non-stop snacking

Im not sure if its a growth spurt or if Ive done something to make them this way but my kids are non-stop snacking!
I myself eat many more small meals than 3 large ones a day but I feel like its becoming a problem.

I serve breakfast (today for example pancakes, bananas & milk). They eat what they want and 30 minutes later (even tho their breakfast is still on their little table) they are standing at the pantry or fridge screaming SNACK! SNACK! with soemthing specific in mind. Of course I dont want them to be hungry so I find them somehting suitable (aka healthy but makes them happy) and continue on. Then lunch comes and the same thing happens. they eat what they want, leave the rest there and then start demanding snacks again.

We do this all day long. Anyone else have eaters like this? If I dont give them the "snack" they still wont eat their meal and they throw themselves on the floor in hysterics.

Currently they are living on: raisins, grapes, bananas, oranges, strawberries, cheese, kix, carrots, bagels, graham crackers, & sadly marshmellows.
We went through a mac n' cheese, hotdog & PBJ phase but that seems to be over. They wont even eat (sweet potato)fries unless they have "dipping sauce". They are demanding and know exactly what they want.
I seriously think Im creating monsters.

 

If my girls don't eat their meal that is provided, that is all that is given to them until the next meal/snack time. My girls have tried to pull the same thing with me, and they often request certain things but I don't want them to think that I am a short order cook, so I refuse. I would never not feed my kids, but when there is food still on the table, that's what they need to eat, even if its not what they want. I guess it just depends on what you are comfortable with. Good Luck!

 

I'm of this philosophy too. "They get what they get, they don't get upset"...well they might! I do offer mine snacks that they want inbetween meals but definitely an hour(s) after breakfast and lunch.

 

You say they eat at their little table. Do they ever eat at the kitchen table with booster seats? I have found that if I feed my boys on their picnic table, they will eat a lot less. When I strap them in their chairs and they eat at the table, 90% of the time they finish what is on their plate. If they are sitting at their picnic table, I would say it drops to 50%.

Also, what time do they eat breakfast? I have found that if I wait say and hour after they wake, they will eat a lot more and stay fuller longer.

My biggest issue is giving them snacks in their stroller as I'm shopping and doing errands. At times, it's the only way I can keep them quiet. Right now they are addicted to Trader Joe's fruit bars.

My one son knows the cabinet in the kitchen that holds all their food and he will stand in the kitchen and point to it. Many times he will throw a tantrum if I don't give him something so I will either leave him and let him do his thing or take him downstairs.

Your DD's know if they throw a tantrum you will give in and they will get what they want.

 

I usually will feed meals (at boosters seats at the table), and I agree with pp when I do feed them at their little table, or outside at a picnic they just dont eat very much (and area always hungry 30min later). But on a normal day if they dont eat much of what I am feeding, i do give in "a little" and will give them 1/4 of a piece of bread (or something I know they like), just to make sure they have enough in their stomach, but not enough for them to think they are going to fill up on the "good stuff". They often do request certain foods for lunch or supper, but I just tell them that we dont have any right now, but maybe for super or tomorrow they can have it (and surprisingly enough this works most times).
Then when it comes times for snack, I put out their snack, and if they dont like it I just tell them "this is all there is, if you aren't hungry you dont have to eat it", if they ask for something like a nutrigrain bar or cookie - I just repeat the same thing everytime "we only eat that after supper" regardless of if they cry or whine, I say the same thing and I stick to it. I think my kids know now from lots of practice that they eat what is in front of them and that is it, it did take a few weeks, but they did catch on eventually. I often end up "bribing" my DS to eat veggies though, with promises of more bread or pasta when he has a few bites. Anything that works at this age - I say USE it!
Good luck!

 

This is the rule around my house. I also found that my kids seem to eat meals better at the kitchen table, I guess it makes them feel like they are eating what we are. I also restrict snacks to certain times of the day, before naptime and depending on how late we eat dinner on a certain day, they will get a snack before dinner. Best of luck!

 

My kids eat WAY MORE at their little table then they did in the booster seats because they can graze and go back to the table as often as they wish. The problem is they constantly want something that isnt being served. I guess I just need to say NO more when it comes to eating and meals.

Another reason we switched to the little table (which is right next to ours BTW) is Im 9 months pregnant. Lifting up to thier chairs 1x a day is plenty enough lifting for me. So I guess after reading your responses most of you are feeding meals/snacks by the clock and not on demand? Thats probably what I need to change. I should set "meal & snack times" and limit it to those...hrmm

 

We do meals "by the clock", but it's a biological clock, not set times. So when they get up, they have breakfast. They play, do a nap, then have a snack when they get up from nap. They play for a while longer, then have lunch (about 1.5 hours after snack). Then more play, second nap, snack, play and dinner. The only time we do free-form snacking is if they took a short (or non-existent) second nap, so making it a longer time between second snack and dinner. Then DH feeds them animal crackers until I get home.

I say it's not set times because they do sleep a little longer on weekends, and take longer naps, so we do meals and snacks later in the day on weekends than during the week.

They only eat when sitting at the table and there is no food available for them when they're not sitting down to eat (except for the 3rd "emergency" snack).