How much "junk" food does your child eat?

[Adriana87]

Had a debate with my other half whether the amount of junk food our 3 year old eats was excessive. When not in nursery, his typical meal will consist of: porridge for breakfast, chicken nuggets and chips or a cheese sandwich for lunch and something relatively healthy (pasta potato, rice etc.) for dinner.

However, on a daily basis he's having, at least, a pack of wotsits, 5 or so jaffa cakes and Ritz crackers. I've suggested that we limit the snacks to just one item as he doesn't eat them out of hunger (nor does he complain of it's not there) and implement more fruits into his diet to be fair, the only fruit he will eat is a banana but still think replacing all those snacks with a banana, plus one of the snacks actually, is a much better option.

Do the snacks above literally every day, sound excessive?

The type of snacks aren’t great.
5 Jaffa cakes is a lot for a 3 year old. Having crisps and chocolate biscuits (yes I know technically Jaffa cakes are cakes) every day at 3 it will be setting them up for a lifetime of bad eating habits.

Try some of the healthier snacks listed here.

www.nhs.uk/change4life/food-facts/healthier-snacks-for-kids/100-calorie-snacks/#packaged-snacks

www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/weaning-and-feeding/young-children-and-food-common-questions/

www.babycentre.co.uk/l25007173/toddler-snack-ideas-photos

I'm not as strict as some, but that would be too much snacky junk for me. For reference, my oldest is 8 and he wouldn't be allowed a whole pack of crisps per day - he had half a pack every few days.

Rule here has always been two snacks a day - mid morning and mid afternoon. A snack is 1 serving of fruit and if still hungry, 1 other thing such as 1 fig roll, 1 digestive biscuit, small bit of homemade cake if I have some. If dinner is early, then no afternoon snack.

It's hard that he only eats bananas - is it textural? Most fruit is sweet so kids love them. Could try tinned fruit in juice like pears or peaches? I'd be working on getting him to eat more fruit as it will widen your snack options.

Yes it does sound a lot to be honest. I completely understand though, it’s hard once you get into bad routines. Have you tried things like cucumber sticks, raw cauliflower, carrot sticks, bread sticks ... wow, that’s a whole lot of sticks. 😂 But yeah vegetables are great to mix things up with.

On an average day mine have none.

It goes up at times but have found since summer we haven't been buying much junk food.

We do all like cake though, of course.

I have a three year old and she gets the odd sweet or biscuit on occasion but nothing like 5 Jaffa cakes in one go and definitely not on a daily basis. I do think that's an unusual amount of junk to be giving to a young child.

That's a lot of junk each day. My kids get one thing each day if they want and if they've eaten their meals. So one chocolate bar, or sweet or packet of crisps. That's it. If they're hungry for more it's fruit or wait for your next meal. I lighten up at Easter/Xmas/birthdays.
I think their funnies are small and they're growing so they need nutritionally variable food going in or they will fill up on crap.
To me I'm building them good habits and as they get older and able to gauge their own choices I'll back off, but for now they need to know what a well fed body feels like.

Tummies. 😆

Mine are.4, 5 and 8. We've gotten into a bad habit of them having a bag of crisis every day with their lunch. Once they get back to school that will stop.

Other than that they have an ice pop after dinner and 1 biscuit before bed. Probably still too much.

@Ihaveaskedyouthrice

Mine are.4, 5 and 8. We've gotten into a bad habit of them having a bag of crisis every day with their lunch. Once they get back to school that will stop.

Other than that they have an ice pop after dinner and 1 biscuit before bed. Probably still too much.

I meant crisps.

Seems a little too much of the ‘unhealthy stuff’. But we have gotten in to some more unhealthy stuff of late. Cut down on the Jaffa cakes but in fairness if they get opened in our house they are not their for long. Reduce the crisps and biscuits, some days offer healthier snacks. Mine have a few ritz crackers as an after school/preschool/nursery snack but with a bit of cheese. My 3 year old has fruit ( but she loves the stuff), raw veg, cheese & olives and pickles but she loves some very strong flavours and isn’t a big fan of starchy carbs. We don’t do morning snacks though or they won’t eat lunch. Everything in moderation but it’s tricky with picky eaters or toddlers that are fruit and veg averse.

There is 6g of sugar in one jaffa cake... 🙄

Blimey.

My nearly four year old has quite a bit of junk food. In a day on top of "normal" food, often has crisps, some sweets, an ice lolly and some biscuits. I find it hard to find lots of healthy things he likes, and he eats a lot.

Your child is eating nothing but processed food. All this stuff is full of salt and sugar.

@RokosBasilDish is that for the OP? That's not a very helpful comment, and unlikely to be true as the OP said he eats potatoes, pasta, banana, porridge and I'm sure other things.

It isn’t clear from the op if your dc is having any veg? I appreciate you may just not have mentioned them as the focus of your post was on the snacks.
I think a lot of people use snacks to push the fruit and veg count up for the day, replacing a lot of the unhealthier snack you mention.
I would certainly be looking to reduce the snacks you mention, maybe start by limiting your dc to one of the snacks you mention, 1 Jaffa cake for example and replace the others with fruit and veg.
As you mention your dc attending nursery I’d be surprised if they weren’t used to having fruit and veg based snacks there.

I’m pretty lax in crap but 5 Jaffa cakes is absolutely loads!

@RokosBasilDish

If porridge, pasta, potatoes and rice are too processed what menu would you suggest?

With my 3 year old I try to limit to one piece of “junk food” in a day so maybe a little cake slice or similar. I don’t often buy crisps as she loves them and would happily eat a pack every day but I think that’s too much salt. She will eat the veggie straw toddler crisps, I find that it’s easier just not to buy junk (i have a secret chocolate and biscuit box hidden away for me) and then even if she’s being demanding about it I can just say we don’t have it so that’s that.

I would stop the Jaffa cakes entirely and maybe limit to three bags of crisps a week. Then just have occasional sweet treats. If he is not even bothered now is a good time to get into good habits.

Our kids have healthy balanced main meals and about 2-3 ‘yummy’ puddings weekly. They have school lunches.

They each have a snack box and can choose a snack mid PM (and mid AM in school hols). I choose the contents and portion control it v carefully. Mix of small cereal bars, little bags of biscuits (eg iced gems, mini choc fingers, mini cookies), raisins/dried fruit, decanted little bags of nuts, decanted choc covered rice cakes etc. They can get fruit if wanted anytime but don’t eat a vast amount.

I would limit portions and increase veg if poss.

Can you at least make sure he's getting his 5 a day? We found that if we're firm about that we can ration "treat" food to once per day (or not at all if we know he's going to his grandparents the next day who we've agreed can give 2 treats, cause grandparents should get to break the rules a bit!).

It does sound quite a bit daily to be honest. My 4 year old is allowed one small sweet thing on the way home from nursery eg. 1/2 a bag of animal biscuits, but given the opportunity she'd eat way more and I was starting to get concerned over the amount I was giving her. First I reduced the things she does have - so previously she would have had a whole mini bag of eg cookies/animal biscuits, now I open them and split into 2 pots and she gets half along with fruit. Luckily she loves fruit and will eat most fruits eagerly. Recently I made some tiny 'lower sugar' cookies and spread a little bit of melted choc or icing and sprinkles on them like animal biscuits and they went down really well. If you're happy to bake could be worth a try! Crisps are a no in our house because I'm a total addict, but maybe there's a healthier alternative while you reduce it down or you could taper down the portion? What does he eat for snacks at nursery? Could you do the same at home?

Also I find crackers with a little butter and grated cheese a popular snack - a satisfying crunch like crisps but a bit better for you?

@Battenburg1978

Also I find crackers with a little butter and grated cheese a popular snack - a satisfying crunch like crisps but a bit better for you?

Unfortunately that's as bad as crisps - still full of saturated fat and salt.

To be honest I would cut it all out as a daily thing. If he doesn’t complain when he doesn’t have it (can completely understand can get into a habit of it then they scream and it’s easier to give it) why in the world are you giving it?
2.5 yr old here. We can go weeks without any treat type food but then when we bake something we can have a little bit each day until it’s gone and with me eating it does not take long .
I eat so much crap I want to bring up that it isn’t normal to eat it every day but to have it when it’s in. No idea if that’s what will happen when he can buy his own stuff but it’s what I like to tell myself