After School Snack

It depends on what we have going on for the evening. Some days we are home at 345 for the day (rarely) and others we won't get home until 7 or so. If it's a late night, they know to grab some kind of protein (protein bar, a pack of peanut butter and an apple or celery, cheese, half a sandwich with meat or PB, etc). Some days they only want a pack of fruit snacks and other days they act like they didn't eat all day. So it really depends on them. The only snacks they are allowed to get without asking though are fruits and vegetables.

Frankly, DD doesn't always eat all her lunch. So there's that. And fruit and crackers and cheese. Something that will get her going but not overfill her for dinner.

Anything except junk food.

Both my kids, after school, they eat a "meal" type hearty snack. It does not interfere with dinner.

Kids are HUNGRY after school.
They burn it off, quickly.
And, IF they did not eat lunch at school, then they will be HUNGRIER when they get home from school.
(I work at a school and many kids do NOT eat their lunch, whether it is school lunch or home lunch. Why? Because they don't like the lunch. EVEN if they are hungry, they will not eat it. Thus, many kids go ALL DAY, without anything in their tummy and they are then SUPER hungry, after school, and fussy).

And if going through a growth-spurt, kids eat more and more frequently.
Kids, need to snack.

Protein things are good. Either animal or plant based proteins.
Sandwiches
cereal (it does not have to be eaten only in the morning)
Scrambled eggs
Fruit
Cheese
And any combination of stuff.
Anything, that your kid will eat.
That is not, candy or junk food.

apples and peanut butter
cheese and crackers
grapes
lunchmeat
salami/cream cheese
hard boiled eggs
half sandwich
bowl of cereal
bowl of noodle soup
toast
chicken nuggets (ick, but they like 'em)
granola bars

pretty much any combination of those things. I feed them every 2 hours, snacks and meals often tend to be the same size

I just give them whatever they want/feel like. Well, not a pound of CANDY obviously, but some days they are hungrier than others. It could be fruit, or toast or a smoothie, leftover spaghetti, a sandwich, some ice cream or all of the above.
Right now my daughter is in there making herself a burrito out of last night's leftovers :-)

crackers & cheese w/some grapes
peanut butter spread on apples
goldfish & a mini sandwhich
salami, cheese & crackers
yogurt topped w/Grapenuts
string cheese, mini carrots w/Ranch

Can of soup?

Smoothie?

:)

Piece of fruit and some crackers or cheese.

Since we usually head to the ballet studio in the pre-dinner hours, I try to give my girls a snack that will keep them going through a long ballet class. Usually it's a piece of fruit and some cheese or nuts (basically, carbs + protein + fat). My younger one will sometimes make herself a PB&J on wheat bread. That keeps them happy and full for a few hours, but doesn't weigh them down too much.

I have a big plastic basket full of snacks on the bottom shelf of our pantry so they choose from those. There are a variety of natural fruit cups and apple sauce, puddings, crackers, fruit rollups, granola and protein bars, cracker/cheese/peanut butter packs, etc. There is always fresh fruits and veggies and gogurts and cheese sticks in the fridge. Good luck.

Fresh fruit, dried fruit, carrot sticks, cheese.

my daughter will eat a pb sandwich, or a lunchable...sometimes some veggies or yogurt (although that stuff does not hold her over as long)

Anything you have in your frig or pantry!

Toast
Flour Tortillas
Chips & salsa
Apples
Cheese
Top Ramen
Beef Jerky
Peanuts
Chocolate....chocolate....chocolate or Nutella
Leftovers
Mac N Cheese

My dd eats a snack in the car on the way to gymnastics...I give her:
a glass of milk (with a little nesquick)
a cheese stick
some pretzels
half an apple
two ginger snaps
her gummy vitamins and some fish oil gummies

She needs a good snack since she doesn't eat all of her lunch (especially when she buys it)and she has a tough practice for 2.5 hours.

My dd eats like a bird, but her snack she gobbles up

A few of our staple snacks:
hummus & carrots
cheese cubes & grapes
crackers & cream cheese
carrots & yogurt dip
graham cracker & peanut butter
ants on a log
rice cakes & peanut butter & honey

My one child is picky. He likes crackers and applesauce or vanilla yogurt. My other will eat whatever...so many nuts, fruit, a quesadilla, veggies and hummus or other dip. Toast with something on it. Bowl of cereal. Apples and peanut butter. Cheese and crackers. Sometimes I make a batch of homemade french fries. Whatever is in the pantry! Sometimes I make cookies and we have cookies and milk. I know, not the healthiest. But I have no problem with that...it's ok to not be healthy ALL the time.

Mine gets a handful of nuts, or a box of dried fruit, or a bowl of cereal, or an oatmeal cookie, or a granola bar and a bit of watered juice or milk.

Not sure how I am going to play this one when my kid gets older (he's three). I remember feeling famished at snack, but not yet hungry for dinner, and having little say in the matter. Might offer mine dinner in 2 portions say 1/3 at 3 and the rest at 6:30.

Do what feels right for you and your kids.

best,
F. B.

They need something high in protein and that has some complex carbohydrates. They don't need something that has too many though or they will still be full at dinner time.

I usually do PB&J on wheat bread or chicken nuggets and 1/2 cup fruit, half a banana is a serving by the way. I make sure they are no longer hungry but every time it's a high protein small meal, they need that protein absolutely.

Kids needs to hydrate too, having some Koolaid is not a bad thing. I make a gallon of Koolaid and use 2/3 the sugar. I've always used 1/2 - 2/3 of the suggested amount of sugar. I do NOT allow the kids to have ANY artificial sweeteners, NONE! They are poison to our bodies and just bad for us. I think we'll look back on these artificial sweeteners that we're filling our bodies with and realize the dangers we put ourselves and our families through.

They need the water and the Koolaid flavors it strongly and they'll drink a ton more. If you want to water it down more that's okay BUT if they don't like it they won't drink it and your experiment will fail.

Hubby is the one who is home when they get off the bus. He'll give them anything from chicken nuggets, soft pretzels, chips, go-gurt, applesauce, fruit, cheese, lunchmeat to cookies,pudding, etc. They are home by 330 and we eat dinner no later than 6.

protein-y things are good. string cheese, yogurt, peanut butter crackers.
khairete
S.