How often does your child eat?

BabyCakes3

I've been staying home for over 6 months but decided to stick to the daycare schedule. 8 breakfast, 930 snack, 1130 lunch, 330 snack & dinner btw 530-6.

DS eats great every time we sit down. DD on the other hand has been awful at dinner. She will barely eat and then ask for a snack at bedtime.  She will eat the heck out of snacks & PB&J & sometimes steamed carrots.

Should I limit her snack at 330? How big are your kids snacks? I hate to not let her snack at that time since DS will still be.

kmhunt11

I read that toddlers get 90% of their nutrition prior to dinner.  Dinner seems like a social exercise for us.  DD is rarely a good eater at dinner, and we try so hard to be ok with it.  If she's not hungry, don't make her eat and don't make a big deal out of it. Teaching her to eat when she's not hungry is setting her up for issues later on.  It's hard when I know she barely ate lunch, but she won't starve.  Their little bodies tell them when they need food- unlike ours that lie to us when we're tired, depressed, happy, bored or social

Mrs Manners

At home, when he doesn't have to follow a set schedule like at school, he's naturally very hungry at breakfast (usually 3 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon and small serving of fruit). He eats a small amount at lunch like a slice of ham or roast beef or some olives and cheese or a large piece of fruit. He eats a handful of nuts after nap and then a good dinner (usually some kind of meat like steak and a salad piled with lots of veggies). We don't serve grains at home so almost everything he eats is fresh, natural foods. Snack for us means a small portion of nutrient dense foods (like hard boiled egg, Greek yogurt, cheese, nuts, fruit, raw veggies), so it's just something to hold him over, not something that's a treat food. 

KathrynMD

DD eats most at lunch; she eats a decent breakfast and morning and pm snacks. She rarely eats much at dinner, but if she doesn't, she doesn't get a snacl later either. IME, late night snack requests from DD are normally a stall technique.

BabyCakes3

KathrynMD:

IME, late night snack requests from DD are normally a stall technique.

I agree. If she eats good at dinner & it's not bedtime, we will let her have another snack. But if she is getting ready for bed or in bed, then we definitely don't.

BabyCakes3

Mrs Manners:

Snack for us means a small portion of nutrient dense foods (like hard boiled egg, Greek yogurt, cheese, nuts, fruit, raw veggies), so it's just something to hold him over, not something that's a treat food. 

I need to try hard boiled eggs again. We do yogurt, cheese, nuts & fruit. If she eats that good, then I'll let her have a few pretzels or veggie sticks.

 

KristinKD

DD2 doesn't always eat a lot at dinnertime unless it's something she loves. If she refuses to eat anymore dinner but still seems hungry, I might give her some crackers or fruit while the rest of us are still eating, but a lot of times I don't give her anything else. Meanwhile DD1 knows she has to finish her dinner.

Otherwise, they both usually eat a good breakfast and lunch, with morning and afternoon snacks, like fruit, cereal, pretzels, crackers, cheese.