OT: how do you keep kids from snacking?

[saraheliz]

we have set snack "times" in our house. one mid-morning and one right after dd2's nap, around 4pm. the 4pm snack is small, though, because we eat dinner between 5:30-6.

she will often ask for a snack after dinner, before bedtime. if she's eaten a good portion of her dinner and is still hungry, that's fine- she can have a couple of crackers or some dried fruit, veggies, whatever. however, if she didn't eat dinner, tough luck.
if she really doesn't eat, though, we always throw her dinner into the fridge in case she gets hungry and wants to eat it. the choices don't change, though.

we try our best not to make mealtimes stressful, you must eat this much, etc. rather they are a time to sit and chat, enjou family, and hopefully eat. on a typical day, dd also gets to choose her lunch (within reason) so she generally rotates among a few favorites. dinner, however, she gets the same as we do!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

It isn't necessarily a matter of weight management for a lot of kids. You can be a healthy weight, but if you are snacking because you are bored, it isn't a good habit to get into no matter what your weight is. If your kids are snacking because snacking means getting Mom's attention and you know Mom will drop what she is doing for the "I'm hungry" plea, that isn't good either. It can also just be a matter of time management - school is not going to stop for your all-day kindergartner when he wants a snack, so getting used to snacking on a schedule can be part of school readiness.

I used to feel really guilty if my kids said they were hungry, so I always fed them. Then I began to see that they were hungriest when it was least convenient for me - or to avoid something. My daughter would get hungry at bedtime - delaying bedtime. My son would need a snack when we were trying to get out the door. They'd both want snacks when I was trying to make dinner. For my kids, snacking wasn't about being either hungry or bored - but a way to manipulate mom.

So I think you need to understand (or try to understand) the motivation behind the snacking before you set the rules.

My kids are a lot older now, and there isn't "snack time" - but they are supposed to ask before they grab something. In part because my son has been known to eat all the cheese I was going to use for dinner. Or my daughter down the whole box of strawberries I was going to use for dessert. In part because if allowed, they do engage in "mindless snacking" and while neither one has a weight problem, they don't need to establish "box of goldfish crackers in front of the TV" as a habit.

I totally agree with you, and as I said in my post, I always had my children drink a glass of water (the whole thing) then wait a bit. If they came back a second time, they were hungry. I felt other posters were stating outright to ignore the request for a snack, which I still feel is wrong to do even if it is for the sole purpose of getting a parents attention or eating for no apparent reason. I am sure there will be a lot of parents who disagree with me and some who agree. Proper parenting does not come with a manual.