Toddlers: 24 Months+

Fitting in Meals & Snacks

FarmingBrideFarmingBride member
edited September 2014 in Toddlers: 24 Months+
My question is....how would you fit in 3 meals and 2 snacks for my daughter with her schedule and the daycare's schedule.

Daycare eats lunch at 11/11:30am.  My daughter naps from 9-11 and 1-2:45/3pm.  So typically what I do at home is breakfast in morning--which we are good with at daycare too.  Then at home I do 1st snack at 11am when she wakes up (a small snack) then lunch around 12/12:30.  However at daycare they will want to feed her lunch around the time I typically do that 1st snack.  Do I have them flip flop what I do at home to fit in her 2nd snack?  Have them do lunch at 11/11:30am then do a small snack before she lays down for her nap at 1pm?  So small snack at 12:30?  The 2nd snack is a larger snack around 3-4pm and that aligns with home and daycare.  Then obviously supper at night.  I just was wondering what you guys recommend to get 2 snacks and the 3 meals in.  My daughter is a petite one so I am just wanting to make sure she has all opportunities to eat.  

Sorry this was to be for the 12-24 mo. board but obviously it didn't get there....will take your advice too!

Re: Fitting in Meals & Snacks

  • Is there a medical reason you have to fit in 3 meals and 2 snacks or are you just concerned because she's petite?  Does she seem hungry at snack times and is she eating good meals or just picking at meals?  We never had a set meal/snack schedule and just worked around what he was doing/when he was hungry.  

    When he was still taking 2 naps, we would do breakfast when he woke up around 7 and sometimes a very light snack right before nap around 9 and then lunch around noon followed by nap and then a light snack sometimes and dinner.  

    Now that he's only napping once a day, he eats breakfast around 7:30-8, lunch around 11:30, nap from 12:30-3 and then a light snack around 3:30 and dinner around 5:30.  

    As for daycare, I would wager to guess that you'll have more luck bending to fit their schedule as they probably can't have individualized feeding schedules for all of the kiddos in the class.  That would probably cause mass chaos when some kids see another kid eating and they want to, too.  
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  • What time does she eat breakfast? Why not give a small snack around 9 or just before she sleeps?
    My guess is she will switch to one nap soon and it won't be an issue.
  • Agree with PPs.  Is there a reason you need such a set routine?  DS is small for his age, too, but he walks over to the pantry and bangs on the door whenever he wants a snack, and DD is old enough to tell me she needs a snack.  We are fairly routine about meal times.  If I were you I'd maybe over a small snack before the morning nap, then do lunch, then offer the afternoon snack after the afternoon nap. 
  • Is there a reason the home schedule and the daycare schedule have to match up?  Can't she have one schedule there and one at home?
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  • Maybe I just need to chill out about it but I was just trying to fit in what her doctor said to do--3 meals, 2 snacks a day.  I didn't mean that the daycare can't have her own schedule and I completely understand feeding everyone at once I just didn't know if I needed to squeeze in another snack somewhere in there to make sure my daughter gets enough.  Doctor isn't raised a red flag but just said well if she doesn't gain maybe we need to do some tests to make sure something else isn't going on.  So that's why I just wanted to make sure she got as many opportunities to eat as possible.  Thanks for the input ladies.  I appreciate the perspectives! 

  • We end up doing two snacks both after lunch because she eats breakfast at 9 am, lunch at 12 pm, snack at 3 pm, and then I usually give her a small snack around 5 pm, and dinner at 6:30 pm. There's just way more time between lunch and dinner given our schedules than between breakfast and lunch. 
  • If you're worried about her not getting enough calories, give her a higher calorie, nutritious snack in the evening. 
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