This happened last to last week when Adi and I were returning home in the evening. It was not that one day but happens on most of the evening these days. I pick her up and as we step out of the school and it starts
Adi:Amma, do you have anything to eat?
Amma: No pappa, we will reach home in 15 minutes. Then, you can have whatever you want.
Adi: I am starving amma. Can you please buy me something from the shop?
Amma: If I go to a shop to buy something then we might miss the bus and it will get late to reach home. We have loads of snacks at home. Just bear with it for few minutes and we will reach home by then. I can even fix your dinner itself really quick.
I repeat the same line every single time this happens. Seriously every single word in spite of being aware that my words are not going to cool the situation.
By this time we reach the bus stop
Adi: “Holding her tummy” Hmmmm I am starving, starving, starving!!!!!
The lady or others waiting in the bus stop stares at us mostly at me. I can hear their mind voice saying “cruel mom”.
Those five minutes seems like five yuga to me as I stand their impatiently with the girl who pulls my dress and keeps chanting “starving, starving, starving”. I try my best to avoid those stares which is uncommon at US. People usually mind their own businesses here but who wouldn’t stare if a kid acts like this in public?
We board the bus and this girl continues to repeat the same so now the staring from few people will be extended to the whole bus !!!! Okay not the whole bus but at least people in our vicinity to whom this girl’s chanting is audible. My annoyance grows every passing second but I am forced to maintain my zen state by gritting teeth with nobody’s notice.
We get down the bus and reach home.
Amma: Pappa, I can fix a quick dinner or can reheat the food in the fridge by the time you get refreshed. Let me know what you want.
Adi: NNOOOOO !!!!! I don’t want anything and settles in the couch without even removing the shoes.
Amma: Aren’t you starving?
Adi: No response
Amma: So, were you lying?
Adi: No response and tears flow down her cheeks.
I go about with my chores and the girl takes her own time to get back to normal, refreshes herself and comes to kitchen for her snack. It might take anywhere from 15 minutes (on lucky days) to one hour. All this while, I keep mum and continue with my evening chores.
I think all she needs is to buy something from the shop and I must admit that she is getting too much addicted to snacks these days. To those individually wrapped chocolate flavored bars, oreo cookies, go gurts and crackers. I pack two snacks everyday to her school and then she gets one more at home in the evening. So, three snacks per day. Is it healthy? I am not happy with this at all.
That’s the reason I am not even carrying anything with me to give her at school after pick up. That will only increase her snack intake count by one more.
Even on weekends when we have family lunch she will munch her food for a long time, leaves half the food on the plate. When asked she will say she is really really full and cannot take even one more scoop of food but the very next minute she will ask what’s for dessert eyeing the snack cupboard.
I want her to eat more meal portions and intake less snack. Is there any trick for this? Any suggestions?
How many snacks do your kids eat per day and what all do you give for snacks?
Between my littles and me 
why dont you reduce her snack count to 1 during school? In that case she can have one while coming back right? But as you rightly guessed, she wants you to buy something for her from the shop – not that she is really hungry.
About having something immediately after lunch, I still have the same problem. I dont know how I developed this habit, I would like something sweet (can be a piece of jaggery too) after my meal. I remember doing this right from my childhood. Mom never scolded me as I would eat the food she gives me first before coming on to this treat. As time went by, I learnt to reduce my food intake just so that i can have a bit of my fav sweet or choc. I am sure Adi would learn that too.
they have two snack times at school. one in morning and evening and I give at least one snack as healthy (one fruit) but her addiction to the snack packs is increasing day by day 😦
OhOh, i hope it’s just a phase and she will get over it soon….
Meanwhile is it possible to carry small on the go healthy snacks like, Idli, Dhokla, Sandwich with whole wheat bread (cut into shapes like stars, or heart – you can involve Adi in the cutting work…), small Parathas wrapped in a tissue paper or Aluminium foil (the way frankie is done) or wholewheat crackers….Though i don’t know how practical and possible it is, for easier things you can take help from your hubby and Adi both…you can give this a thought….
thanks for the suggestions t2m.. the point is she doesn’t want them. she is choosy with her snacks 😦
hmmm.. i dont believe in eating all at once.. i break my meal.. i carry boiled groundnuts, some fruits with me.. so why dont you try giving her something like sprouts or murukku,thatta kinds?
is she particular about what she wants for snacks?? or anything will do??
yeah she is choosy with the snacks still I try to pack at least 1 fruit a day..
hey I am not very experienced in this respect.. but, guess it is ok to give snacks to your kid.. and if you are really worried about the packaged ones, prepare some nice snacks at home in bulk.. especially the ones she likes.. and carry them along when you go to pick her up.. I guess she would be glad then and wouldn’t insist upon buying from the shop..
she is so inclined to the packed ones as her friends also bring the same ones.. I tried taking snacks with me but no luck 😦
How about trying out healthier versions of snacks which are fun? I know you would tried it already, but still saying 😉
I had put up a recipe on the blog which kids might love. Check out 🙂
http://thesongoflife.wordpress.com/2009/03/11/capsicum-boats/
capsicum boats is so inviting for me 🙂 the girl doesn’t touch capsicum… I will make them for myself 🙂
http://www.tarladalal.com/Finger-Foods-Kids-kids-recipe-slider-36?rcpno=1
wowww.. you are a sweetheart Swaru.. bookmarked the page 🙂
🙂
I think my kids too have a lot of biscuits and I really want to change that. I give nuts and fruits daily at school or home, biscuits/cookies is defacto. Yoghurt, granola bars, choco milk carton, even carrots, crackers and cheese, come to mind. I also need to work on this and come with healthy alternatives.
let me know if you find any alternative.. i send 1 fruit a day but really want to bring down the number of snacks per day…
Even I was like that Ani when I was young. I would stop at every shop and demand that I am hungry. It was just the urge to eat something. I am sure this is just a phase …
hope so Tharani.. 😦
My 2 year old already knows the difference between a meal and snacks and prefers the latter. I let her get away with it mostly (only so many battles in a day eh?) but I do pack freeze dried fruits as one of her snacks at daycare so that reduces one potential junky snack. Mango cookies instead of sugar and maida 😉 don’t know how long that will last! (its on Interesting Finds at IMC).
2/3 yrs were days when Adi used to have a boiled egg for snack.. can you believe that? as they grow they choices also gets stronger 😦 I also pack 1 fruit every day for Adi but still I am a little concerned about her addiction to these individually wrapped ready to eat snack packs..
hehehehe – I really don’t blame her 😛 Maybe you can try sprouts that are boiled with some spice (very little) and send her a bit of an already ready to eat snack that can sprinkle over and eat? This is what I do for my husband sometimes and it works. I hope it works for Ani 😛
Crackers can be topped with veggies and made to look enticing. Or why don’t you make it a nutrition project and hang a chart showing the exchanges (as in, teh amount of different types of food she can eat) that she can tick off and earn brownie points from you that will result in a yummy snack as a reward? 🙂
thanks for the ideas kismi.. will definitely try them if the girl doesn’t come to terms with me sooner..
I think its ok for a kid to have a little more snacks provided she eats her meals. Once she grows she might not even like to touch them so don worry. Once in a week I feel u should buy her those snack packs. That’s the craze kids have. My daughter is 2.5 so she doesn’t remember what snacks we have at home and just eats what i give her. I am sure Adi’s story will repeat at my place too when my daughter becomes big 🙂
Lastly I would suggest don’t stock much on unhealthy snacks at home. Send her dry fruits as one snack and cut fruits as the other. And may be u can buy her the ready snack pack on the way home.
I do that Varsha.. I pack one fruit a day. she also loves fruits but still her inclination to packed snacks worries me sometimes.. she is a girl who ate boiled egg for snack every day when she was 3 or 4.. As they grow their preferences change and there is peer pressure too.. If I send something that she doesn’t like dry fruits then she just brings it back 😦 we do have buying day concept and on Friday’s she buys whatever she wants.. no compromise at all..
Ani
honestly, even R has become like that..she wants biscuits, chocolates, chips etc…I have avoided giving her all these for nearly 4 years due to her asthama..but now a days I do indulge her a bit…
I think while you should not abruptly stop her snacks, may be you can try explaning to her that too much of this is not too good for health…you can perhaps even tell her that one day packed snack, one day home made snack..or something in those lines?
I can never do things abruptly with this girl.. every single thing is gradual at our household.. still, apart from what I give her, if she is at home she sneaks into those boxes every other hour and that worries me 😦 if I give her dry fruits or home made healthy snacks she just brings them back.. when asked “why did she bring it back?” she questions me back as “why did you keep the stuff that I don’t like?”.. she adds “don’t you even know what your daughter likes and dislikes?”.. all kashta kaalaamm wonly…