No S for Chidren

KHousley · Post by **KHousley** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 3:56 pm

I've begun following the NO S Guidelines and since I've started trying to regulate my own eating I've noticed that my 9 year old is snacking alot and when it's time for meals she's not hungry but... an hour later she's wanting a snack. I've begun making sure she eats meals at more regular intervals and that she's eating a sufficient amount and including foods I know she likes.

I would NEVER put my kid on a diet or even suggest she needs to lose weight. In fact, it's not a weight issue at all. I just want her to develop better habits at mealtimes and I am gently trying to steer her in that direction.

I'm thinking that as I change my owen habits her might begin to change as well. I guess my question is....how do I change her snacking habits without her being aware of it and making her self-conscious? Any helpful ideas/comments?

Blithe Morning · Post by **Blithe Morning** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 4:09 pm

As the nutritional gatekeeper, you can start cutting back on the snack foods you keep in the house. And of course there is always the standard "You'll spoil your appetite."

sophiasapientia · Post by **sophiasapientia** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 4:12 pm

I ran into the same issue with my now 8 year old DD a number of years back. She would graze/snack and then not eat at meals.

It wasn't a weight issue at all for her either.

What we've done is establish a set snack time. I gave it to her straight that we were concerned that she was snacking all the time and then not eating at meals and that we would be having a set snack time from now on. It solved the "not eating at mealtime" problem. FWIW, we are flexible with this. We go with the flow at playdates, parties, etc. Also, she is always welcome to have fresh fruits or veggies at anytime if she is genuinely hungry ... but it is rare that she takes me up on this.

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 4:17 pm

There are two strategies, the active "you're a big girl now" (because really, who wants to tell a toddler no snacks?) and the passive, lame snacks. When I was about that age I'd go tell my mom I was hungry, she'd ask me if I wanted a butter bread, I'd say no, she'd say I wasn't hungry. Hungry people take what they can get, people looking for fun will only eat fun (tasty) food.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 4:38 pm

I always made my son sit at the table for food, which has kept him from the perma-snacking habit (and keeps me from finding food trash all over the house - grr!)

I also use the "if you're not hungry for an apple, you're not hungry" approach, like Clarica.

We generally distinguish sharply between "snacks" and "treats" as well. A snack is food that COULD be part of a meal served at a different time. Treats are just that - desserts and "junky" foods... and there are fewer of those in any day.

Post by **reinhard** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:08 pm

What I've found helpful with our girls (4 and almost 7) is

1) plates

2) eschewing the "s" word in favor of (perhaps absurdly) named meals.

Some examples:

between breakfast and lunch:

hobbit-style "second breakfast" or "brunch"

between lunch and dinner:

"appetizer plate"

There are a few advantages to dignifying an "eating event," even if they number > 3 a day, with a name and plate.

1) It makes eating a conscious, discrete event, interrupting the unconscious, continuous flow of perma-snacking. Long term, that translates to less food.

2) You can put some balance on those plates that would be difficult to introduce otherwise. Every plate, whatever the occasion and whatever else is on it, has some fresh fruit or vegetables. You might get some grumbles the first couple of times but stick with it and they'll come to accept it.

3) It's just nicer, more enjoyable, to have some little bit of ceremony around eating. Even the kids realize this eventually.

Seconds are permissible provided they finish their firsts (especially the healthy bits).

Am I completely religious about this? No. But I almost always do it in the house at least. Outside is harder, largely because if you're not snacked up other parents start offering and it's a nightmare. I learned this the hard way.

Reinhard

Nicest of the Damned · Post by **Nicest of the Damned** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:50 pm

I was a kid who snacked a lot. I ended up overweight and needing to break that habit in my 30s. I suspect it's easier to break a snacking habit when you're young, and it's less ingrained.

Don't keep snack foods in the house. Especially don't do what my mother did and keep candy dishes in the living room all the time. By the time I was 12, I could polish off most of a candy dish while watching TV. I refuse to have candy dishes in my house, now that I'm an adult, because they're just too tempting for me.

8 or 9 is old enough to start learning to cook. Kids are generally much more willing to eat something if they had a hand in cooking it. They're also learning a skill that they'll need as an adult. Boys, too- being able to cook generally makes you more attractive to women.

daintycow · Post by **daintycow** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 8:10 pm

I don't know if this is possible- but for me and my children, we have had a hard time with snacking between after school and dinnertime. Then it dawned on me a couple of weeks ago- that if I could wave a magic wand, I would want to eat my dinner at about 4:30-5 pm instead of later. So, for the last couple of weeks, we have been eating dinner when my children get home from school. We are still trying to work out the bugs because my husband gets home later and we all want to eat together. Here are some solutions that we have come up with so far:

1. Eat dinner after school, then the girls could have a fruit/toast plate and I would have herbal tea when my husband eats.

2. Eat our weekend meals early at the very least, then add possibly two more weekdays- that would be the majority of the week eating early to curb the snacking issue with the children

Anyway- just some ideas. Still working out the details