Other Childminders: do you put time limits on meals?

[CheerfulYank]

I'm a part time CM (just have a few children, 3x a week).

One of the little girls I mind is five. She and her brother come to me in the morning around 8:30. Their mom will say if they've eaten breakfast or not but I will offer them whatever DD is eating regardless. The little girl will often not want it or just want part of it. For example this morning it was Cheerios and fruit and yogurt. She ate a few bites of fruit and yogurt.

Then a few hours later she'll often say she's hungry and will want cereal or whatever.

The thing is, she's quite picky and I'd rather she was a bit hungry at lunch so she'd do a better job eating it. If she were mine and we were having lunch within a few hours, I'd have her wait. But since she's not I don't want to feel like I'm starving her! :) I'd rather she didn't graze all day though, especially as she often does this in the afternoon too. (She don't eat a lot at lunch and then will want to eat before the afternoon snack at 3.)

Not a huge issue obviously but I was just wondering what other CMs would do...would you say "we're done with breakfast now but lunch will be soon" after a certain time, or would you let her snack?

I would just say breakfast is say 8-8.30am, snack of fruit at 10.30am, lunch at 1pm. Then your only a few hours In between so at say 10am if hungry you can just say ' ok, It will be snack time shortly'

I have a mid morning snack and a snack immediately on returning from school in the afternoon. One of my children won't eat tea well if he has too much afternoon snack, so with his parents' agreement, afternoon snack is literally a couple of mouthfuls - say a babybel or half a dozen grapes and a drink. I don't feed children at other times at all. I think that would be teaching them that they can mess about and leave their balanced planned meals and be rewarded with grazing food. So for me, yes, breakfast is over when everyone gets down from the table and nothing else appears until they get back up to the table for elevenses, and so on. Another consideration is that if I let one child have a yoghourt or a bowl of cereal whenever they wanted, they would all want one and then nobody would have room for their meals, and we would never go out or do anything but eat because I can't leave toddlers eating unsupervised to oversee other activities like painting.

Okay, thanks! Sometimes on MN it seems like anything less than a "whatever, whenever" attitude toward food is seen as controlling. It's nice to know IANBU.

She's trying it on anyway, because she's suddenly hungry again and casting longing sighs at the cupboard...because she knows a bag of candy in there, from a birthday party DS attended last weekend. :o

I agree with routine mealtimes only.
Breakfast at 8, snack at 10:30, lunch at 12:30, snack at 3:30, dinner at 5.
Otherwise you spend all day letting them graze, preparing meals they're not hungry for, and are unable to do proper activities as you're supervising eating.

Does she not go to school?

I'm guessing it's half term? I agree with set times for snacks and meals, keeping the snacks small, so she's hungry at mealtime.

No, sorry :) We're American. You have to be five by September 1st to go to school and her birthday is in October.

She goes to preschool from 12-3 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I don't have them on Mondays or Fridays though. So she's here all day on Tuesday and Thursday and a half day on Wednesday.

im a nanny not cm

we have set meal times, if they dont eat then not a problem, but nothing till next meal, tho obv can have water, dont give juice/milk as can fill them up

i rarely give snacks, find children eat better meal without, but if they are hungry then offer fruit

none of this toast/rice cakes/bread sticks etc that i often see other nannies give

mean blondes

Milk is another thing! Her brother loves it (he's 20 months, like my DD) and wants to drink sippy cup after sippy cup of it. But (after a few tantrums) he's slowwwly accepting water when he's really thirsty.

I would say that they need to take the opportunity to eat when food is offered. I'm trying to get my 3year old to understand this! I also say, once mealtime is over, that the kitchen is closed, otherwise I'd be in there all day!

I think if she says she is hungry mid morning I'd offer her a small piece of fruit and or milk.