’s not a big deal and not my concern.

I think smaller meals with healthy snacks in between is healthier for most toddlers and smaller children. However, of course everyone is different.

I don’t think loading up kids at meals in order to stretch through to the next meal is necessarily a better option than letter them eat a smaller amount when hungry.

Part of the problem is that fun fairs, cinema visits, days out somewhere used to be a rare treat. Nowadays parents "structure" their kids days with activities and every activity seems to require a snack. When I was a kid most school holidays we'd be playing outside all day, running around etc, sometimes not even returning home for lunch. Snacks are absolutely part (not all, but part) or the cause of the childhood obesity.

Some snacks for some children are part of the problems, yes. But snacking in of itself isn't an issue.

A child eating something like this in a day;
Large bowl of frosties, chocolate milk for breakfast
Large doughnut mid morning
Lunch of leftover take away pizza slices and a grab bag of Doritos and a mars bar
Afternoon snack of sweets and sausage roll
Dinner of 3 turkey dinosaur and 5 potato smiles, followed by a large ice-cream

Isn't going to have the same outcome as a child who has;
Boiled egg and wholemeal toast
Small Apple sliced and tbsp peanut butter for snack
Lunch of pasta and pesto with 3 cherry tomatoes, 1" cucumber and 4 olives
Snack if babybel
Dinner of home made chicken casserole, cabbage, carrots and mash followed by greek yoghurt and a dollop of honey.

These aren't snacks, they are treats...

A banana and an apple a treat? 🤣🤣

Besides, if you're eating it between meals, whether it's a cucumber stick or a doughnut...it's a snack...

Some adults need snacks - some don’t, kids are the same - my DS is very high energy, runs and moves a lot and has always needed to eat regularly- he gets very ‘hangry’ and ceases making logical choices - he eats a balanced diet, high in protein at meals but does need snacks when he is hungry, peanut butter on toast, a handful of peanuts, humous and pitta or carrots, sometimes a bowl of museli - we try to make the snacks low ish in sugar, but high in protein which seems to help him - always eats a full dinner.

my daughter wants to snack - but doesn’t need too - she could eat an entire cake / large pack of crisps / multi pack of twix (in our defence it was lock down, DH and I were both on calls in different rooms and she very crafty interpreted our off screen go away hand signals as ‘eat all the twixes!’ 😂) but we don’t let her do that because a)those things are unhealthy and b) she wouldnt eat dinner

sometimes I’m ravenously hungry about 11 am so I have a snack, sometimes I’m not so I don’t

If I was the government and I wanted to combat obesity I would tax junk food - massively, and use the revenue to subsidise the cost of healthy foods. I would also take junk food out of supermarkets and make them be sold in a special store.

Everyone is different aren’t they so it’s impossible to generalise.

DD had a tiny appetite until she was about 6, rarely snacked and hard to get a full meal in her. She was very petite. Now she’s average size and has a better appetite, including snacks some days but not others.

DS has always eaten virtually nonstop, he gets very “hangry” without lots of snacks. He’s like a whirlwind constantly and must burn it all off as he’s very slim.

Whatever works for your circumstance, I say.

My DS is 9 and still continuously snacking. He's one of the most active kids I know and is whippet thin because he's constantly on the move. (He is autistic and stims by running and jumping mostly.) So trying to keep calories intake up is an absolute necessity.