Poll - Feeding kids on weekends

[akafred]

"Relatively normal mealtimes":
Breakfast - sometime between 5:30 am and 10 am
Lunch - sometime between 11 am and 2 pm
Dinner - sometime between 5 pm and 9 pm

Give or take.

[akafred]

This poll brought to you by my neighbors who all seem to choose option 4.

[CoverGirl82]

akafred, one of our neighbor's kids asks for a snack every time she comes over. She could be over for 15 minutes, and in that 15 minutes, she'd ask for a snack. The last time it happened, I told her that we don't have snacks that close to dinner time at our house. (Which was a lie, but seriously, you don't need a snack at my house unless you've been there at least an hour.)

[xctsclrx]

depends on the age. My 2 year old is a clock. 1045 - lunch momma lunch momma, 200pm - Snack mommma snack.

The 14 and 12 year old are on their own. I offer dinner and that is it. If they can't remember to feed themselves that is on them. (and yes they forget on a semi regular biases)

[Widget123]

LOL. Sometimes our dinner time might be a little earlier like 4-4:30pm, whereas during the workweek it is closer to 6pm. Not at the age range of visiting neighbors yet.

[liziz]

I expect it will get more flexible as she gets older. The only things we flex on are that for breakfast, we usually run or walk first on Sat, so she has milk and a snack. Sometimes she's too tired for lunch and will nap at 11 and eat at 2 or 3 when she gets up. Otherwise, we are a clock.

[brachysira]

Oh man--my kids are too small to run to the neighbors, but my son walked in to a preschool field trip today--not his class but DD's--and immediately threw a fit because I had not packed snacks...only fixed by eating snacks offered by another parent. We can eat lunch, go to playdate where they say, sorry, we didn't eat yet, do you guys want some, and my kids always sit down and eat again. Maybe I will sew some kind of snack belt so they have to eat their own snacks when they get old enough to start asking at the neighbors'. Right now, we can't possibly not feed them at meal times and all other times or they are hysterical. Although sometimes I do tell DH we're having peanut butter sandwiches for both meals...which then confuses my daughter because it must be lunch time if we're eating PB so it can't be bedtime next.

[mustardseed2007]

Yeah my first thought would be, do the kid's parents actually know the kid is asking for snacks all the time? I could see my kid doing this and we feed him regular meals and regular snacks. Other people's food is apparently awesomer than anything we buy, even if it's the exact same thing.

[akafred]

The kids don't really ask to eat but they have NEVER eaten. Yesterday it was 1:30 and I told C she needed to come in and eat lunch and leave her 4 friends outside. None of them had eaten lunch. Only 1 had eaten breakfast. So I ran out of bread feeding the neighbor kids...again. Because PICNIC!!! Last weekend I had to buy an extra pizza for dinner because no one had had lunch much less dinner. I asked my friend and she said she only feeds her kid when he actually asks for food. Which is once a day usually and sometimes twice.

[somebabiesmom]

akafred, whaaaaat? No good. Go to your neighbors and doing your best Sally Struthers impersonation say, "Please feed the children!"

My kids have just started telling me when they're hungry. Or they start acting hangry. The only meal we exercise extreme flexibility with is lunch, but that still occurs between 11 and 2. The only time dinner is served after 6 is when there is a surprise dinner mishap, or it's takeout night and we can't decide where to go.

[sudokufan]

I picked SS because I'm raising a hobbit. We're not real strict about meal times at the best of times, on weekends we eat when hungry and that includes him, so it's more like 1st breakfast at 5:30, second at 7:30, and then eats about every 3 hours after that until about 5p when he's finally "all full" (unless there's ice cream, when he somehow finds room). Only one of the times he eats is an actual meal, but I'll scramble him some eggs or make a pb sandwich. I cannot imagine my kid not eating all day...

[2chatter]

I'm mobile so can't really see the OP - but my youngest two are like me - they are truly hangry if they are not fed regularly. So - ideally - breakfast on waking (breakfast two to follow for DS), lunch by 11:30, snack in the afternoon OR big big snack by 5:30 and later dinner, regular dinner by 6:30. Like clockwork.

When I ran to IHOP this weekend DS had two breakfasts, did not eat at IHOP, ate lunch, snack then dinner. He had only utter disdain for the notion of breakfast at 10AM. He also refuses brunch - he eats breakfast, we eat brunch - he refuses to eat breakfast food and will eat lunch food if we brunch - ask him to eat a pancake at 11AM? No way. He frequently orders off-menu at brunch as a result.

[justcheckingin73]

Mar 20, 2017 13:47:00 GMT -5 akafred said:

The kids don't really ask to eat but they have NEVER eaten. Yesterday it was 1:30 and I told C she needed to come in and eat lunch and leave her 4 friends outside. None of them had eaten lunch. Only 1 had eaten breakfast. So I ran out of bread feeding the neighbor kids...again. Because PICNIC!!! Last weekend I had to buy an extra pizza for dinner because no one had had lunch much less dinner. I asked my friend and she said she only feeds her kid when he actually asks for food. Which is once a day usually and sometimes twice.

Ugh, feeding the neighbors is the bane of my existence. I've gotten much more flexible over the years (originally I never did anything) but on occasion, I have thrown in some extra chicken nuggets and fries or made an extra sandwich but typically I am just a bitch and say it's time for lunch, the friends can wait or come back. I hate feeding my own picky kids, I don't want to feed other kids too. I do throw in a bag or two of popcorn for snacks, esp when the kids are swimming at our house.

ETA: clarified some things. 

[akafred]

These kids will eat anything, even freeze dried peas. But they don't like bell peppers, apparently.

[tas1883]

2chatter, DD would eat breakfast for every meal of the day!

On weekends we tend to skip snacks and just eat 3 meals. The only time we get funky with eating times is when we travel or on vacation. But DD gets very hangry when she is hungry and I found out a feed kid = a happy kid

[indyrowergirl]

Another house with what appears to be the best snacks in the 'hood, and I'm ok with that. That's what Costco is for, right? However, I don't feed everyone else meals. One friend over to play, then cool, here's lunch. A whole gaggle of neighborhood kids in my driveway? I'm team, "We're going in the house now to eat lunch/dinner. DS1 will be back outside to play in 30 minutes."

[indyrowergirl]

And I forgot the original question! On mobile, so can't vote, but we stick to regular meal times or everyone, myself included, gets grumpy as hell.

[mlee116]

We try to keep meals around the same time as usual because we all naturally get hungry at those times.  Sometimes we have breakfast a little later and then everything gets pushed back some, but we still eat the same number of meals and snacks.

akafred, that would irritate me because we really try to limit snacks (or else my kids would never eat a full meal) and if one person gets a snack, you better have one for everyone or it's anarchy.  If it's close to dinner and I don't want my kids eating one, I'd be ok with saying "Sorry, we aren't having any snacks right now because it's too close to dinner." My kids are too young to roam the neighborhood, but I could see them requesting snacks at other people's houses.  They do it every time we visit my parents, not because they are hungry but because they know Grandma and Grandpa won't say no.

[Unknown]

We do, but our kids are still young and structure is super important and we aren't working around sports or activities. I remember when my sister and I were older (elementary and up) we had weekends that were kind of every man for themselves, but my parents were divorced so there were less adult hands around to help when we had stuff to do.

[billybumbler]

We have regular meals on weekends, but we might have lunch and dinner a little later depending on what we're doing. DD never asks for food so if I waited for her to ask for a meal she'd never eat.

I think your neighbors are weird for not feeding their kids, but I'd tell them you're going to eat now and to come back in X time. They'll probably go home and eat.

[akafred]

It gets a little complicated because one set of 2 sisters are over when they visit their scum pothead (and maybe crackhead) father. I don't know that it would occur to him to FEED his children... grrrr... So if they haven't eaten then I will feed them which means I feed errrrrrrrbody.

[indyrowergirl]

Mar 21, 2017 12:04:48 GMT -5 akafred said:

It gets a little complicated because one set of 2 sisters are over when they visit their scum pothead (and maybe crackhead) father. I don't know that it would occur to him to FEED his children... grrrr... So if they haven't eaten then I will feed them which means I feed errrrrrrrbody.

In this situation, I would be calling DCS.

[akafred]

Mar 21, 2017 13:23:38 GMT -5 indyrowergirl said:

Mar 21, 2017 12:04:48 GMT -5 akafred said:

It gets a little complicated because one set of 2 sisters are over when they visit their scum pothead (and maybe crackhead) father. I don't know that it would occur to him to FEED his children... grrrr... So if they haven't eaten then I will feed them which means I feed errrrrrrrbody.

In this situation, I would be calling DCS.

I have not observed anything personally. I have just heard rumors. I can't call based on rumors. But I have met him and to say he is "uninvolved" would be giving him credit.

[rach]

The older kids largely fend for themselves on the weekend for breakfast and lunch. We'll remind them to eat a real meal (vs a snack- they snack allll the time) if we're going to be out of the house for a while. We all eat dinner as a family even on the weekend.

The toddler does not permit dramatic altercations to her schedule.

[seamonster]

I'm also raising a hobbit. The pantry door has one of those child protection things for a reason.

There are times we've gone past his school lunch time and haven't fed him lunch, but we scramble to get something in him. I can't imagine letting my kid go all day without feeding him. Hangry child would not allow that.

[mommyatty]

I'm Team Eat on a Schedule. DH is Team Eat One Big Meal and WTF Do You Mean You Need to Eat Again Before Tomorrow.

My way equals happy wife and kids. DH's way equals kids acting like crazy asshats and wife biting everyone's heads off. So we go with my way.

[akafred]

Yesterday a kid accidentally knocked all of Char's school lunch off the picnic table after she ate one bite. The teacher told her there were leftover apple slices from snack. An hour later C was irritable and complaining about her tummy aching. So teacher texts me and I come get her with a boiled egg, cheese stick, and a few carrots. By the time we get home she is FINE.

Rookie move, teacher. Sigh.

[vavavictoria]

Mar 22, 2017 21:22:12 GMT -5 mommyatty said:

I'm Team Eat on a Schedule. DH is Team Eat One Big Meal and WTF Do You Mean You Need to Eat Again Before Tomorrow.

My way equals happy wife and kids. DH's way equals kids acting like crazy asshats and wife biting everyone's heads off. So we go with my way.

This is my husband. It makes me nuts. He doesn't even really need the one meal and is perplexed that normal humans have to eat.

[ECB]

Mar 20, 2017 13:18:18 GMT -5 CoverGirl82 said:

akafred , one of our neighbor's kids asks for a snack every time she comes over. She could be over for 15 minutes, and in that 15 minutes, she'd ask for a snack. The last time it happened, I told her that we don't have snacks that close to dinner time at our house. (Which was a lie, but seriously, you don't need a snack at my house unless you've been there at least an hour.)

We have a girl in our neighborhood who does this sometimes.  I can see her house from my house and she'll look at me and tell me how hungry she is, or thirsty.  Beczause ONE TIME my DH gave her and DS and a couple other kids water.  Now she seems to think anytime she comes over, it means water AND food.

I flat out said to her once "We don't have any snacks right now but if you're hungry, you can run home" - RIGHT OVER THERE!!!!!!  3 houses away!!!  

I feel bad - she's a sweet girl but she's like a bull in a china shop on many levels!