Do Your Kids Ask for Snacks All Day Long? Here’s What to Do.

Whenever the kids are home from school during the summer, it feels like a constant battle over snacks. They seem to want to eat all day long! They will literally ask for a snack thirty minutes after breakfast. First, they can’t possibly be hungry. Second, they will eat me out of house and home if I let them eat snacks every time they ask.

Since they have been home for longer than normal due to COVID-19, I realize something has got to change. My overall goal is to buy the right snacks (more healthy snacks and less junk) and teach them to be more self-sufficient. With those two ideas in mind, I did some research about the kid snacking dilemma. What I discovered is that, like all parenting methods, snack plans are all over the place! I’m sharing the main principals I found, but it’s up to you to choose which snack method works best for your family.

Set a Daily Snack Limit

Some parents choose to set a daily snack limit. What this means is the parent decides a set number of snacks the child can have during the day. In some cases, the parents actually set out the snacks for the day in a bowl so that the kid can see what is available. Then, throughout the day, the child can select snacks from the bowl. Once the snacks are gone, they are out of snacks for the rest of the day. Once kids get used to this routine, they will stop asking mom for snacks every hour. * Fingers crossed. *

Make Them Earn It

Other parents use a system where children have to earn snacks. For example, some parents require kids to complete their schoolwork before they get a snack. Others have turned snacking into math lessons where kids have to “buy” their snacks throughout the day, with unhealthy snacks costing more than healthy snacks.

Opt for a Snack Schedule

One of the more common methods is to maintain a snack schedule. Our kids do not get snacks throughout the school day. There are set times when they get snacks. That’s why some parents choose to continue to have set times for snacks, such as once before lunch and once before dinner. It may be helpful to reach out to their teacher and ask when they get snack time at school.

Let Them Eat What They Want When They Want

Finally, some parents simply let their kids eat what they want when they want – as long as its in the house. In this case, kids can go to the pantry or the fridge and choose healthy snacks all day long. To make this work, parents will have to do prep work, such as chopping veggies and washing fruit, so that it is ready and available for kids to munch on.

I want to know what you do for snacking at your house. Let me know in the comments!