Do you let your kids snack after supper?

[SamRose]

It does sound like it works well for your situation, Reb, and I can totally see myself doing the same thing still were I in it.
Like you, I couldnt imagine not letting my kids eat when hungry when I had just one child either, or when they were all little, but with 4 of them & homeschooling, it would be impossible to get anything done without stuff getting spilled/smeared on if I allowed them all to continue eating whenever they wanted like I used to. Open kitchen does not work *here* anymore due to the number of ppl in the home all day, and the kitchen space needing to dbl as work space at times. And honestly I probably couldnt afford to keep enough food in the house to fulfill the needs of unrestricted access to food. My kids are very healthy, and in great physical condition (2 have easily visible 6-packs, and none have any pudge). They are obviously not underfed (despite what my oldest says. He will be getting more food now, though, as I think turning 10 has given him another growth spurt, or at least the chance to bulk up a bit over all those lean muscles).

[Rose5000]

Wonder Woman- how'd u get him to learn to make healthy snack choices?

---------- Post added at 05:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:31 AM ----------

Re: the last 2 posters little conversation---in my son's case, he drives me crazy in that he eats so. few. calories. that ANYTIME i see him eating food, I am glad, except for the times when it is something not that healthy--those times I worry a little, but I quell my worry by remembering that he JUST. DOES. NOT. EAT. THAT . MUCH . FOOD, his appetite is sooooo very finicky, that WHATEVER he eats, he NEEDS, calorie-wise at least. It is sooooo frustrating to see how little he eats.

[Wonder Woman]

I mostly just stopped buying things I didn't want him to eat, until he learned to enjoy the healthy choices. Now I can stock the treats and he knows that they are just for special occasions.

[JoyGal]

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[SamRose]

Originally Posted by Rose5000

Re: the last 2 posters little conversation---in my son's case, he drives me crazy in that he eats so. few. calories. that ANYTIME i see him eating food, I am glad, except for the times when it is something not that healthy--those times I worry a little, but I quell my worry by remembering that he JUST. DOES. NOT. EAT. THAT . MUCH . FOOD, his appetite is sooooo very finicky, that WHATEVER he eats, he NEEDS, calorie-wise at least. It is sooooo frustrating to see how little he eats.

How is his health and physique?

It's close to impossible for me to even fathom the situation you're describing, but I understand how it could be troubling. My nephews eat way less than my kids, and at first it kinda freaked my mom out, since they are younger than most of my kids and she was so used to their big appetites. She thought her other grandkids were gonna starve themselves or something. But some kids just need less calories because they burn less. My kids have fast metabolisms, lots of muscle, and are very active. They need to eat more than many other kids we know. My gymnast daughter can eat more than me sometimes, and she's only 6yo!

[Rose5000]

Originally Posted by Wonder Woman

I mostly just stopped buying things I didn't want him to eat, until he learned to enjoy the healthy choices. Now I can stock the treats and he knows that they are just for special occasions.

That was super smart; i wish i could do that.

---------- Post added at 05:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:52 AM ----------

Originally Posted by SamRose

How is his health and physique?

It's close to impossible for me to even fathom the situation you're describing, but I understand how it could be troubling. My nephews eat way less than my kids, and at first it kinda freaked my mom out, since they are younger than most of my kids and she was so used to their big appetites. She thought her other grandkids were gonna starve themselves or something. But some kids just need less calories because they burn less. My kids have fast metabolisms, lots of muscle, and are very active. They need to eat more than many other kids we know. My gymnast daughter can eat more than me sometimes, and she's only 6yo!

pm'd u

[bliss]

Originally Posted by Rose5000

That was super smart; i wish i could do that.

May I gently ask why you can't?

[Rose5000]

He likes lots of healthy things: cooked spinach& mushrooms, raw cauliflower, bone broth, salad, salmon, my chili, etc. If I were to stop buying the things I don't want him to eat- all of those are the things that make life easier for me (yakisoba, cup of noodles, Kraft Mac n cheese). OR they are little treats that add to the fullness of a packed lunch (yogurts, little bags of chips, Gatorade, licorice - I add those to a tuna sandwich and a fruit and raw vegetable..I am very hard pressed to get him to eat breakfast .. pancakes he will only eat if they have lots of chocolate chips and powdered sugar, I refuse to do that except once in a blue moon....he hates oatmeal...he will eat a half of a homemade hash brown patty but that's a lot of work, of course hell eat any sweet cereal but I don't buy those unless I am desperate for something to get him to eat breakfast... If I buy frosted mini wheats hell eat all the sugar off and leave the cereal; same with lucky charms, so I rarely buy them. There was a time he'd eat scrambled egg whites and occasionally hell eat scrambled eggs...but I can never know from morning to morning if he's going to like what I go to the trouble to make for his breakfast. Very finicky and changeable

My main answer to the question, bliss, is that the stuff that's easy for me is unhealthy ; but it's very frustrating to go to the trouble of cooking something that is healthy & he has liked in the past--to then have him not like to eat it that day

[bliss]

I don't know what your finances are like, because they can really drive up a grocery budget, but there are healthier versions of things like mac and ramen and such. I'd also suggest googling something like 'quick easy wholefoods recipes for kids" or some different combinations of those ideas, to see if you can't get some ideas for happy mediums between "big elaborate thing I have to cook that he's not going to eat anyway" and "eazy mac" . We're in the process of doing this with our oldest, who has his baby here on weekends, and keeps feeding her atrocious things like instant mashed potatoes for all three meals because he "can't cook". Um, no. Scramble an egg . Boil some whole wheat pasta shapes al dente and sprinkle some grated cheese on them. Cut up some softish cheese and fruit and bread into strips. You get the idea . And your son is older, so you have lots more options - people who can feed themselves are generally more interesting to cook for .

[Rose5000]

He'd be more interesting to cook for if he'd eat MIXTURES of foods like casseroles. His pickiness spoils the fun out of trying a new recipes

[Kiara.I]

You may have already tried this...
But what about making a list of about 5 breakfast items that are healthy that you are willing to make/stock consistently. You ask him, he picks, you make it, he eats it.

I mean, he's 10. He's old enough for discussions about, "Your body needs fuel" and "mama is not a restaurant" and "how are we going to reconcile those two things in the time frames available in the mornings."

[Rose5000]

Kiara, That's excellent.

---------- Post added at 02:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:10 AM ----------

1)scrambled eggs piece of bread (refuses toast)and apple slices.
2)bone broth( if have it), cooked spinach and mushrooms
I'll think of more...
3) tuna sandwich and carrots tomato or lettuce dipped in balsamic v.
4) chocolate eggnog and pita bread berries or grapes(refuses bananas , oranges)
5) boiled potatoes and dry salami

[milkmommy]

my kids (especially the little one) wastes about 80% of foods they request much less the prepared for her meals she often rejects outright. Overall her choices are good and healthy and like others we bring little of the "other" stuff into the house anyways. Our food budget is somewhat generous but not just unlimited. My youngest is at a very normal healthy weight maybe a tiny bit on the smaller end for her height but well with in normal.. Cecilia struggles a bit with her weight and tends to carb load despite all efforts to improve on this. I have no desire though to belittle her or make her feel like she needs to eat less or "diet" obviously. She seldom asks for between meal set snack time foods anyways.
Margaret however will ask for this or that all day long take one bite or poke it or just let it sit and go bad its extremely wasteful. So yes we eat by a set rountinue..
They wake to having some fresh bread or biscuits made very low if any sugar except very special occasions. OR some crock pot oatmeal and a bowl of fresh fruit they can choose from. its enough to stop first morning hunger. If protein is very much desired we almost always have some boiled eggs in the fridge.. My early risers (DD and Margaret are ussually up and about by 6:30 I'm not a morning person so I make sure this is all out a ready the night before.

about 9am I'll often offer a more protein rich "snack" or breakfast sumplement. Scrambled eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese etc...

Lunch comes around 11am and we eat in usually 3 "courses" a veggie/salad type dish Cecilia wont touch most veggies but will do cold green salads so I totally go with it.. Then the "meal" which totally varies from Organic free range ideal meals to frozen pizza then a "dessert" course which is often like fresh fruit cheese etc and seldom a real sugary desert.. Lunch is served casually over a period of about 1.5 hours.. People can have as much or as little as they want and we have many alternitives if the main fare is not likes. I jsut dont allow minds to be changes 10 times and multiple food wasted. drink is almost always water Margaret sometimes gets tea or both girls occasionally do lemonade

We typically do a snack or "tea" time around 3ish typically small sandwiches cut veggies and or fresh fruit if we are doing something more sugary sweet its usually given at this time.

Dinner is typically around 6pm and mimics dinner in courses its typically around 7pm or so when the "dessert" course is served..

Margaret then goes right to her bath then bedtime. More food 99% of the time is just a non issue. IF she does happen to ask I will first establish that she is serious and not just playing or bored. Then I'll sit her down and have her eat. It happens ocassionally but it certainly isn't normal.

Cecilia will typically come looking for a little something before her bedtime.

SO in a typical day from about 6:00am to 8pm my kids have access to meals and or snacks
at least 5 times a day with a big deal of length and flex to atleast 3 of those 5 times. That comes out to food being offered less than every 3 hours.. those staying up past this time get access to more and if someone wakes hungry yes they are fed. However I dont feel its unreasonable for us to say we need to wait a bit at times outside of these.. We tried free range and it was a disaster. Nothing but whinning and constant claims of hunger. I cringed at hearing the words. Now I hardly hear it attitudes are so much better.

[SamRose]

o/t, but how do you cook the spinach and mushrooms? (I have both in the house now, so I could go for a new recipe. )

[Rose5000]

I am talking separate food items for him. I sautéed the spinach in olive oil or coconut oil; sautéed the mushrooms cut up in fourths in olive oil and butter. I sprinkle each while still cooking with just a hint of garlic powder; people salt the items at the table.

Just blows me away that my picky eater loves cooked spinachLOL!