What does your child have after tea - DS eating me out of house and home.

[dietqueen]

DS has just started school and is coming home starving - has a packed lunch and is eating all of that so putting it down to just working off lots of boundless energy.

Always have his tea ready so usually has it at 4pm, after has yoghart/fruit. Then is still hungry he says so has biscuits, crisps
fruit bar - humzinger etc... and it seems endless until bedtime.

Im conseous that this shouldnt be happening after such a decent tea/meal.

Cant delay his tea as he really is hungry when he comes in - but want to try and control this.

Was thinking of doubling his tea hoping he is full

We give kids a snack at 3.30 after school, annd then tea at 5.30-6 ish.

Snacks are things like: fruit from the bowl, toast and butter, bread and peanut butter, cheese, crackers and tomatoes.

Do you offer him an unlimited amount of main course? Maybe a bigger packed lunch too?

I would definitely offer as much tea as he can eat and then maybe at 6pm go for toast / banana / porridge - what time does he go to bed?

What do you feed him for tea? My first thought is that none of the things you mention as snacks have protein in them, maybe cheese on toast would be better than biscuits, crisps, etc. My second thought is that if he has tea at 4, no matter what you feed him you will need to give him a supper as well. Maybe establish a supper time? So tea is at 4 (and protein heavy), supper is at 6, he can only have [healthy thing] in between?

My little boy is a great eater too. after school it is fruit and/or peanut butter and jam sandwich.

He has a cooked lunch at school and often has boiled eggs for breakfasts. Supper is pasta, baked potatoe, cottage pie, etc last night it was roasted fish with oven cooked wedges, then fruit.

I hae cut the junk out. It was expensive, they were eating less proper food and I was eating it too. They always have had water as drinks, milk at bedtime, juice or squash is a rarity.

I thought they would go balistic when I cut the junk out, but they have not even noticed.

Please do not take offence but he could be hungry for nutrients or fibre ie he is not getting the vitamins he needs and so is craving these hence the endless appetite. A lot of processed food is sold to customers as being healthy but often it is just a sham claim or you would have to eat so much of the food to get the benefits.

Eg cereals make me very cross, claim to be soo healthy but often up to a third sugar, empty calories.

There is a great book I have called which was recommended in India Knights book on how to cut back on money, I think it is by Jill harcombe, how to feed your family well for not much money, something like that is the title, she gives some great recipies on how to fill up hungry children with quick, nutritious, economic cooking from scrathc

good luck

Try more protein based snacks as tortoiseonthehalfshell suggests.
Processed carbs like crisps and biscuits will not fill him up.

Turn your carbs brown? Rice, bread and pasta and so on? Fill you up for longer. Also flapjacks and other oaty things very filling and very very nutritious.

It might start if breakfast is not long lasting so oaty things there, or bacon and sausage with eggs and brown bread. Also vitamin supplements -- they stop the feeling of hunger that comes not when it's calories needed but a particular vitamin or mineral.

You know the GI diet, well I know he obviously doesn't need to lose weight, but if you google it, there could be helpful information about which foods do the slow burn in your stomach.

I have two boys and do the oats and brown stuff and loads of eggs too.

My lot demand toast after school, and cups of tea.

DS1 is heading that way Riven. he's almost 12 and eats more in a day than I do.He has weetabix(3) and 4 slices of toast every morning, with a glass of orange. He takes a sandwich (jam, not good I know but it's the only filling he will take), cereal bar and a banana, plus £2 for lunch and eat teh lot and bringno change back.
unfortunately now he's athigh school I cna't control what he eats as much, they get things like paninis, pizzas to buy and I know he has those just about every day!
He gets home from school at 3.45 and has about 4 slices of toast and milk, then we have our dinner at 5/6, and he eats a huge portion and then has a yoghurt then fruit, and then ants more by 7pm.

i don't actually know if has an off switch though. I do soemtimes wodner if he eats for the sake of it

Maybe it is because I live in France where we eat later but 4pm seems an odd time for a main meal.

I know your DS is hungry at that time and school does make them absolutely starving, but I would try swopping things round a bit.

How about if you gave him a big filling snack at 4pm and then his main meal later on around 5.30 to 6pm. The snack would keep him going to dinner time and then the evening meal would be more filling to go to bed on.

I really need everyones helping in turning this round and getting in a better routine.

Thanks for comments....from the jist of it I need to turn up the heat on more proteins unfortunately he wont eat cheese and wont have milk in cereals all the easy filling things! Answers to your questions:

Just turned 5
Bedtime - We go up at 5.45/6pm.
Get in from school at around 3.30pm
Usually have tea at 4pm.
He is a big veggies fan - loves all vegetables so most nights its a good selection with roast chicken, sausages, salmon and pasta, spag bol, tuna sometimes fishfingers and pasta and veg etc...

He is starving when he comes in so I give I really want to change this around. So I could do 2 things:

3.30pm - sliced apple or banana and smoothie
4.30pm - tonight its spag bol
5.15pm - supper - suggestions please?

If it were me I think I would be doing

Get in from school : Cheese of toast or Hummus and dips or Fruit and Yogurt or crumpets or something

Dinner at 5 then fruit and yog

Milk and a flapjack at bedtime - he seems to go to bed very early? Does he need to go so early?

Suggestions for supper:

banana loaf, flapjack, dry cereal, potato scones, mini pancakes, oatcakes and pate etc etc

He seems to have a too early bedtime imho. Could he not go to bed at 7ish and have tea around 5pm?

DCs don't eat anything after evening meal. They have an afternoon snack at school during playtime (about 3.30pm) which I suppose equates to an after school snack in the UK.

Then evening meal about 6.30pm. Bed from 7.30pm depending on age of child.

We could never have a meal and then a snack about 45 minutes later. All our meals (except breakfast) take at least 40 minutes to eat!

My youngest is just 5 like your DS.

I agree with fruit loaf- high in iron too!
The crisps and chocolate won't fill him up
Flapjacks are great after school, too
And a v generous breakfast is a good start

He wakes at 6am each morning and has just started school so is very, very tired.

We go up at 5.45/6pm, have a bath, chat, stories and he is asleep average around 7pm. Im sure when he adjusts to school life bedtime will get slightly lcharlieater

Snack suggestions for when he gets home: Peanut butter on brown toast for snack (if no cheese). Home made hummus (dead easy if you have a blender and much less salt than shop bought), pita bread etc. Pate on toast? (again easy to make a tuna pate at home).
Then tea a little later and supper (if needed) fruit and yog, porridge/milk etc.

sorry ... slightly easier meant to say.

I think the fruit loaf/malt loaf, crumpets and pancakes is a good idea also going to make some flapjacks.

Also going to clear out the cupboards so he can see we dont have biscuits, crisps etc.. Thanks again everyone this has helped

this morning it was 5.30am!!!!

when i nannied for older children it felt like you always cooking or preparing food. i used to give fruit on way home and they get a slice of toast once in door then proper meal at 5 then nothing else but soont the children learnt to eat properly at school instead of putting in bin and to eat all their tea.