grazing

VINASOL · 20-09-2010, 10:15 AM

what do you do with a child who is a 'grazer'?

mindee says as soon as she is with me that she is hungry; says hasn't had breakfast (sometimes she does, sometimes not) although this AM she did. All she wants to do is much all day and when I say no, she screams the place down...

am too tired to fight today (really not feeling well) but wondered what everyone else does?

**sarah707** · 20-09-2010, 10:27 AM

Children here have snack at 1030, lunch at 1230, snack at 330 and tea at 445.

They can have breakfast if they need some (usually toast, cereal or yoghurt) before the school run.

Snack is a piece of fruit and something carb - breadsticks, toast, bagels etc. Small so it doesn't spoil the next meal.

I am not running a cafe and do not provide food at other times.

**christine e** · 20-09-2010, 10:29 AM

Hi

If hungry when arrive I would provide cereal or toast, crumpet etc and then a mid morning snack but that would be it until lunch time.

Cx

**AliceK** · 20-09-2010, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by sarah707

Children here have snack at 1030, lunch at 1230, snack at 330 and tea at 445.

They can have breakfast if they need some (usually toast, cereal or yoghurt) before the school run.

Snack is a piece of fruit and something carb - breadsticks, toast, bagels etc. Small so it doesn't spoil the next meal.

I am not running a cafe and do not provide food at other times.

I'm always saying this

xxxxx

**Mouse** · 20-09-2010, 11:22 AM

How old is she?

I have minded a brother & sister who I'm sure would eat all day if you let them - they seem obsessed by food! If we were out at toddler group & someone got something out to feed another child they would go & stand watching, staring at the food! Every game had to be about food, they learnt their colours through food (yellow banana etc) and if you asked them what they'd done at the weekend, they'd tell you what they'd eaten

They always had a good breakfast before they came to me, but the minute they were through the door they'd be asking if it was lunchtime! I knew they weren't really hungry, so would remind them when snack was, when lunch was etc. I tell you what, they learnt to tell the time really quickly as I'd show them the clock, say "snack is at 10.30 - big hand on the 6, little hand on the 10" and they'd sit watching it till the hands got to the right place

VINASOL · 20-09-2010, 11:32 AM

mindee brings own lunch/food with her and no matter what we're doing she always asks for it (have only just managed to stop her taking it out of my fridge herself)...i do snacks at 10.30 and 3pm too but this doesn't seem to be enough...spoke to mum about it and she says that they do not have meals together - they are allowed to snack/eat whenever they want so no set times which is difficult because my kids eat at specific times (mindee is 4 in dec)

**Mouse** · 20-09-2010, 11:41 AM

I'd say at almost 4yrs old, she is definitely old enough to wait for snack or meal times without resorting to a temper tantrum! Once she's at school she's not going to be able to eat all day.

She may be able to graze all day at home, but she's old enough to understand that there are different rules at your house. Can you try setting her some tasks to do before snack or lunchtime? Eg. if she's asking for food at 10am tell her that first of all you're going to do X,Y & Z, then it will be time for snack at 10.30am. It sounds as if she's asking out of habit, rather than hunger, so you need to find a way of breaking the habit. Let her know there are set times for food, so that she knows she will get some, then stick to those times.

Be firm, ignore her when she cries & screams (as best you can) and try distracting her with a game, story or music session.

**Alibali** · 20-09-2010, 12:18 PM

May she just be thirsty, have you tried offering her a drink to see if that works?

**terrydoo73** · 20-09-2010, 12:20 PM

When I read your post it reminded me of what I saw during work experience at local school. They had very young children in the first year - not yet school age but were in what you might call kindergartin so it was all play experiences really. The teacher had large A4 laminated pictures along one wall showing times of activities and what the activity was. I thought it was really good as the children knew what was happening next and if they had say like a story time it meant they all had to sit down on a piece of carpet. The clock at the top of the page showed the time as it would appear on the actual clock face which was positioned in the centre of the wall. When an activity was completed the laminated page was taken down. There were no words on the pages all pictures.

**mushpea** · 20-09-2010, 06:23 PM

we have snack at 10am,, lunch at 12pm then snack after school around 3.30pm nothing else imbetween except drinks.
I have a child that dosent always eat breakfast but thats his decsion and he still wont get anything till snack time, if i was to provide him a breakfst then he would excpect it all the time and not eat breakfast at home.
I thnk the pictures of snack time and the clock is a brilliant idea and might do the same.

**Zoomie** · 20-09-2010, 09:42 PM

I have snacks at 1030 and 3pm. Main meals are 8am, 12noon and 5pm

But fruit from the bowl is available all day. All the children have to do is wash their hands. Some are put off by ths, others not.

If a child wants fruit within 30 mins of a meal / snack I do try and encourage them to wait, but otherwise not.

**The Juggler** · 20-09-2010, 09:56 PM

i would also offer fruit when they are hungry - or a drink - some children can mistake thirst for hunger an vice versa. if they are not really hungry they will usually turn down the fruit if they are not good/healthy eaters.

But, only 1 peice of fruit between meals. I have had chilren who would live on fruit and yog and not eat a meal all day. I'm very strict about some of a meal being eaten but don't mind small snacks once between meals as Sarah has said.