I'm wondering if this is normal or not. I have always let the kids have a light snack when they get home from school. Then of course there's dinner. Then, they request another snack right before bed. It seems like they're ALWAYS hungry. Do y'all give that many snacks to your kids or is it just me? :) I try to stock up on healthy snacks. Of course, if they know there's something sweet around, they request that. I sometimes let them have that sort of thing for after school, but before bed I insist on something healthier like frozen berries or cereal.
Both kids are ideal weight, and I tend to be a "snacker" myself. . . I don't like to eat big meals. I like to keep my blood sugar level by eating cheese and nuts, etc.
It's totally normally - just wait until they're teenagers, then it's almost non-stop eating once they get home until they go to bed. As long as they're eating healthy stuff and are at healthy weights, this is not at all a problem.
totally normal - kids need smaller, frequent meals, especially if growing - also if you control access to snacks (and type of food) - so it is not a free reign on junk food - then it should be fine.
I find snack time is a great way to get an extra serving of fruit and dairy - my kids like pudding, yogurt, applesauce, cheese, cut veggies with dip/hummus, pretzels, triscuits with tuna etc.
Typically after school is a hungry time - they like to have some soup or a sandwich - then bedtime snack is usually yogurt, fruit or pudding, they also like frozen waffles. Sometimes a treat like homemade cookies or icecream - but not regularly.
If you primarily stick to healthy snacks, the kids are the right weight, etc., then no, don't worry about it. Nutritionists recommend that people eat 5 small meals a day rather than the traditional 3 large ones so while it may seem a problem to you, what you are doing is actually establishing good habits.
The after school snack is really something you cannot skip. Depending on the lunch schedule for their grade, I had kids eating as early as 10:30 in the morning and they were understandably starving when they got home from school. I think where some folks err is the snack being too much like an actual meal.
What I would guard against is the deal being on request, the type of grazing that is recommended when they are little. Do the bona fide after school, dinner, and then an evening snack instead of doing it on-demand. If they don't want it, which it sounds like you don't run into, they won't eat so overeating is not going to be a problem.
Seems pretty normal to me. As long as they are a healthy weight and still eat a good dinner, I wouldn't worry about it. My son comes home from school and acts like he hasn't eaten in years and tears through the pantry like an animal it seems. He eats a huge dinner and then a snack at bedtime usually. I don't know where he puts it all because he's very skinny. (He's 6 by the way)
