Do your children eat between breakfast and lunch

[love2read]

Maybe a better question would be, how many hours do your children over the age of 7 or 8 wait for lunch? Can they go fours hours between breakfast and lunch without a snack? Do kids really have to graze every 3 hours? It can be very disruptive to the schedule.

 

Tell me the details please :bigear:

When do the older ones eat breakfast? (older than 7---little ones are always hungry and I believe they do need to eat every few hours)

When is lunch?

Do they regularly have a snack or tea between?

:lurk5:

Edited May 13, 2009 by love2read

[OrganicAnn]

My 5 year old doesn't have a snack between breakfast and lunch. She does have one between lunch and dinner. For her, more physical activity is taking place in the afternoon (playing outside). I think some kids need more snacks that others. I also think it can just be a habit.

[BalanceSeeker]

My kiddos are always hungry :glare: They have a snack in the am if they need it and always at 2:00. It really helps them to get throught the rest of the morning school work. In the am, I try to do a smoothie (blueberries, banana, protein, fiber, flaxseeds, Kefir). They love it and it fills them up until lunch at 11:30. (They eat breakfast at 6:30 or 7; snack at 9 or 9:30). They tend to eat lighter b'fast/lunches so that's probably why they are always asking for food. They're grazers for sure.

 

I'm going to try making peanut butter protein balls and freezing them for a quickie snack. They also love applesauce with cinnamon, or oats with a little cottage cheese mixed in, a banana with nuts, or a sprouted grain toast with almond butter. Sometimes organic tortilla chips and salsa for a treat.

 

Christa

[iwka]

My kids have (had when they were smaller) only smth. like ceral-nuts bar or a fruit if we have swimming at noon (that's seasonal class), otherwise MOSTLY not. If they want anything, it must be fruit/vegetable.

[Chelle in MO]

I used to fight against my kids' need/desire for a snack a few years ago because of the schedule disruption issue. I finally decided to let go of it, so what we do now is breakfast at 8:00 (some combination of cereal, fruit, toast, bagel, yogurt, frozen waffles), snack around 11:00 (limited to 2 items--cheese/crackers, pretzels, popcorn, other), lunch around 2:00 (sandwiches, soup, leftovers, frozen pizza), and dinner at 7-ish.

 

If we have to leave the house in the evening for a baseball game or something, I'll have them skip the snack and we'll do earlier lunch and dinner that day.

 

They really do like having a snack for whatever reason. We often use that time for read-alouds, so I feel a little like the break is productive school-wise!

 

Hth,

Chelle

[Danestress]

I am not one to cook breakfast. My children generally have cereal, eggs and toast or sometimes pancakes. They eat around 7:30 or 8:00.

 

By 10:00 they always want a snack. I probably could avoid this by giving them a bigger breakfast, but I am not one to eat a lot of breakfast myself and I prefer not to cook in the morning. I really don't mind the snacks. Usually I make them a blueberry smoothie with OJ, whey powder, and yogurt. Sometimes they have peanut butter toast or a banana and peanut butter.

 

They still eat lunch around noon - often left overs but sometimes something I fix.

 

Honestly, I hate feeling bloated and would rather eat six smaller meals a day then have three large ones. My children are very athletic - regularly have 2 hour tennis or swimming practices - and they are hungry 11 year olds.

[Hillary in KS]

Yes, but mine are very active.

 

Ds 13 swims 90 minutes a day, and is a bottomless pit. He eats a large breakfast at 8:30, and usually is hungry again by 10:30 or 11:00. I try to keep fruit, bars, bread for toast, etc. around. He's also learning to cook, so that helps.

 

I don't mind him snacking because he burns it all off. He's 5'7" and only 94 lbs, so we're not worried about his weight. We'd like him to gain some, if he can. :)

 

The two littles (ds 8 and ds6) have a snack in the afternoon, but not before lunch. I suspect that as they approach the teen years that will change.

[Kate in Arabia]

My younger ds always wants a snack, my older one never does. He usually brings his snack to the school area and continues with his work as he snacks. Maybe this isn't the best habit to be encouraging, however...

[Guest janainaz]

My kids eat on the hour and I let them as long as they are eating something decent. I try to keep a lot of grazing food around. I used to make a big deal about it, but after considering how much they are growing, if they are hungry - I let them eat. The only time I have a problem is if they did not eat all their lunch or breakfast.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

My 11yo son must eat something every 2-3 hours. He's very skinny, and is postprandial hypoglycemic. Once his food is gone from his digestive system, it is GONE. He has no backup. His brain stops functioning, he becomes extremely irritable and irrational, and (if I try to hold him off from eating), he ends up in a major meltdown. Give the kid a banana or something, and he is his normal sweet self within 30 seconds. It's incredible to watch, actually.

 

Anyway, he is free to eat whenever he wants. I keep healthy snacks available to him. He is usually eating something while doing schoolwork.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Mine can't really go hours between meals - nor can I - hypoglycemia and all. My 15 year old and 12 year old are full time grazers. Breakfast is between 7:30 and 8. Lunch is around 11:30 - 12. I do not make snack. In fact, I don't make breakfast or lunch for the most part unless a kiddo is eating at the same time as me. We are a self-serve family. My kids have been able to make their own breakfasts since they were about 4 or 5 (as soon as they could pour their milk on their own.)

 

I actually have to tell my oldest that he has to sit and give me an hour's worth of work before he can get up and have a snack :).

[Peela]

It seems like they eat non stop. I am trying to implement only 1 snack time between breakfast and lunch, but my ds13 is growing rapidly and is hungry at least once an hour! I am trying to implement a rule because dd14 is too sedentary to snack so much as she has been.

But mainly, they snack on fruit so its not too bad. We dont have biscuits or sweet snack foods in the house.

[Melissa in Australia]

my teen boys eat/snack continually. In fact there isn't really an end to breakfast or a start to lunch, just one continual meal. They are really growing fast and are extremely skinny, I would say underweight. The 15 year old is 6 foot 4 and growing around an inch every 2 months.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Until 2 weeks ago, we ate:

 

breakfast

snack

lunch

snack

supper

(sometimes) dessert/snack

 

We didn't even TRY to change that, but it just happened. But like I said, it was 2 weeks ago. So maybe we'll revert back? Anyway, so yes, we've always had a morning snack about 10am.

[Carrie12345]

My 6/7yos eat more and more often than my 10yo ds, but they all usually eat something between breakfast and lunch.

 

Breakfast kind of gets stretched over the whole morning though. A toasted bagel or bowl of cereal around 7. A yogurt around 7:30ish. A piece of fruit around 8. Some toast or more cereal a little while later... They can't eat it all in one sitting, but they sure can eat it!

 

They usually have a snack around 10 and lunch around noon. Most often, there's another snack around 3.

 

My grocery bill should be interesting when they're teenagers! :001_huh:

[gandpsmommy]

Yes, it seems that my kids must eat every few hours ( or more often). I feel very frustrated when I have just fed them breakfast and they are hungry for a snack, but it happens often. I have started trying to fix larger breakfasts, but it still seems to happen. Ds is still in the younger category and eats more when he's going through a growth spurt. Dd is a competitive gymnast who has long practices, and they are both very active kids.

[Blessedfamily]

I'm glad my kids aren't the only ones who get hungry at 10. I thought it was odd, since they have breakfast at 8. I was trying to discourage it because I couldn't tell if they're actually hungry, or if dd's just stalling schoolwork.

[momofkhm]

They eat breakfast usually by 7/7:30 and then lunch is at 11. For ds who has breakfast around 6, that's 5 hours. DS is 8.

 

They do have a snack about 3, about 4 hours later. Dinner is about 5:30/6. It's a small snack, maybe handful of animal crackers.

 

The kids can have any fruit or veggie in the house at any time of the day. It's rare that they eat at times not listed above.

[MamaT]

My kids eat breakfast at 7:30-8:00 and usually are hungry for a snack by 10:00. They are usually asking for lunch by 11:30. As long as they are eating healthy I allow them to get a snack whenever they want it, as long as they don't start just "picking" at meals. They are all very active athletic children and I don't have a problem with them grazing.

[Marylou]

I'm glad my kids aren't the only ones who get hungry at 10. I thought it was odd, since they have breakfast at 8. I was trying to discourage it because I couldn't tell if they're actually hungry, or if dd's just stalling schoolwork.

 

My girls do better in school when they have healthy snacks/meals every 2-3 hours. They eat the good stuff like fruit, Kefir, WW toast, PB, even veggies and dip.

[Quiver0f10]

My 6 and 4 year olds usually have a snack before lunch but we are up early so they eat an early breakfast.

[OnTheBrink]

We eat about every 3 hours.

[Sasharowan]

My 8yo starts asking for lunch about 4 min. after breakfast, especially if breakfast is higher in carbs than protein. He is also the one that lost half a pound between his 7 and 8 yo checkup. 13yo knows to grab carrots or apples if he wants something more. Dd doesn't usually eat breakfast. 3yo constantly wants food.

[LibraryLover]

Absolutely. I find everyone is much nicer, calmer and more focused when the protein is steady. So that means breakfast, a mid morning snack of yogurt, cheese, or nut butter with fruit etc, around mid morning. Then lunch, and a good afternoon snack, as we have a later dinner (dh often works out of town and we wait for him).

 

 

I've not seen anything good come of hungry, crabby kids. lol

[purplemama]

My kids are both thin and hot natured, so I think they have a revved up metabolism like my dh who is 6 feet tall and has just now, at almost 40 reached 155 lbs. They eat a snack in the morning and the afternoon, but it's a healthy snack like fruit or yogurt or carrot sticks. It doesn't disrupt school because they each take breaks while I work with the other child on their math and language arts.

 

Jennifer

[Tami]

Yes - several smaller "meals" throughout the day are a healthy way to eat and maintain energy and focus.

 

We eat at 10am snack of raw fruit or veggie and whole grain crackers or toast. Sometimes we have nuts or cheese instead of the whole grain.

 

At 3pm we have tea, fruit smoothie, smoothie, yogurt, or juice.

 

I think healthy snacks are a great!

[budeb]

My boys 6 and 4 1/2 eat ALL day long... it seems. They do snack between meals. I make sure it is healthy... no junk, or it means they are not hungry if that is what they are after.

 

Deb

[Highereducation]

I'm a grazer and so is dd8. We usually work from about 8 am until 10 am and then break for a snack. Lunch is around 12:30 and we snack again around 3:30.

 

She's at 60% of her age group for height and only 5% for weight, so I let her eat whenever she wants to. She has a high metabolism and she rarely stops moving. I wish I had half of her energy!

[dirty ethel rackham]

Meant to add that my kids eat mostly healthy snacks. Nuts, another bowl of whole grain cereal and milk, cheese, fruit, cut up veggies, smoothies that they can make themselves, etc. I insist that they have some protein between meals since they get the hypoglycemia irrational whininess without it.

 

My kids are pretty skinny. My 15yos does not have an ounce of fat on him - he is 5'11" tall and has a 28 inch waist. Under his very wiry muscles, I can see his bones. He has to gain weight for his Boy Scout trip to Philmont so that he has some reserves for those long, grueling hikes with a 40 lb. pack. My 12yos is quite thin as well. DD8 is not as much of a snacker, but she is also quite long and lean.

 

Now, if I could only get back to that:).

[SeekingSimplicity]

Yes! My kids have breakfast around 8 and by 10-10:30 they are dying of hunger. It can be really frustrating when there is something I need them to get done but there's no point in fighting it because they can't focus until there tummies are full again. They want a snack again around 1, they are ready for supper by 4 and a snack around 7. THey do a lot of snacking in between those times too, but it has to be a fruit or veggie.

[Mrs Mungo]

My kids eat like hobbits. They have "first breakfast" when they get up-cereal, fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, something like that. I cook them "second breakfast" most days. They have a snack around 10:30, lunch at around 12:30, snack around 3-4, dinner between 6 and 7.

[Desert Rat]

They both eat a yogurt during history reading which is around 10.

[AnnetteB]

Dd's endocrinologist put us on a schedule as part of our type 1 diabetes training. Regular breakfast is eaten by 8 a.m. Snack is at 10:15. Lunch is at 12:30. Afternoon snack is at 3:15. Dinner is 5:30. Dd has to have a bedtime snack at 8:30 p.m. The endocrinologists suggested that the entire family join her then for a small dessert or snack, but honestly, I want the littles' teeth brushed and jammies on before that, so they eat any dessert at dinnertime and dd "saves" hers until the later time. The habit of spreading the carbs and nutrition out into smaller meals makes sense for keeping glucose and energy levels steady.

[KLM]

They usually have piece of fruit or pretzels between breakfast and lunch. They also snack between lunch and dinner.

 

Kris

[dtb1999]

My kids eat when they are hungry. We don't have scheduled meal or snacktimes.

[Starr]

Snack, if there is math to do! :)

[Ellie]

Nothing more than something they can eat by hand--pretzels, some fruit, graham crackers.

[Veritaserum]

A mid-morning snack is usually what happens. I've taken to keeping nuts in the school room. :)

[Veritaserum]

My kids eat like hobbits. They have "first breakfast" when they get up-cereal, fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, something like that. I cook them "second breakfast" most days. They have a snack around 10:30, lunch at around 12:30, snack around 3-4, dinner between 6 and 7.

 

Lol! My kids will say sometimes that they are hungry like hobbits and need second breakfast. :)