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This week, I’m answering three of your questions about whether we should all be serving dinner at 3:30pm to help reduce “pickiness”, suggesting some protein snacks for a toddler that are easy enough for that age to actually chew, and recommending easy meals to stash into the freezer for after a baby is born.
If you have a question you’d like me to answer in an upcoming post, please just reply or comment and I’ll add it to the list!
Suzie, Mom of 2
I keep seeing the advice to feed my kids dinner at 3:30 or 4 because it will make them less picky. Is that true? But also, how would I even do that because I’m at work then?
This advice makes the rounds on social media a few times a year, but usually pops up right around now. Yes, it is true that many kids are hungrier at 3 or 4 pm and enjoy a regular meal at that time and a snack at dinner time. Yes, it is true that some kids (but certainly not all) may eat a wider mix of foods when they are very hungry. Yes, it is true that this approach works for some families.
It is not going to solve “picky eating” for every kid. AND it is just impossible for many, if not most families who cannot logistically serve a meal at this time of the day.
Advice I prefer and find more inclusive and actually helpful is to think of snacks as mini meals—especially if you notice that your kids are really hungry at snack time. This means you can rely on foods that are naturally more filling, provide a mix of food groups, and meet the kids needs without as much pressure as actually making dinner at that time.
Some examples of more filling snacks or mini meals might be:
(I like to pack smoothies for daycare or school in this reusable pouch.)
If you are home in the afternoon with the kids, you certainly could serve dinner early—like get a slow cooker recipe going in the morning and then you can offer it when the kids get home. But that’s not the only way to do it!
Tina, Mom of 4
What are some protein snacks my toddlers can actually chew? Like, hello, meat sticks are out, so are protein bars, but she always seems so hungry at snack time!
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