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In our DCP (so up until K age) they get 2 snack a day . 9am and 3pm - however they are TINY! I was there one day picking up early and they got like 10 goldfish crackers - I am not concerned about them gaining weight from snacks

We give maybe one snack a day. But caveat, DS is 2 and still nursing so maybe that counts as snack? He doesn't eat huge amounts of solid food. But I hate snacking culture. When we go out and our friends pull out a bunch of snacks, of course DS wants it. One time DH took him to a restaurant to meet up with friends for kids night. They pulled out a bunch of puffs and other snacks, of course their kids had no interest in the restaurant food! I think that's weird.

We do snacks 1-2 times a day. I agree that the type of snack probably has more impact than the frequency.

As a public school teacher, I've seen some pretty insane things passed off as lunches and snacks (like brand new family-sized bags of doritos, along with a coke packed for a kid's lunch. Yes, the kid was overweight and managed to nearly polish off the 12 servings during his lunch).

One snack, after she wakes up from her nap and before dinnertime.

He usually has two snacks. He has a yogurt for his morning snack and the afternoon snack varies.

I give him an applesauce pack on our way to daycare, he has a snack there during the day, and then he gets a pretzel rod (or two) on the drive home to tide him over until dinner.

We aim for none but sometimes they get one post nap if they are up early. I prefer to distract them because however much snack they have that's how much less they eat at dinner.

He gets two snacks at daycare, and we typically do that at home on the weekends too. Sometimes he gets a third before dinner (which is basically just part of his dinner early) because he's a mess and hungry.

The kind of snacks we give are cheese sticks, veggie pouches, yogurts, and peanut butter cheese crackers. We're not exactly giving him cookies and chips.

@MoonMoon: We bring snacks to restaurants in case it takes a while to get our food. I don't want a cranky toddler out a restaurant. Sometimes we're good about waiting to see if he truly needs the snack, sometimes it's insurance for good behavior.

K is a grazer. She eats breakfast, lunch and dinner really well, but also has two big snacks at daycare and often one when she gets home around 5. She's a peanut though and I'm not worried about her eating habits!

Can't read the article because it keeps wanting me to sign up. But I did catch the picture of chips and...m&ms. Well, yeah, if your child is snacking on junk food all the time, of course they're going to be overweight.

Like pp it's more about content for me. I have no issues with my kids snacking. I can't go between meals without eating something so I certainly don't expect my growing child to!

Usually two. Mid morning and then after nap. This morning snack was a kiwi, this afternoon maybe a granola bar. Or if we grocery shop the free cookie will be his snack.

So, I read the article, and yes, I do agree with the whole concept of limiting extra food at things like parties. If you're having a holiday celebration, do a craft instead of eating cupcakes.

But straight up snacks are part of our meal planning and my son does better if he eats smaller meals more frequently.

We do 2-3 snacks per day depending on if he's napped and how early or late we eat dinner. His morning snack is usually either a banana or yogurt while his afternoon snack is usually goldfish or peanut butter crackers. If we have an early dinner, he'll only get something if he's finished his dinner. If he hasn't finished it and he asks for a snack, he gets the rest of his dinner.

@catomd00: I feel the same way that you do. Our snacks aren't horrible for him, and he's always been right at or below the 50th percentile in weight. I think you have to do what's best for your family.

@catomd00: exactly! i don't think "limiting" is a healthy approach in regard to lifelong healthy relationships with food.

I also should say that every person is different. I didn't like the generalizations in the article. I have a super fast metabolism and literally eat all. Day. Long. Frequent small meals work best for me and help me get enough calories in to maintain my weight. I suspect my daughter is the same judging by how much she eats yet how small she is. I just personally don't ever want to make food a battle and prefer a relaxed approach, assuming my child is healthy. If you're offering healthy snacks, it shouldn't really matter if they eat the snack or the main course. Lots of times, leftovers end up as snacks for my daughter the next day.

I thought even for adults 5-6 smaller "meals" a day was more healthy than 2-3 larger ones because it keeps your metabolism going all day long?

Xander gets two snacks a day, but like others, they're healthy snacks! Usually some fruit, yogurt, and maybe a couple crackers. Snacks are rarely sweets.

LO gets 2-3 snacks per day. She is 19.5 months. She gets a morning snack between breakfast and lunch, an afternoon snack after her nap, and sometimes another snack to tide her over to dinner when I am not on my game and dinner is late.

I think having to bring two snacks for a preschool class that is 9-12 like the example in the article is a bit much. But my daughter is always hungry for meals even when she has snacks. I try to offer nutritious snacks (fruit, cheese sticks, etc.) instead of things like Goldfish as much as possible and the portions are small. I think many kids naturally "graze" and I prefer that to her being so hungry that she then learns to overeat at meals, which is what many Americans (myself included) do.

@Mrs. Lion: Oh, hahaha, I don't know! I'm not up-to-date on what's the latest health trends!

A lot. She's a grazer. But I'm including fruit, cheese, pouches as a snack.

He gets two snacks at school (10am and 4pm) and then he has another small snack at home before dinner. Weekends end up being 2-3 snacks too. Snacks range from a cheese stick, pretzels, goldfish, fruit pouch, fruit, pepperoni, etc.