If my daughter is on track with everyone else’s child – after school and before dinner is something reminiscent of a feeding frenzy in shark infested waters! There are a few rules and options I have in my house that ensures a healthy dinner is eaten but tummies are satisfied in between:
- If your child has just eaten and they are hungry, suggest they drink a glass of water first and ensure they are busy with a project before feeding again.
- If it’s been at least an hour since the last intake of food – it’s ok to eat again unless it is half an hour outside of dinner. I change the offers of food from an hour out of dinner so that they are decreasingly filling.
- If there is food in the lunch box still and providing it has been well stored during the day or is not a potential bacteria farm, it is eaten first before anything else.
Here is a ‘timetable’ of snacking I operate by:
2.45 to 3.45 – One of either: leftover lunch box, fruit smoothie made at home or on the run with a dose of Super Kids Food or a baked item such as a gluten free cupcake or healthy cookies.
3.45 to 5pm – One of either: Piece of fruit, cheese and crackers, another smaller serve of smoothie, small bowl of popcorn, a couple of biscuits (Orgran Animal Shapes), boiled egg.
5pm till dinner – Water, some carrot sticks or cucumber sticks, miso soup, a few berries.
Remember – your child’s digestive system fills and empties quickly which is why they eat so much after school – why not let them snack on some of the dinner ingredients closer to dinner time??
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