Hands up who lives in a household of hungry people? We are one of those families for whom the best part of the day revolves around what we are going to eat next. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are always hot topics of conversation. But what trumps that above all else is….snacks! If you’re anything like me, you will find that the need to snack seems to be quite urgent among little people. So what is it about snacking and why do children need to snack anyway?
Permission to snack miss please!
Personally, if I tried to go between meals without snacking, I would be pretty useless. As someone with reactive hypoglycemia, I just need those snacks to keep my energy up and blood sugar levels stable. But what about little people?
Yes, it might feel like our little ones are poking and prodding us endlessly for snacks but there is a good reason for that! I’m not talking about feeding them with endless snacks all day, which can interfere with them actually eating their main meals. But a morning and an afternoon snack is most definitely required from my experience, to manage hunger and keep energy levels stable.
Keeping their energy up
The days when my daughter has somehow missed an afternoon snack because she has been off gallivanting without me, she will be practically slumped over the dinner table she will be so low on energy come the evening. Too tired even to eat dinner, and that’s definitely something best avoided.
Depending on their age, most children need to eat around every three to four hours – so you see, stretching from breakfast to lunch, or lunch to dinner can be somewhat problematic for them. In our house that is an absolute given.
How often should children snack then?
I tend to offer a snack around two and half hours to three hours after one meal, but not less than a couple of hours before the next meal is due to kick off…if I want it to ACTUALLY be eaten anyway. Otherwise, you can be sure that mealtimes will be a total struggle, and more likely to be a showground for the most annoying kind of fussy eating imaginable.
Leaving just enough time after snacking and before a meal means they are at just the right level of hungry. Not head on the table depleted of energy with their brains halfway out of their ears, but not hey I’m full of snacks and couldn’t give two hoots about dinner!
Snacks are also important because children have smaller tummies than us. That means that they can only eat smaller portions at a time, and need to eat more frequent snacks to get their daily nutrients. The smaller they are, the smaller their tummies, and the more important snacks may be, relatively speaking.
Go forth and snack!
As you can see, I’m a big advocate of snacking. There’s no doubt about it – children need to snack. But we as parents need to make sure they are not over-snacking to ensure they are ready (and willing!) to eat at mealtimes. We can also help them by having a good supply of nutrient-rich snacks to help them get the goodness they need throughout the day.
Giveaway
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Snacks are a good thing for children as long as they are healthy to prevent low blood sugar levels which means they can’t concentrate and learn.
Great post this! Even as an adult I feel like I snack loads but I just put that down to boredom!
l always try to have a good range of healthy snacks around so they always have some to snack on.
I think it depends on the child, and also whether they are going through a growth spurt
My girls always snack! The worst time is after school, they are never full
Our two never had snacks when they were little as it created issues at dinner time.
I think that children shouldn’t have too many sugary snacks but healthy snacks at lunchtime is fine.
Snacks are good to keep up energy levels
I’ve just eaten a chocolate bar I forgot we had … I’m calling it a snack … 🙂
Snacking or grazing is important to keep those energy levels up and the slump at bay – I know I do it a lot it’s just about picking the right kind of snacks
Laura x
I think a healthy snack as long as it’s not to big that it spoils a meal is a good thing
I own a family of snackers, thankfully they love their fruit but I get through so many strawberries and grapes
Yes – Snacks are important, as long as my child eats a balanced diet, I’m happy. They can have the occasional chocolate bar, if they have fruit and vegetables with their other meals.
Snacks are so important for a child but they need to be the right kind. Great article!
Snacks are great as long as they are not all unhealthy
Stealthy snacking is vital for children – 3 meals a day is SIMPLY not enough
Great to see so many more healthy snacks appearing for kids on the market
I try to have healthy snacks in the house.
we always have fruit and nuts to snack on but crisps are also plentiful but rationed which is tempting for me!!!!
l think its better to have healthy snacks in so if they do feel the need for a snack its a healthy one!
my stepdaughters absolutely love their fruit though getting the oldest one to eat her veggies is a different story altogether would love to win this fab giveaway
I think snacks are ok as long as they are healthy snacks and not high in sugars
Healthy snacks are essential for between meals hunger – better than sweets or sugary drinks
I think we are all in agreement that the kids needs snacks! And it is so great that so many more healthier snacks are appearing on the market.
need to show this to my husband who thinks the kids dont need snacks and gets fed up with them asking for food outside “proper” food times!
My son is always hungry and having healthy snacks is necessary to keep him going
I’m all for my smalls having a snack or two as and when they need it. In nurseries and schools they give healthy snacks of fruit. So I have tried to promote it at home too. As it certainly perks them up again.
when my son is hungry he is grumpy and he struggles to focus. Snacks are crucial!
My daughter’s love snacks and I do prefer them to snack on something healthy 🙂
My kids are always hungry, so keeping a Stash of healthy snacks in the house is really important.
It’s important to have a choice of healthy snacks available.
It definitely depends on the child my daughters fine but my son would not eat dinner if he had snacks
I was lucky that my youngest son loved snacking on raw carrots & fruit and still ate all his dinner. My eldest just ate yoghurts but he then became really picky about dinner. It totally depands on the child.
Children need snacks often to keep up their energy!
We love healthy foods in our home
I never knew snacking had so many benefits! I always thought snacking was bad and so tried to avoid my kids from doing so just so their teeth can have a break from the sugars. It makes sense why my son is always so tired. Will give them snacks from now on in between meals.
Always try and get healthy snacks for the kids in they get hungry, things that are low in sugar
I allow my children to a snack between meals but not constant grazing and there has to be some fruit, yoghurt, or crackers in there, not just sweets and crisps.
My two year old could not go a whole day without getting his morning/afternoon snacks. He even has an internal clock now to where two hours after breakfast/lunch, he’s asking us for a snack. He has a massive amount of energy so I’m glad to keep giving him nutrients he needs to run, be healthy, and grow.