If your child is snacking all day long and wearing you out, we have some real solutions that have worked for other moms. Toddler snacking is generally the biggest issue, but it isn’t uncommon to have problems with children snacks for older kids too.
My Toddler Was Snacking All Day
My daughter is 3 and wants to snack all day long — every day! I hear the words “Snack, mom” all day long. I feed her crackers, cheese, apples, strawberries. Mostly healthy snacks, but still snacks!
Related: Favorite Healthy Snacks for Kids
Cereal for breakfast, peanut butter and jelly or chicken nuggets, veggies and a fruit for lunch. But it’s all the sudden constant, and even immediately after lunch. Finally, we figured out a few things to help her stay full longer.
How Do You Deal With Your Child Snacking All Day?
When I was talking to a friend, she said that she was having the same issues with her kids, so I wondered what other parents are doing to curb the constant snacking. Surely, there had to be a solution to all this snacking.
We asked this same question on Facebook and of course, the parents on our Facebook Page came to the rescue with some amazing ideas!
- I love these suggestions and ideas, because they bring to the table, a line of ideas I hadn’t thought about.
- I now feel like I don’t have to worry about my toddler wanting to snack all day long because I have ways to combat that and a lot of you made some good points about children’s energy and natural behavior as well.
1. Choose High Fiber, High Protein Snacks for Kids
“Give her foods that are full of fiber and more protein.”
-Amber
For breakfast give her eggs or spread avocado on top of whole grain toast.
For snacks try olives, avocado, apples, green vegetables, peas, etc. Make sure she is drinking enough water. I’m willing to bet the she is hitting a growth spurt so she needs more food.
At three I would not worry about the amount of food she is eating, I would just direct her toward healthy snacks and not make a big deal out of eating. She will eat when she wants to and she will not when she does not need to.
2. Snack Cards For Preschoolers
“My daughter was the same way as a toddler. I made snack cards (index cards with the names and picture of various snacks on them) and I chose a few each day and put them in an envelope.”
-Melissa O
When she was hungry for a snack she would take out a card of her choice and I would give her that snack. When she used up all her cards the snacks were done for the day. It worked great!
3. High Protein Snacks
“I offer higher protein snacks (trail mix, Greek yogurt, edamame, roasted chickpeas, etc.) when my son gets hungry in between meals.”
-Lindsey H
This usually curbs his appetite in a super healthy way. He LOVES fruit and veggies, but he gets hungry again too quickly. Don’t get me wrong, we definitely have days when it’s animal crackers and fruit snacks too.
4. Finish Your Lunch First
“Only allow snacks if she ate most of her lunch. You could always offer her veggies during non-snack times. If she’s truly hungry she’ll eat it, if she’s just bored she’ll pass or eat it anyway which extra veggies aren’t going to hurt her.”
-Shandy K
She may be going through a growth spurt or even thirsty. Make her drink a cup of water before that extra snack she’s wanting too.
5. Feed Them More Snacks
“I don’t limit anything for my kids, if they are hungry I feed them. They are growing kids. I do try to offer healthy snacks and lots of fruits and veggies.”
-Carolanne S
If it’s bothering you that she’s eating so much, I would set up more activities for her because she could just be bored and want to eat because of that.
6. Emphasize Meal Times Over Snacking
“Have set eating times. Example: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner. Give her healthy foods that are balanced to satisfy hunger. Then – no eating in between times.”
-Kathie G
If she throws a tantrum, walk away until it’s over. If she whines, distract her with activities that she likes to do. Don’t give in! It might take a week or so before she gets it.
7. Kitchen Is Closed for Good
“I say the kitchen is closed. I do last call for breakfast and lunch, etc. They have a morning and an afternoon snack. I have carrot and cucumber sticks in fridge that they can snack on in between.”
-Vanessa V
8. Feed Healthy Snacks Strategically
“I usually keep snacks to a few healthy options…yogurt, cheese stick, fruits, veggies or nuts. If I give too many snacks they don’t eat dinner.” x
-Vanessa V
9. Create a Snack Jar for Each Kid
“My kids both have a “snack jar” every morning they pick 3 snacks to put in it.”
-Charlee H
Other than meals this is all they are allowed for the day. They can eat them whenever they want, but when they are gone they can’t have more until tomorrow.”
10. Realize It’s Natural To Snack All Day Long
“My daughter was like that, and I never worried. They eat like birds at that age. Little bits, often.”
-Julie R
I think it’s more conducive for their high activity levels. She eventually settled into a ‘three meals, and one or two snacks’ routine once she started school.
11. Drink More Water
Remember that kids can’t tell hunger from thirst, most times, so if you don’t think that your child is hungry, offer water or something to drink.
12. Stop the Boredom Eating
Distract your child with an activity. Many people eat mindlessly when they are bored and children are no different. Keep your kids busy and you’ll notice that soon you’ll be asking them them to eat instead of them ask you to eat.
13. My Toddler Only Wants To East Snacks….
And I am okay with it now. I am glad to see that I’m not the only one faced with my child snacking all day and it is nice to see that experienced parents have tips for us newer parents who are unfamiliar with this territory.
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What about you? Do you have any tips or advice for parents whose children snack all day? Share it down below in the comments!
