To feed or NOT to feed - that is the question....

[Meeely2]

OK this is possibly the most idiotic thing to post about but I am honestly a bit befuddled.

My twins got to nursery full time, they are 3 years old. They get brekkie at home (weetabix and milk) and a slice of toast at nursery at 8.30 if they fancy it. Nusery lunch is 11.30, then nursrey tea is 3/3.30 ish. They have a big lunch - cooked meal i mean, and then sarnies/fruit/bikkies for tea.

I fetch them just after 5 and we get home between 5.30 and 5.45.

Should I be feeding them again at home? if so what? They have started to express that they are hungry when we get home, but i feel that 5.45 is too late to start cooking for them. Then I start thinking well more sarnies is a bit of an overlaod of bread, since they had that at tea?

You should know i don't cook - dh does all our cooking and we eat when boys in bed. I have no imagination as far as preparing food goes (I can't look in the fridge and say "oh we'll have that"). I just worry that with one of my DT's underweight that I am not feeding them enough.

BTW at weekends, I just stretch the day, so brekkie later, lunch later, so tea later and I am comfortable with that - my issue is the 3.30pm tea, then nothing til breakfast.

Any views would be great, especially from those of you with kids in full time childcare also....

I have this - DS is 20 months but recenlty he has been coming home and pointing to his highchair, asking to eat

he eats at roughly the same time as your DTs too

i offer him milk, fruit and rice cakes and he seems to be happy enough

perhaps you could offer your DTs yoghurt and fruit - maybe a home made muffin - bananas are filling

They should definitely be eating before they go to bed- even if it's some warm milk and an apple. It's a long time to go without food, and kids that age need it little and often.

that what i thought, we have been giving toast, or they share a can of spaghetti/beans, just worried it too close to bed thats all.....

maybe should get more fruit in and natural yoghurts, just to be on offer for when they get in.

Meely, don't laugh, my boys 8 and 5 have breakfast before bedtime, a bowl of cereals/boiled eggy/bread and honey.

Have you thought od doing this ? 3.30 pm tea then nothing til morning is an awfully long time.

HTH

I agree, they need something before bed, cheese/fruit/yoghurt, hummus and carrots etc

so is 4 meals a day normal, or could i ask nursery to feed em later instead of 3pm? (cheeky!)

If cheese then be aware they might dream wildly !

i give my ds (3 in 2 weeks) things like

• melon and cheese/parma ham
• humous and carrot sticks
• corn on the cob
• pasta with chopped up fresh tomato
• tineed spaghetti/beans and some brocoli
• slices of pear, cashew nuts and olives
• avocado + prawns
• bean and tuna salad

guiding principles are
a) poncey - try to balance out the bland food they get at school
b) over load on the fresh fruit and veg as most nursery think that spaghetti hoops are veg!
c) nothing too hard to cook as often not hungry and you don't want to slave over a meal that won't be eaten

My youngest has the same. Tea at 3.30. We get home around 5.30. I always offer him something to eat when we get in, maybe some toast and marmite, or a banana and some raisins, or an apple, or a weetabix. Nothing that requires any cooking!

Why are you worried about them eating before bedtime? It won't be a big meal, just a healthy snack. I think they'll need it, esp if nursery lunch is sarnies and fruit, that wouldn't keep me going from 3pm one day to breakfast the next!

3/4/5 meals/snacks a day, it doesn't really matter if they are healthy.

I let DS have fruit (fresh or dried), yogurt, cheese, toast or cereal after nursery if he wants it -- it's generally fruit or yogurt.

(He's normally had light breakfast at home, bigger breakfast at nursery, morning snack (fruit), lunch, tea (at around 4pm) and an afternoon snack (typically rice cakes or breadsticks))

my nursery is very good, all meals are home cooked meat n two veg type - never known them to have nuggets, fish fingers, or things like that (which they eat copious amounts of at home!), so not worried about the health side of it tbh, just about the rumbly tummy side of it.

What i don't get is why they feed them at that time? Is it cos most parents fetch them earlier than me then all eat as a family at home? Or does every 3 yo in full time childcare eat 4 meals a day?

To the poster who asked about feeding before bedtime - they go up to bed at 6.45, so worry about the food perking them up and then them not sleeping for hours. I guess this worrying is left over from my routine days when I was anally retentive about EVERYTHING!

They sleep well, only one DT is underweight cos he is such a busy body, they both eat the same so I guess for one of them it's enough!

Off to tesco to stock up on healthy quick snack supplies

Thanks girls

think there are two schools of thought with meals for pre-schoolers. One is no snacks so they eat proper meals at set times and the other is more flexbile allowing for the fact that some children need refueling quicker than others and also if you know they are getting a healthy snack later you are less worried about them not eating at meal times. Think ofsted is of the second school and they have a rule of thumb that some kind of food should be offered every 3 hours or so.

Definitely another meal, IMO. Could be something simple liek a banana and a yogurt, or if you're up to it a scrambled egg. Oven chips are quick and painless to prepare, and perfectly healthy if you ge tthe plain sort, just potato and oil with no crispy coatings. A bowl of cereal - if your'e concerned about too much bread, then porridge would be a good alternative.

Does your dh bake, by any chance? A slab of home-made fruit cake goes a long way, and the cake keeps very well.

it was crumpets and jam tonite, but because of my enthusiam, went via tesco on my way home, meant boys didn't get said snack til half 6, and so are now in bed but wide awake! Will be more disciplined tomorrow. I think my philosphy will be, have the RIGHT snacks available when we get in, if not hungry, no bother, but if they are they not gonna have to make do with crap....

OOOO I feel cleansed, larder full of bananas, apples, clementines, natural yoghurt, crumpets, muffins, jam, grapes, strawberries (oh and the one tin of ravioli - well one won't hurt!)

Cooking one too many jacket potatoes tonite for them to have half each tomorrow.

E had this situation when DD was at nursery. And I always fed her agan. The tea was very light and she was hungry. So, she ate with me and DH at 6:30pm, when DH was home from work. Still does now.

hula, what time does she go to bed? My two are still bouncing off the walls and they only had crumpet and jam! What sort of thing do you feed her - proper like dinner? Our routine has always been get in from work, play with kids, watch tv, get them to bed then sort ourselves out....not quite sure how to adapt to eating as a family....would have to consult DH as he is head chef!

Have you tried cereal/porridge? With fruit is good.

both still awake - grrrrr

Porridge is a good one for encouraging sleeeeeep, the oats have some sleep promoting thingy in. And warm milky things in general are fairly soporific.

may have to try that tomorrow (hides head under sofa cushion - ahhh quiet under here)

If I was in this situation I would definitely offer more food when you get home. Mine don't eat loads and have the 3 meals and the odd healthy snack - but dinner for them is around 5ish. 3.30 seems early to eat and then have nothing more before bed. I know that I would be hungry if it were me!

Agree with the breakfast/fruit type meal suggestions. If they are having a good healthy, cooked meal at lunchtime then I wouldn't cook anither meal in the evening. Porridge would be nice and filling (and warm) at that time of day. Or ready brek which can be done really quickly in the microwave.

i think they asleep - hoorah!