Snacks For Babies

I've got little ones now and our health visitor did suggest snacks, but she clarified it should be things like fruit, veg sticks, or plain yoghurt if they're hungry, not packaged baby biscuits. The issue is so many parents see the supermarket "baby snacks" aisle and assume that's what they're supposed to give

I don’t ever recall ‘snack time’ for my DC either. They had three meals a day with drinks in between of course and might ask for some raw carrot if they saw me preparing veggies for dinner or perhaps an apple. Sweets and chocolate were a treat and certainly not allowed every day.
They would often say ‘when’s tea mum, I’m starving!’
There was two choices at meal times………take it or leave it! 😂
I don’t ever recall any of their friends being obese or overweight either.

I didn’t give my children snacks it was hard enough getting them to eat breakfast lunch and dinner 😂 However I have noticed my DGC all have endless snacks. If they are being difficult it is always because they are hungry or tired not naughty😂😂 The snacks are healthy but they seem to be grazing all day.

Well we didn’t have the money or the choice back in the day did we? Well I didn’t anyway. We cooked ‘proper’ food and gave the children a carrot stick now and then.
I find that I have to be very careful not to make helpful comments (also know as criticism!) these days.
A rather large woman comes to our coffee mornings and brings her toddler. She spends the whole time feeding him c* and it’s all I can do not to shout stop! Poor little thing, he’s already a bit chubby.
Does advice from the government work though?

Given that nurseries have 'snack time' - although it is healthy snacks such as fruit - in the mornings and afternoons, I would imagine it's something most children tend to expect now. I swear my GS has hollow legs - but he is literally on the go from the moment he opens his eye until he falls asleep, so he is burning it up.

My babies never had snacks either The only snacks the grandkids had if I recall it was bits of fruit or raisins they had those hard biscuit things to chew on when they teeth were coming through you put a string through the end can’t remember what they were called ? Ah were they Farleys

No not Farley’s they were the rusky things weren’t they oh someone will put me right !

Bikkiepegs????

I don't remember this clearly to be honest but as my babies were breast fed on demand I suppose "snacks" were always available until they weren't nursing anymore.

We were also a "cook from scratch" household like many above - but I'm sure they munched on things during the day - cucumber as I was preparing a salad lunch, carrots, celery etc when making soup/stews.

We had a garden and once older they would pick tomatoes, strawberries, gooseberries, blueberries etc.

Not really that different.

I didn't have sugar or chocolate or sweets in the house and any biscuits were made, not bought, so once gone they were gone.

I personally don't think it's an issue if they have a celery stick ahead of their celery soup.
Just give them a smaller portion if you need to.

I always had a Tupperware box of prepared fruit and raw veggies for our C and our GC when looking after them.

All our GC have had snack time from weaning, it’s a good opportunity to introduce different tastes and textures in small amounts.

Not a fan of bought baby/toddler food, I managed to cook and freeze the majority of C’s foods despite working and daughter in laws and our daughter have done the same.

Both my children and my granddaughter had snacks available when out shopping, which bought time because after about nine months old they got so bored in the pushchair after a while. Apart from carrot sticks, the best one I found was breadsticks, easy to hold and didn’t mash up - and lasted ages.

My DGSs attended Nursery (different ones) where snack time was a big thing, both mid morning and mid afternoon.
DDs continued snack time at weekends etc offering fruit, raw vegetables, bread sticks, BabyBells, yoghurt, etc. DD2 who is 4, will often ask for his snack plate, if I forget!

My D who until recently owned and ran a preschool always factored snack time into the day.
It gives some structure to the day, important for children to learn and broke up the morning or afternoon for young children who can get bored.
It mostly was fruit and cheese but on cold mornings might have been buttered crumpets ( with or without Marmite)
She said they were always ready for a home cooked lunch .

My sons are in their 40s but as babies/toddlers, they had snacks between meals - strawberries, a satsuma, plain crackers, a yoghurt or a few raisins. Neither was unhealthy. I've done the same with my grandchildren.

All pre School groups in our area when my were babies, you had to include Snacks for the day.
You could only send in healthy ones.
We are also the Generation that had "Snacks" ours was little bottles of Milk.

Our children didn’t have snacks but was hard to make ends meet back then so we could just afford to provide three meals a day, I became an ace at stews that would last several days and could be mashed up for the little ones.
Our GCs have a snack mid morning and one mid afternoon, is mainly fruit or salad though there can be an occasional cracker with Philly cream cheese.
Doesn’t affect them eating a proper meal later.

My kids and grandkids never got snacks as babies. Just good wholesome food at meal times.

It seems that the snacks consist of fruit, crackers, veg bites, raisins…. at least the ones we on GN are talking about.

Wonder whose children are eating crisps, biscuits, chocolate bars, sweets….?

Calendargirl

It seems that the snacks consist of fruit, crackers, veg bites, raisins…. at least the ones we on GN are talking about.

Wonder whose children are eating crisps, biscuits, chocolate bars, sweets….?

My GC when they get to four, and can reach the snack shelf.

A packet of crisps, biscuit or chocolate bar is not the devil incarnate when part of an otherwise healthy diet.

I had a horror of chips ( crisps) when my kids were young so they never got them. They used to have bananas, apples and, horror of horrors, sometimes chocolate. The whole family had a chocolate addiction. Awful parents us. They were raised in Australia and they are very fussy here- school tuck shops only sell ‘healthy’ non fattening foods these days. One of my grandchildren had a weight problem in that she was severely underweight ( very premature baby) so it didn’t help her one little bit. We are all different and it isn’t a case of one diet suits all.

The report referenced by the OP was focussed on children under one and specifically on food pouches, full of sugar, not around in my days of parenting or grand parenting little ones.
Who knows if we would have used them, priced reasonably and pushed as ‘healthy’
Calendargirl not many on GN, most seem to be model parents/grandparents.
I admit - yes, my children and grandchildren had the odd chocolate button, bottom few inches or so of an ice cream cone we had or a mini cheese biscuit. They all survived, not obese, teeth intact and happy.

If they were “starving” my children were offered dry bread!
No snacks, ever. Weeell, ice cream on holiday, the very occasional packet of hula hoops.
Like many others, we couldn’t afford it. Cooked from scratch, and plenty of food.
I’d never had much contact with growing boys, being one of three girls, but in their adolescence, I was a bit less strict with my two sons.
My grandchildren are permanently snacking and their mother (my DD) lets them eat at all hours, and always has.

Gingerrice

Bikkiepegs????

Yes.

Not Farley's rusks, they were full of sugar!

My DS could eat three meals a day, snacks and supper and was as skinny as a rake age two onwards.

It was difficult to get his younger sister to eat although she has a great appetite now and is still very slim.