Just returned from the pedi, ? re: snacking

PeonyPumps · August 2012

We just finished up DS's 18 month appointment at the pedi, and we were talking about snacking. He loves to snack but isn't a super fan of eating meals. He tends to graze all day long, and mainly only wants to eat fruit, yogurt, or carbs at meals, and is picky about which ones he eats.

Our pedi recommended offering less snacks and if he asks for one in between meals, redirecting him to something else and telling him that lunch will be at ___ time or a planned afternoon snack will be at ___ time. He also said that we shouldn't be offering favorites all the time, that we should offer meals with things that he doesn't like, and if he's hungry, he'll eat them.

(We have no concerns re: weight, DS is, as of today, 28 lbs and in the 80th percentile for both weight and height)

How do you guys do snacks at your homes?

annaruiz2 · August 2012

Is the grazing an issue for you? I have found that is just how my kids eat.

pepomntpat · August 2012

I think grazing is a good thing provided your LO is grazing on predominantly healthy things. I also think that provided there are no growth issues your pedi should STFU about your parenting style.

JenniCollins · August 2012

We eat about every 2 or 3 hours. Usually there is no snack between breakfast and lunch. She get's a snack before or after nap, depending on how early she naps. If we are having a late dinner for some reason she get's an additional snack to hold her over. If the pantry is open and she can reach something she wants to eat (fruit snacks today) she will grab them and throw a "I'm starving" fit to get them (usually we don't give in).

As for meals we always offer her everything we are having and only that (if we are eating something we aren't sure she'll eat we'll add a side to all the plates that we know she'll eat. Even if we don't eat the side at least she sees it on our plates too so she doesn't think she's getting a special meal).

Libby1978 · August 2012

Oliver is a grazer. I'm not too concerned about it though. He is a healthy weight and we offer healthy snacks for the most part.

MrsGoodkat · August 2012

My pedi is the one that told me that grazing is just what they do at this age and to offer small meals/snacks that are healthy is good.

My problem lately is mine only wants to drink milk and isn't even big on snacking.

RayRay007 · August 2012

We have set breakfast, lunch and dinner time, and usually one sit-down snack in between each, but some days we're busy and she ends up getting a few little snacks on the go throughout the day. Is there a reason you want to establish a different routine? I think at this age it's still ok to graze, and would be worried about 'proper' meals when they're about to start school where they don't have control over their schedules. But I guess the pedi is concerned about being a picky eater and wants to make sure he's hungry when you offer things he doesn't care for?

insertclevername · August 2012

I have tried to limit snacking before and it just doesn't work for LO. He gets hungry in between meals and he gets really upset when hungry, like Level 10 meltdown upset. As long as you are providing your LO with healthy snack options I wouldn't be concerned what your pedi thinks.

MrsWindyCity · August 2012

We do snacks, but they are roughly at the same time every day, and he sits at the table and eats them as he would a meal - so, not really grazing. I'm not a fan of no snacks because I think it's healthier to eat every 2-3 hours (for kids and adults). That said, my kid is a good eater and we generally don't have issues getting him to eat meals so we've never really had any snack issues.

ShellShockedMama · August 2012

We eat on demand here, I've never been a three meal a day kind of girl.

That said, all his snacks are healthy. Either peanut butter crackers (he hates meat so this is his only source of protein), or fruits or veggies. If he doesn't want that, he doesn't get anything.

I have tried limiting snacks and doing more meals, offering sh?t he doesn't like but that never resulted in anything but going to bed hungry. Meh. He will eat more eventually. I rememeber being hellaciously picky as a kid and now, I eat anything. I dont worry about pickiness at the moment. It's annoying, but I'm getting my comeuppance lol.

CoffeeBeen · August 2012

DS doesn't snack very much. If he asks for a snack we give it to him without question, but we rarely offer a snack. This wasn't a conscious decision, things just sort of evolved that way because he never ate the snacks we provided (favorite or otherwise).

I know another toddler that's the exact opposite, though. Her parents have strict snack times and she seems to thrive on that. Though, she is very picky about meals. Has to have everything in a certain order, on different plates, once she's done with one course she won't go backwards, etc. So I think her parents have an evolved style as well. The bottom line is you have to do what works.

I think your pedi is offering some good advice if you want your LO to eat better meals. So long as you don't withhold food when he's hungry, I don't see the problem. I also agree about the not having favorites all the time, simply because its good for people to try new and different things.

lrn327 · August 2012

He definitely gets snacks (though our pedi is a proponent of no-snacks for kids that don't like to eat at meals). C is a pretty good eater though. Rarely are his snacks unhealthy though, mostly fruit, whole-wheat crackers, veggies, cheese, etc. We definitely give him things on his plate for dinner he may not like but how else would he ever learn to like them if not given the chance to have them again? Lots of stuff that he turned down previously, he loves now. I'll make sure there is something on the plate he likes but when that's gone, it's pretty much gone and he turns to the other things to eat.

ammare · August 2012

DS is almost 3 and is just now starting to eat actual meals. He's always been a snacker and a picky eater and was eating mainly fruit, yogurts, string cheese and carbs. He just wasn't interested in meats and meal type foods. It hasn't been an issue and he is starting to get the hang of meals now. Daycare said the other day that he is their best eater now.

ppants · August 2012

My kids ate every 3 hrs. Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. We haven't done snacks at home since they were 3.5. In first grade, they still get a mid-morning snack at school. I don't like grazing all day. That's just me though.

PeonyPumps · August 2012

Thanks ladies! I wasn't super concerned that he was grazing, I had just asked about how picky he is with foods. I figure if I can get him to take down his veggie/fruit smoothie and a pouch of veggie purees each day to supplement his diet, then I am okay with him being picky at this point. But he is really picky. We offer healthy, mostly organic, good-for-you foods at every meal and typically he will only eat about 25% of what we offer at a meal, which is mostly fruit/yogurt/carbs. He won't touch normal vegetables (that are not pureed) or any sort of protein, pasta, etc. I figure it is a phase, and if it isn't, we'll have to deal with it later, because it's not like we can reason with him now!

Kitiara5512 · August 2012

katem3277:
At 18 months grazing on healthy foods was perfectly fine with me. I didn't really place much importance on meal times as long as I felt like Lily was eating well over all. I did try to make sure there was 1 item on her dinner plate that she would eat. I honestly did not start working more to reduce snacking and focus on meal times until recently and she is 3 1/2.

While I prefer that C have scheduled snacks and meals, he doesn't eat much if he has to sit still for it at all because he wants to be moving. He prefers to graze, so while we will seat him for breakfast/lunch/dinner, snacks may just happen while he is running around playing and then coming up to one of us for a small handful of goldfish, before he goes and runs off again.

klondikebar · August 2012

pepomntpat:
I think grazing is a good thing provided your LO is grazing on predominantly healthy things. I also think that provided there are no growth issues your pedi should STFU about your parenting style.

This.

Edit: There are so many tips, tricks and methods when feeding a child under 2. It's all trial and error and there is no right way. If you are pretty happy with your child's diet, you're fine.

bunny731 · August 2012

pepomntpat:
I think grazing is a good thing provided your LO is grazing on predominantly healthy things. I also think that provided there are no growth issues your pedi should STFU about your parenting style.

Really? A little harsh considering she is discussing food and picky eating with her child's doctor. Not exactly unsolicited advice and excellent advice if your goal is to drive your child into more varied foods. If he is often satisfied with what he is comfortable with ...there is no drive to try something unfamiliar.

With that said, I really believe that children this age cannot comfortably only eat 3 times a day. My kids have 3 meals and two small snacks. But I also believe those periods should be defined as sitting down and eating times (not exactly grazing).

delg23 · August 2012

I agree w/ pediatrician if your kid isn't getting enough variety. Eliminating snacking has helped me some. We're still working on it. Our snacks are usually things like veggie/fruit pouch, apple sauce, raisins. He'll ask for cereal all day long. If I limit the snacking he is more likely to eat dinner and not just one thing from dinner (the carb). I just want to increase the # of foods he'll eat. He is a big carb junky.

delg23 · August 2012

IrishCoffee7:
I also make sure there's one thing on his plate that I knew he likes, at least somewhat. But I don't offer favorites all the time or allow him to refuse dinner and ask for something else instead. Prime example, last night was white bean and chicken stuffed peppers. He loves beans and chicken. He's "meh" on peppers. He only took a bite or two of the pepper, which meant his meal wasn't very big. As tempting as it is to offer him something else, I don't. He either gets down or if he asks for seconds of what he likes, I tell him he has to eat the thing he doesn't first or he's done.

curious how old your kid is? I have tried this and it is not working yet.

pepomntpat · August 2012

bunny731:
pepomntpat:
I think grazing is a good thing provided your LO is grazing on predominantly healthy things. I also think that provided there are no growth issues your pedi should STFU about your parenting style.

Really? A little harsh considering she is discussing food and picky eating with her child's doctor. Not exactly unsolicited advice and excellent advice if your goal is to drive your child into more varied foods. If he is often satisfied with what he is comfortable with ...there is no drive to try something unfamiliar.

With that said, I really believe that children this age cannot comfortably only eat 3 times a day. My kids have 3 meals and two small snacks. But I also believe those periods should be defined as sitting down and eating times (not exactly grazing).

Yes really. Grazing is good. Being picky is normal. As long as the snacks are healthy and LO is growing it is a phase and not something to fight over. But, then again, I pick my battles.

ETA: And I also guess this may be an argument about semantics. What is a snack? If a snack is potato chips or cookies that's not so great. If a snack is cheese and fruit or veggies and hummus or a PB sandwich then that is well balanced. It could also be an argument about timing. I do not care what time LO eats. I put fruit and yogurt in front of her for breakfast. She eats the yogurt. We take the fruit along with us when we go out for the day.

I just go with the flow and I'd be super angry if my pedi told me to limit LOs eating when she was eating healthy things and growing well just because she wasn't eating dinner at the table.

Fianschneid · August 2012

I feel like snacking and napping can do similar things. If LO snacks or naps all day, they don't have the need for a full meal or a full night's sleep. If you reign it in a little bit, they will be hungrier/sleepier at the appropriate time.

I don't think cold turkey is the solution but you could probably ease into the new snackless schedule.

seahorse102410 · August 2012

We don't really snack because they don't at daycare. Sometimes he will have a cracker or two when we get home because it might be a while for me to get his supper ready. But he can also eat one huge meal at breakfast and nothing for the rest of the day. Just depends.

JoJoMama730 · August 2012

Seriously, I think you should just do what works for you and the family. I work during the day, but both at home and daycare, there is one mid-morning snack, one mid-afternoon snack, and one snack before bedtime. The snack could be crackers, fruit, applesauce, yogurt, etc. My DD is not great about sitting and eating a "meal" per se either, and so I started holding her off for dinner another 15-30 minutes, and offering her an item that I really want her to try first. She's often very hungry at dinner and on a good day, gobbles whatever I first offer her. Typically it's the vegetable. But that's just what works for us and may not work for others.

kcisthebombdotcom · August 2012

Fianschneid:

I feel like snacking and napping can do similar things. If LO snacks or naps all day, they don't have the need for a full meal or a full night's sleep. If you reign it in a little bit, they will be hungrier/sleepier at the appropriate time.

I don't think cold turkey is the solution but you could probably ease into the new snackless schedule.

I agree with this 100%.

My kids don't graze and eat a well balanced diet. They do eat frequently (3 meals with 2-3 snacks in between) but they sit down at particular times to eat meals/snacks.

hmp1 · August 2012

DS goes to daycare so he is on a set meal schedule M-F during the day. I just mimic it on the weekend. We eat dinner as a family so if DH is running late or if dinner takes longer to cook, I will offer him a snack after daycare. The only thing I offer him before dinner is either veggies or a veggie Plum pack, sometimes cheese slices if we are not having a dairy with dinner.

LoCarb · August 2012

Mine grazes while at home but at DC it's a set time and meal so no grazing allowed. Mine will graze and eat full meals; she's a garbage disposal.

nanabanana06 · August 2012

DD doesn't really eat meals. Except for dinner. She eats on the go. She doesn't like to slow down. We actually found that she eats more if we eat off the same plate. So for breakfast, lunch, and snacks if it doesn't go on her plate then we are eating together. She is a super snacker. I don't see an issue with this. Isn't eating a few small meals a day healthier than eating 3 meals.

NerdyMama2 · August 2012

We offer snacks mid-morning and after lunch.

Wufroggy79 · August 2012

When she is at school, they do a morning and afternoon snack. If she is at home all day, I don't generally do snacks. Instead, I offer her a cup of milk (she looooves milk), and that fills her up between meals. If you think of milk as a snack, well, then I guess we do a snack. ETA: We have a pretty set schedule for meals and for those milk snacks as well. It's not like we follow it to a T every day, but pretty close.

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