My kids are eating all day

We used to have scheduled snack and meal times, but now it's out of control... DD is asking for food all the time. I can't go to the kitchen without having two whiny kids at the fridge door wanting a yogurt smoothie (I am SO glad they can't open the fridge yet). They go through 3 of those a day (the small danimals ones), and I have to say no twice more! When I won't let them have more food, they whine, whine, whine, cry, you name it... So they're eating all day. It's usually mostly 'healthy' stuff like whole grain crackers/pretzels/goldfish, kix or cheerios, fruit, yogurt smoothies... We had mini croissants the other day and DD had 8 of those in a row!

But of course they don't eat that much at dinner (lunch is usually ok as I give them things they like more). Unless it's pizza A friend is telling me to cut snacks but then honestly I'll just go nuts, and the other thing is that DD is really skinny and I can't really say no when she wants to eat... DS is heavier but definitely not overweight, but I worry about him putting on weight, especially as he mostly eats carbs , so I really want to manage their food intake better... Preschool is going to help some as they will be busy, and I try to stop feeding them after 4pm, but jeeeeze seriously it's driving me nuts!

Any advice?

 

Sounds like my kids but mine are also skinny so I don't feel like I can say no. The couple things I do to try to ease the nagging for food is. I make sure that meals are really filling and to keep the filling foods just for meals. I have also set a timer for 15 minutes at a time after they snack so they have to wait... half the time I've turned the timer off right before and they forget.
Mine are really going down hill on dinner right now but they eat a great lunch like yours so I'm not pushing it. I figure one good meal a day is a bonus!

 

How often/what times are (were) your scheduled meals and snacks? Do you make them sit down to eat or just let them graze? I offer my guys food every 2-3 hours and make them sit at the big table for all meals, and most snacks (sometimes I let them sit at their picnic table for snacks). I find that my boys eat better with less distractions, and sitting them down for meals really helps. Also, I try to give "balanced" meals and snacks, which means I offer carbs, protein and fat; this combo seems to last a bit longer in their tummies (provided they decide to eat it all!). If they demand food in between times, I remind them that we will be eating at X time, and they can have some water or juice to tide them over.

I try to follow Ellyn Satter's Division of Responsibility with feeding: I'm responsible for what, when and where they eat, and they are responsible for how much or *if* they eat. Sometimes the whining is excruciating, but I always accommodate their tastes (I don't force them to eat terribly challenging foods, and make sure there's always something they like on the table), I give them plenty of structured opportunities for them to eat, and so far it works pretty well!

Hope this helps!

 

I like Valeries advice. Really grazing all day is not a bad habit and in many ways it can be healthier than eating just three big meals. I don't thinks kids are able to go with only three meals a day until much older, like 10 or 12. My six year olds still eat 4 or 5 times a day.

 

I like the idea of Ellyn Satter's responsiblities of parents vs. children...

but I've also heard about Dr. Sears recommending grazing... I haven't delved into what the pros/cons are for either, but here's teh article. #4 talks about the "nibble tray"... putting various healthy foods into compartments - like a muffin tray or icecube tray. Sounds neat!

Dr. Sears - nibble tray #4
See #4 for the grazing - nibble tray.

 

Could they be going through a growth spurt? I know my two will eat all day when they're growing. Or could they be packing on the pound or two for winter?

I think that grazing is healthy, it regulates your blood sugar, keeping you from getting extremely hungry then overeating, and it's a good habit to have.

 

add us to the grazers list...I think it's fine, although we are trying to be a bit more strict with dinner (the kids are almost 4). I have no trouble w/their snacking, but they do need to a better job of eating what is offered at dinner.

Also, snack at their preschool is put out in the morning, but I believe it's left out for most of the morning. I just think eating on a set schedule all the time is not practical, I know I snack all day, why should it be different for the kids? Of course there is the frustration of feeling like I am feeding them non-stop, but we try to make healthy snacks available (we don't always succeed).