Structured Meals and Snacks for Children

by Amber Halvorson, B.S, Dietetic Intern

Will structured meals and snacks benefit my child?

• Offering structured meals and snacks lets your child know that you will take care of his/her feeding needs and they don’t have to worry about food.
• Children who have regular eating schedules learn to eat nutritious meals and snacks. These healthy eating habits may stick with them through adulthood.

What does structure mean?

• Structure really means planned. It is important to offer foods regularly rather than waiting for your child to say he/she is hungry.
• Try to offer 3 meals at about the same time each day. Offer enough snacks so that your child gets a chance to eat every 2 ½ to 3 hours, but is not snacking constantly through the day.
• Example: Have one meal first thing in the morning. Offer a snack mid-morning. Have a second meal midday. Offer another snack in the afternoon. Have a third meal in the evening. Offer another snack in the evening.
• Planning snacks this way should not spoil your child’s appetite for nutritious meals. The child should be hungry again by mealtime and have an interest in eating with you and the rest of the family.

It is hard for me to even find time to feed myself. How can this feeding schedule work with my busy schedule?

• You should eat meals and snacks with your child and eat the same foods they are eating. Children eat better when their parents eat with them.
• If you can’t plan trips around snack times try keeping some healthy snacks with you in the car or in your purse, so you do not end up having to buy something. Items purchased on the go tend to be less healthy. Some examples of healthy snacks are given below.
• Try making main dishes for the week ahead of time and freezing them. That way you can just reheat it and add a side dish.

Many times my child asks for food at times other than meals and snacks. What should I do?

• Babies are fed based on feeling of hunger or “on demand”. Once they turn one it is time to begin to develop a more structured routine. Toddlers should be required to sit down to have a meal or snack. If they are not willing to do this they probably are not hungry. As they grow older, offer meals and snacks at set times, but do not make them eat if they are not hungry.
• Children who come to a meal or snack hungry are more likely to try a new food. Giving in to requests for food between meals and snacks (grazing) keeps children just full enough to refuse new foods at meals.
• Water should be allowed on demand between meals but not juice or milk as it fills children up and interferes with mealtime appetites.

How can I make meals healthy?

• At meals try to include milk, bread or other starch (rice, noodles, potatoes), fruit (fresh, frozen, or canned), vegetable (fresh, frozen, or canned), and protein food (meat, beans, peanut butter, eggs). An example is given below.
• A dessert can also be included.

Will my child get enough to eat this way?

• When planned meals and snacks are offered and children are allowed to eat what and how much they want they will grow and develop well.
• When parents and caregivers push children to eat more or less food or the “right” foods growth problems can occur.

Example of a Nutritious Meal:
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
Cooked mixed vegetables
Canned pears in juice
Milk

Examples of Healthy Snacks:
Dry cereal
Peanut butter with crackers or celery
Fruit (fresh, canned)
Cheese and crackers
Baby carrots or any vegetable with dip
Half sandwich

Reference: Ellyn Satter, Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family, Bull Publishing, 1999, www.ellynsatter.com