Dinner is twenty minutes away, and my child asks for a snack for the fourth time. I don't want to make food a power struggle or ignore genuine hunger. On the other hand, a big snack now guarantees half the dinner will be left untouched. We're considering a predictable afternoon snack and a small option like fruit or vegetables close to dinner. How do you manage the timing without moralizing about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods?
Responding to constant snack requests right before dinner without turning food into a battle
- parenting
- responding
- constant
- snack
60
4 replies
A routine helps more than a lecture. If snack time is predictable and dinner is predictable, there’s less room for bargaining.
A routine helps more than a lecture. If snack time is predictable and dinner is predictable, there’s less room for bargaining.
I’d keep the pre-dinner option boring on purpose. Apples, cucumber, that sort of thing. The exciting snacks can wait until after dinner without becoming a negotiation trophy.
We did the “one snack, then kitchen closed” rule for a while. It worked better than explaining nutrition for the hundredth time, which appar...
I like the idea of making the decision before the ask happens. Once everyone is hungry, nobody is at their most reasonable.