Enjoy Snacks

My mom always had strict rules about eating snacks and as a mom myself I have a few tips that we try to implement in our household (note: some we need to try a little harder on but…).

Growing up, (and still to this day) I had a sweet tooth.  When after-school snacks time rolled around, I made it my goal to try to get something oh-so tasty.  For example, the only time we were allowed to eat Ho-Ho’s or Ding Dongs (two of my favorites) were right after school. I would unwrap my Ho-Ho, place it on a paper plate, grab a huge blanket and “veg” with my mom and talk about the day.

To me, snacks became a way to spend time with my Mom, and now that I have kids of my own, I have recreated the tradition.  I feel like it’s our own version of a small secret dinner party that Daddy’s not invited too. Now of course, depending on how well the boys behave it might be a Popsicle…or it may be a vegetable.  I think my eldest boy is starting to see this pattern, and between 9 am and 3 pm he is on his best behavior for a chance at the one Oreo for the day. After 4 pm it’s pretty much shambles and wrestling each other (literally and figuratively).

My mom always had strict rules about eating snacks and as a mom myself I have a few tips that we try to implement in our household (note: some we need to try a little harder on but…).

Snack Tips

1. Only eat when you are hungry, stop eating when you are full. This was the biggest rule in our house in regards to eating. We were never forced to finish our plates and it wasn’t frowned upon to eat snacks. I think this whole thought process has helped me to have a good relationship with food as an adult.

2. Never eat out of the bag, place everything in bowls. This was another super strict rule in our house growing up. For all your germ-a-phobes it means one thing, but also if you eat out of the bag there is a chance you will eat the whole bag without even blinking. By placing your snacks in a bowl, even a small cup, you will limit yourself to only what is in the bowl. As a parent it’s easier for me to tell my boys when it’s gone, it’s gone and that’s it.

3. Carefully think through snack placement within the house. Here’s a simple snack idea: our cereals and cookies are all in our tallest cabinets and the yogurt and fresh fruit is easily accessible. If you give your kids the ability to get their own healthy snacks they are more likely than having a fight over one cookie. Kelly just told me about a family that always has a bowl of fresh fruit in the middle of the kitchen table. If the kids want something to snack on they can have a piece of fruit.

4. Consider homemade snacks. If you make them yourself, you can sneak in items that your kids don’t know are good for them…necessarily. And, you can pre-package them for fast snacks on the go.

5. Make even snack time a moment to sit down together and enjoy the minute. I love Ho-Ho’s to this day because my mom always would have one with me and ask about my day. I don’t know if she knows what it meant to me, but I still miss those minutes after getting off the bus. Of course with everyone’s busy schedule, it can be hard to sit down for dinner each night but I always make it a priority to sit on the ground with my sons and have a snack.