[jm3]

Are you strict and serve three meals a day and offer fruit in between only OR do you let them graze as they want?

I know it's a big spectrum but I'm so sick of going food shopping because two days later we're out of 'stuff'. I'm not talking about junk food here either (for the most part). It could be strawberries, watermelon and other fruit, or yoghurt, or toast or whatever...

My four year old is particularly bad and seems to want to eat when she's bored and doesn't take too kindly to being told to wait for tea.

I think I've very generous in what goes in the lunch box each day too - way more than I see other kids get at school.

For what it's worth - 12 year old is very active and skinny as a rake and four year old has always been on the 97% percentile for height and weight.

How does your family approach the food situation?

[lifehacker]

My 4 yr old is the same, she'll ask for something to eat right after dinner.
I don't let mine snack for about an hour before dinner, they can eat when they like as long as it's healthy. They aren't allowed to eat stuff after dinner if they didn't eat it. Other than those rules it's fairly open
This might sound bad but my little ones are better behaved when they are well fed.
Things like watermelon, grapes, strawberries etc don't really fill them up much.
I totally know the feeling of going shopping and 2 days later there is nothing left, story of my life.

[i-candi]

I close the kitchen after dinner cleanup. Kids can still get drinks though.

My kids only eat 3 times a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. They have never had an afternoon snack, ok once in a while DD will eat an apple or some cheese.

I will add that DD is a rake and never EVER stops, she doesn't walk through the house - she does cartwheels. DS is overweight, he is totally inactive and is on medication.

[jm3]

My kids only eat 3 times a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. They have never had an afternoon snack, ok once in a while DD will eat an apple or some cheese.

Have you just never offered afternoon snack or do they never seem to want it?

My 12 year old expects something after school - totally expects it and would probably be horrified if I said no! LOL!

[girltribe4]

They graze , mainly on fruit & toast but they like to have cereal any time of the day too. My 11yr old is a failure to thrive and the others are all well below average , they are all fairly active and for the moment I feel we have the balance right.

[jm3]

My 4 yr old is the same, she'll ask for something to eat right after dinner.
I don't let mine snack for about an hour before dinner, they can eat when they like as long as it's healthy. They aren't allowed to eat stuff after dinner if they didn't eat it. Other than those rules it's fairly open
This might sound bad but my little ones are better behaved when they are well fed.
Things like watermelon, grapes, strawberries etc don't really fill them up much.
I totally know the feeling of going shopping and 2 days later there is nothing left, story of my life.

With my four year old I've come to the point that I feed her when she asks for food rather than by the clock because otherwise she would be eating all day! Well it feels like that anyway. I think when she starts school next year that should improve given that she won't be able to eat as she wants. I'm all for offering protein type snacks but kids don't seem to want that... they want fruit or biscuits/unhealthy options.

[jameses mum]

I have an active skinny kid who grazes a lot. He has breakfast, then fruit, then munch and crunch at school, then recess - but if they are going to the oval to play footy at lunch time, or get caught up in handball etc, he just doesn't eat, so I always shovel afternoon tea into him

If I think he is looking for food out of boredom or tiredness I get him to have a drink of water instead, then wait to see if he really is hungry - other than that I just let him eat. We don't have junk food very often, and I hate shopping so much that I duck in once a day rather than do a big shop

[fringe82]

Mine have 3 meals a day & 1-2 snacks a day.

If they ask for a bit of fruit or rice cracker etc in the morning or afternoon then I will let them have something.... other times of the day I wont and after dinner nothing as they usually have not even finished their dinner.

If my 4 had free run on the kitchen they would never stop eating... ever!!

[i-candi]

Have you just never offered afternoon snack or do they never seem to want it?

My 12 year old expects something after school - totally expects it and would probably be horrified if I said no! LOL!

Never ask for it so I've never offered it. DS (who is 13) quite often doesn't even eat his lunch - too busy getting to the library at lunch time to snag a computer

The days that DD (who is 10) asks for a snack she can have cheese or fruit (her fave at the moment is apple).

This post has been edited by i-candi: 14/11/2012, 08:34 PM

[Buggylicious]

food is available round the clock here, I have very thin children they need every bite I can get in to them.