Toddler snacks - are they necessary?

[Nosleepforthismum]

Struggling a bit with my two year olds eating. He eats a lot better if he’s hungry (like at breakfast) but I think snacks are becoming an issue and making him more fussy at lunch and dinner. The snacks I give him are healthy but involves either fruit or carbs (like toasted pitta bread and hummus or crumpet with marmite or a bag of crisps if we are out). He won’t touch vegetables on their own (like cucumber/broccoli) so I really try to get the vegetables in him at the main meals (soup, spag bol, cottage pie etc).

I’m wondering whether I should just ditch the snacks all together and bring the meals closer with something for supper if he’s still hungry before bed. Anyone done this or has any advice?

I really tried not to give my kids snacks. Even when they were little. I lived in Canada and my Mum friends seemed to constantly be giving their kids snacks. I felt their kids were asking for snacks out of habit rather than because they were actually hungry.
It wasn't a fixed rule by any means but generally I didn't do any snacks. It was as much for teeth as anything.
They are adults and they still don't snack much.

I think it depends on the child. I didn't give my middle one many snacks when he was small as they affected his appetite for meals. You can usually tell if it's hunger or habit and it was the latter in his case. But my youngest could eat 5 snacks between each meal and still be hungry for his meals, so I didn't have to worry. But for a 2 year old I'd say those snacks sound quite substantial. Perhaps something smaller will help preserve his appetite, like apple slices or small oat bars.

No snacks as they wouldn’t eat a proper lunch or dinner otherwise. It was always mildly torturous to meet up with a group of friends at soft play or whatever and before we’d even got a seat the crisps, cake bars and yo-yos were being pulled out and kids hanging around the table mooching food instead of playing. Mine knew they wouldn’t get any and gave up asking pretty quickly but I did always feel a bit guilty when little Tommys mum was giving him his third packet of biscuits and my lot were just watching on longingly!

Okay that’s great, thank you everyone! You’ve all confirmed to me what I already thought (but wobbled from HV/NHS advice on two snacks a day plus 3 meals), not to mention my snacks are just too much for a 2 year old.

He usually has a really decent breakfast of a banana, one slice of whole grain toast and two scrambled eggs which we had today. Pulled lunch forward to 11 (soup and toast) which was mostly eaten but a fair bit of fussing for something else - I held firm. Then out to the zoo where he had a handful of grapes when his sister started screaming and I needed compliance from him but then back home and dinner was pulled forward to 3 (spag bol) and he cleared his bowl. Glass of milk at 5 and then bedtime routine started and he’s gone straight to sleep. Phew. Hopefully not just a one off but thank you for all your comments!