Limiting Kids Snacking

[stace1214]

For the most part we stick to one treat a day. We bring healthy snacks into the parks so if someone starts to get hungry, we don't automatically go for junk food. We follow this at home as well, so it's not a surprise to the kids, it's what they are used to. I don't know how old your child is, but at 9 my son knows himself well enough to know that since we eat a pretty healthy, non-processed diet all the time, eating too many junkie things makes him feel sick. My 7 year old on the other hand would every sweet in sight if she could

 

[DisLiss]

We are. We got it for free this trip, and with character meals booked it's a no brainer for us.

We don't usually have trouble using up our snack credits, we can go through most of them at Starbucks alone.

In a situation where we were using the dining plan, if my child was old enough to understand it, then I would just tell them that we are only allowed one snack per day. And if they asked for the snack early on in the day, I'd probably suggest a specific time later on that we would get it...like before a parade or fireworks. Then they had the snack to look forward to and they could think about what snack they might like during the day. If they wanted more than one at firework time I'd remind them they could try their other choice the next night.

 

[KenHutch]

Now the 10 year old researches snacks. She really knows how to work YouTube and she knows with the dining plan it comes with 2 snacks a day. My rule is you have to eat when we sit down to eat. We normally eat breakfast and usually hit a signature at night so no lunch on those days. If she eats well at breakfast I usually do not question the snacks but she knows she has to eat dinner. My only issue is the 18 year old eats very little and usually tried to give her sister one of her snacks (one Mickey bar a day is good for her). I do tend to let her go a little crazy on the trips it is vacation.

 

[EdnaMarieMode]

We have breakfast in the room/ on the way to the bus/ while waiting for the bus (yogurt/ granola bar/ fruit- portable items). That curbs the immediate request for a snack when we get to the park (they aren't hungry).

DH and I don't snack much ourselves, and we don't go to every shop/ restaurant/ snack stand (so, "out of sight out of mind"- they tend not to ask for cupcakes and snacks they don't see).

I also say no. If there's a meltdown about it, then I remove DS (nearly 3) from the situation. It's amazing how quickly he'll let it go when we move onto the next thing, or when I take him to a bench to sit for a few minutes. If the meltdown really does continue beyond that then I have to leave the park. It's not ideal but unfortunately that's the price I pay as a parent who doesn't want my kids to think that having a fit in a public place means you get what you want because I don't want to miss out. It has only happened once for each of my kids.

If you want to limit DD's snacks to the 2 credits per day, then you could possibly look over the snack items ahead of time (maybe while waiting for/ riding the bus as an example) and have her choose what 2 she would like for the day. Then you can decide what time they will happen (based on snack schedule at home and touring plan) so they can be spaced out so as to not interfere with her meals.

 

[kiramay]

Set limits and expectations before you’re there. 1-2 snacks per day, perhaps even “scheduling” them after lunch and after dinner as desserts. Or however your schedule works.

We have the DP this coming trip so I’ll let them get 2 a day as long as it’s not right before we eat. Previous trips we usually get the popcorn bucket and eat copious amounts of popcorn, and let them have 1 snack or so a day in addition. It’s vacation.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Since you are on the dining plan, why not just tell her her plan comes with two snacks per day and let her choose from there? Once she's chosen her two snacks, she's done with snacks until the next day. If she whines and complains for more snacks, I would just ignore it. Like, literally, walk on by the snack and not acknowledge the behavior at all. Or remind her she used her snack credits and can get that snack tomorrow.

 

[Rach3975]

We do the dining plan, too, so our rule at Disney is a little different than at home or at most vacations. They're allowed to get the included dessert (or milkshake, but not both) at our TS meal plus 1 snack credit a day can go to a treat. I bring healthy snacks in my bag, too. When my kids were younger, we'd schedule the snack stop into our day. ("After we ride Barnstormer we'll go get treats.") They could look anytime they saw treats and think about what they might want to get when it was treat time, but having that concrete association helped change the conversation from "can I get" all day long to "After Barnstormer I want..." By 3.5 most kids can understand and wait when they have a concrete understanding of when they'll get their treat, but younger than that it can vary a lot by child.

 

[shocker]

No food rules on birthdays!

Funny, in our house I always said 'Christmas and Easter, two days a year that breakfast is always chocolate!"

The reality is treats aren't treats unless they are occasional, otherwise they're the norm.

 

[Nancyg56]

That's what we're doing with her spending money, so that may work.
We want to try to avoid doing that as none of us want to spend the day at the hotel.

We'd thought about the sharing everything thing, but the snacks DD would want i.e. pure sugar, are not the same snacks we would pick; coffee drinks, anything savory, etc.

I always told my kids in advance what I was planning to let them have, and they knew they better not ask for more than I was allowing.

I was on a finite budget and was outnumbered. 3 of them and 1 of me. Early on they learned that if they asked for things when we shipped they got nothing. After I hD finished if there was extra money I would tell them to choose something. If they asked they never knew if they would gave gotten their treat.

Vacations were the same. I set the expectation for behavior and they acted on it. They never made me take them back to the room, but the truth is I never said that was the consequence. For your family, perhaps offer the one snack per day. When it’s gone it’s gone. If you have extra after your meals then offer the 2nd. The snacks can stretch meals so if you are using them fir breakfast etc you don’t want to promise both unless you have extra.

If there was whining I would promise my child there would be no snack. One day of no snack should correct that mistake. This strategy always worked with my kids. One time they watched the others enjoy what they were denied due to their behavior usually worked. You have to stick to it though. The minute you back down you might as well buy everything she asks for.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

That's what we're doing with her spending money, so that may work.
We want to try to avoid doing that as none of us want to spend the day at the hotel.

We'd thought about the sharing everything thing, but the snacks DD would want i.e. pure sugar, are not the same snacks we would pick; coffee drinks, anything savory, etc.

you may have to remove her from the park as she knows you don't want to leave so she pushes you buttons by whining. if ours start the whining they get 1 warning next step is to leave for the rest of morning, afternoon or evening depending on when it happens. only have had to leave once. we do 2 snacks a day if in parks for long day. each child gets 2 tickets for the day. when they are gone it is goldfish or something like that from the backpack. the one rule about snacks is you have to eat your major meals and not be too close to meal time just like at home

 

[Bjkandma]

I know you said you wouldn't share snacks, but I'm going to suggest it. Snacks at Disney are definitely sharable. We share everything but ice cream bars! A cupcake can be cut by employees into fourths or thirds. Dole whips you can request extra cups. Funnel cakes with fruit, waffles with fruit are all enjoyable. Do we eat lots of snacks, not really but we can share three or four and it still is only equal to one!!! We a also get a refillable bucket of popcorn, enjoyable especially dUring parade and HEA!!!

 

[SaintsManiac]

I know you said you wouldn't share snacks, but I'm going to suggest it. Snacks at Disney are definitely sharable. We share everything but ice cream bars! A cupcake can be cut by employees into fourths or thirds. Dole whips you can request extra cups. Funnel cakes with fruit, waffles with fruit are all enjoyable. Do we eat lots of snacks, not really but we can share three or four and it still is only equal to one!!! We a also get a refillable bucket of popcorn, enjoyable especially dUring parade and HEA!!!

This exactly! Snacks are huge. Popcorn is a must!

 

[mckennarose]

For our upcoming trip we're trying to think up ways to encourage DD to eat her meals and just not whine for ice cream, cupcakes, and candy the entire time, because when she sees them everywhere, that will be all she wants.

Any suggestions?

I read through the thread and there are a lot of great ideas for using the dining plan snacks. However, the title of your thread and your original post above are more of a question of parenting rather than how to use the snack credits effectively. There are also good ideas in the replies on how to set up ground rules with your daughter before hand and then how to follow through. You are the parent and you make the rules.

Say no?

That's what we do with our kids, but ours are used to not getting every single thing they ask for. I'm not sure how old your kid is, but it's generally easier to start that process young. Yes, it's harder to say no and sometimes things get unpleasant, but it's the long game that's more important.

This /\

Also, keep in mind that the dining plans has A LOT of snacks. You always have the option of bringing some home, which a lot of people do just because they need to use up their snack credits before they leave. In your case with free dining, would you feel obligated to use up all your snack credits? If you had paid for the dining plan, I could see trying to get your money's worth, but you have free dining and maybe there's less pressure to use ALL the snack credits?

 

[EveDallas]

For our upcoming trip we're trying to think up ways to encourage DD to eat her meals and just not whine for ice cream, cupcakes, and candy the entire time, because when she sees them everywhere, that will be all she wants.

Any suggestions?

A good, old-fashioned 'no' always worked for me, followed by consequences for whining. Seems easy enough.

 

[Lisa F]

budgeting works great for my son, from an early on age. If you are on the DDP then talk to her about what the budget allows and allow her to choose within the budget. My child is not really a whiner but I did not want to be saying "no" all day so his souvenir budget is set beforehand and he is always asked if he wants something badly enough to come out of that budget. First trip at 6 years old the "I wants" evaporated after first or second day and now he knows the drill at almost 11.

Pre-planning also works real well with him. We go over menus exhaustively beforehand and plan snacks we want as well so he has no anxiety about missing out on something he is really looking forward to (my son is diagnosed with anxiety disorder among other things and yes this is something he would actually be anxious over). For example if what she really wants is a dole whip, plan it on your MK day. There are snack guides out there and knowing in advance and prioritizing when she is not out of routine in vacation is a lot easier than making good choices while on vacation. My son is great if he knows what the deal is going into something.

And honestly, we also do overindulgent things on vacation. Like "let's have ice cream TWICE today, because it's VACATION!" I am pretty tight with the rules outside of vacation so he thinks this is the best thing ever. He's never asking, it's always my suggestion and boy does a second ice cream in a day make for a happy kid!

 

[;-)]

I’ve finally got to the old school point in parenting where I just give me daughter a look and she knows to back down...same way my mom looked at me when I was young and I knew I better check myself..lmao. If your kids are very young I know it’s hard but NO is NO and remind them every time they give you a hard time how lucky they are to even be there and there are many children in this world who are dying to go to WDW but can’t. Keep it real with your kids and don’t take any crap!

 

[Minnesota!]

#1 - my kids don't whine overwhelmingly for snacks.
#2 - my kids can eat a ton
#3 - I get each kid a $50 gift card before each trip. This means I get them one snack or "thing" on my dime each day and then they are on their own. My older son loves the coffee drinks, and he feels so adult going to order one and pay for it. So, it works well for us.

 

[cmarsh31]

Breakfast in the room - I bring it back to the room from QS, so that's a non-issue. We usually do character meals/buffets at lunch, so no snacks needed before lunch and they're usually full til 3 or later (except now that I have a teenage boy... we just get multiple snacks and he finishes them all) ... then a fun snack for everyone in the afternoon. In general, there's no snacking or snack food at home, so the kids don't expect it during the day.

But as PP said, we've totally had dole whip floats at 10am when the ride we were going on broke down and the line was short - they loved it!

 

[bumbershoot]

because when she sees them everywhere

I guess I don't just see snacks everywhere. For cupcakes you have to be in a place where the cupcakes are displayed. Ice cream...again, inside of a place with ice cream. Only thing I can think of that you really see are churros and popcorn. And I don't have an issue with popcorn. Ice cream *carts* aren't necessarily visible to a kid or shorter person in a crowd.

BUT my son has ingredient issues, so he literally can't have quite a lot of those things. Not sure if they still have the frozen chocolate covered banana, but that and haagen dasz bars were the only things from the ice cream carts he could have, and since we don't get the dining plan, there was zero chance of a HD bar (we always have a car and can run to publix to get a box of 3 for less than what they charge for one). Cupcakes tend to have gelatin in them, and we don't eat that, so that's easy. Food sensitivities make things like this so much more simple, I suppose.


Could also just make sure she understands that snacks aren't meals, and that she must FIRST eat her meal before even considering something else.


And as I type this, I realize that what most people describe as a snack at Disney, I call dessert. And dessert happens after a meal. And not a meal that you don't eat.

We don't usually have trouble using up our snack credits, we can go through most of them at Starbucks alone.

FWIW Starbucks has really good stuff. Their ingredients are far better than the Disney-sold stuff, and that's actually our go-to for when my son wants a dessert.

 

[DisBuckMan]

A good, old-fashioned 'no' always worked for me, followed by consequences for whining. Seems easy enough.

Yep...doesn't work if your kids already know you're a pushover, though.

We did not go to Disney for several years after our son was born...as a matter of fact, we waited until he was 7 for his first trip. It prevented a lot of situations discussed here regarding kids having meltdowns, etc due to:

1. Not getting whatever they want
2. Not getting to ride rides there aren't tall enough for
3. Not having to take midday breaks because they needed a nap
4. Not knowing how to act in a restaurant
5. Being a complete brat, and a burden on others
6. Not knowing what standing in a line means
7. Not knowing what "personal space" means
8. Etc, etc, etc