Snack schedule for toddlers

SouthernGal · #1 (**permalink**) 06-25-2008, 06:49 PM

Do you have a set schedule during the day for when they get snacks?
I am going bonkers with them wanting "snacks" which seems every 20 minutes all day long. And you can bet everytime I am in the kitchen they start.....

christel · #2 (**permalink**) 06-25-2008, 07:39 PM

My Ruby wants to eat All. Day. Long. But, officially, I throw out the snacks around 10 and 3:30. Midway between breakfast and lunch and then as soon as they're up from naps. The 3 main meals are eat, finish, clean 'em up events. But the snacks I'll just leave out so they can cruise by and nibble. Seems to work so far.

doubletrouble06 · #3 (**permalink**) 06-26-2008, 10:08 AM

My kids have been a schedule for what seems like as long as they were alive (I have my 10month old on the same schedule as the girls). We don't do mid morning snacks but they get a snack at 3pm after their nap. They always know it'll be ready for them downstairs. They eat bfast 8amish lunch 11:15ish, snack 3pm and dinner between 6-6:30. Seems to work well for us and I rarely have them asking me for something to eat unless they see me eating something- then I may give them a bite.

MickiMouse · #4 (**permalink**) 06-26-2008, 03:18 PM

My girls used to rarely get snacks but now we've somehow got in to this snack thing. Haley always comes up to me and says "I want something"...to eat she means.
Oy!
Or I'll see her poking around in the pantry and she'll pop out holding a bag of chips or something and say "I want this!"
It's hard because my DH snacks all the time so they see him and want to eat too.
I think a lot of it is the age and they're not eating so much at their meals so they're getting hungrier in between.

canadacasper · #5 (**permalink**) 06-26-2008, 04:55 PM

From about 1 1/2 yrs to 3 yrs old I would leave crackers, fruit, veggies, cheese cubes, etc for the girls to snack on in between meals but now that they have started with school we do set meal/snack schedules. Breakfast around 7:30-8am, morning snack around 10am, lunch around 12:30, afternoon snack from 3:30-4pm and dinner around 6pm with another snack before bed. I do leave water out for them if they are thirsty and on sick days we nibble all day on healthy stuff.