How do you handle snacking in the evening?

ShanJosh777 · August 2011

DS goes to daycare where he has breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack. He usually eats dinner okay. He rarely ever eats everything I give him, but I would say he eats about half most nights, sometimes more. But then for the rest of the evening he asks for snack after snack. I don't really know how to handle this. I've always been a snack out of boredom/habit type person and I don't want him to be that way.

I don't really keep much junk in the house, so the snacks he has to choose from are yogurt, lots of different fruits, maybe crackers sometimes or cereal. He just asked for a sandwich so he is eating cheese on wheat bread right now. So nothing terrible but I feel like he can't possibly be hungry all.night.long.

I don't want to force him to clean his plate at dinner if he's not hungry, and I don't want to deny him somewhat healthy snacks if he is truly hungry later, but I just don't want it to turn into a habit. Anyone else have a grazer like me?

ETA: He just ate his whole sandwich so maybe he really was hungry.

Violet's Mommy · August 2011

I'll be interested in some of the others answers as well. DD I guess is going into some stage, pretty much exactly as you described.

Wally3 · August 2011

My DS is a big time snacker. It sounds like you are doing a good job of giving LO healthy snacks. Some people are just natural snackers. As long as your pedi thinks your LO is on track for weight, I don't think it is a problem. My ds was a little underwieght so we just beefed up his snacks - more dairy.

Raspberry222 · August 2011

DD is a 6x a day eater...6 small meals...snacks consist of Motts for Tots fruit snacks, Annie's Organic snack mix, granola, yogurt...etc. (kids Chobani is her fave!)...or fresh fruit...apples, bananas, etc.

DD has always eaten anything, (not picky)...and typically if she wants a snack, like before bed, it's apple slices.

Raspberry222 · August 2011

ShanJosh777:

DS goes to daycare where he has breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack.

Is he eating these? Or "giving" them away, (DD tends to "share" with the dog or her friends whatever food she has)... why don't you try a snack when he gets home, before dinner, just to see how "hungry" he is...

Instead of cleaning his plate, why not offer him more of an assortment...like 2 veggies, 2 bread...we also do peaches snack cups & offer them if she doesn't eat too much...(she ALWAYS takes the peaches when offered...)

KathrynMD · August 2011

DD goes to bed about 30 minutes after dinner so she rarely asks for snacks, if she did though, I probably would give them to her, but gradually start reducing them and telling her to eat her dinner instead.

Pelusa214 · August 2011

My DD also goes to bed soon after dinner, so her requests for snacks are before dinner. I will give her fruit or yogurt as long as it's not less than about 1 1/2 hours before dinner. Otherwise, she won't eat.

I have a friend who came up with (what I thought) was a good solution to the same problem: If her DS won't eat enough dinner, she leaves it on the plate & covers it with plastic wrap & if he asks for more food later, he can have what's on his plate. That's it.

If you feel your LO is eating enough for dinner, I don't think there's anything wrong with some fruit or a glass of milk between dinner & bed.

stever · August 2011

When do you guys eat? We eat pretty late - 7-7:30 - then maybe give him some fruit or the occasional ice cream an hour later.

I wouldn't recommend screwing with your entire schedule to get your LO to stop snacking, but maybe pushing back dinner could help.

StatlerWaldorf · August 2011

It depends on how long you have between dinner and bedtime. DD has quite a while, so she does get a set snack between dinner and bed. If she started skipping dinner, then I would rethink it. I have set the time because DD will ask for snacks when she is not hungry. Usually if she comes up to me and asks for a snack out of the blue, she is actually hungry. But if I am in the kitchen washing dishes or getting a drink, she will ask for snack after snack just because she sees someone in the kitchen.

kmh2201 · August 2011

I feel like my DS is a grazer. He eats snack after snack at night too. We also give him healthy snacks like what you mentioned, but he is allowed to have a freeze pop after his bath, and maybe a packet of fruit snacks. We are fine giving him multiple snacks at night, especially one right before bed. Before we did that, he woke up some nights because he was hungry, and we don't want him to be hungry, nor do we want to be up at night dealing with a hungry toddler. (DS can be a nightmare when he's hungry.)

ShanJosh777 · August 2011

Thanks for the replies everyone.

We usually eat dinner between 6 and 6:30, but he doesn't go to bed until around 9pm. I might try to move dinner back, but they have their afternoon snack at daycare at 3pm so I would think he would be hungry by our normal dinner time.

I think I will start wrapping his dinner up and offering it if he says he is "hungry." That should tell me how hungry he really is.

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