Snacks: Who Knew There Was This Much to Say About Them?

Snacks, snacks, what to do about snacks?

Some of the more relaxed among us may think it a matter of little consequence (and I envy their calm natures). One more uptight like myself knows that the wrong snack can mess up the whole morning and lunch. And then, you know, the world might end . . . or at least I'll have to deal with tantrums and children melting down.

First, is a mid-morning snack necessary? I've asked this among mom-friends and, while some don't give a morning snack, most do. It really does seem among these littlest of tummies that they can't make it from breakfast (6:30 a.m. in our house) to lunch (11:30 around here) without some fuel. (Of course, that is a Westernized, not half-starving and walking barefoot on dusty African roads kind of perspective.)

I had my first glimpse into the fact that snacks don't have to be such an ordeal when John was enrolled in the Catholic Schoolhouse one-morning-per-week co-op last year. The children were given a mid-morning snack at their work tables and most weeks it consisted of the teacher opening a bag of pretzels, passing out  napkins, and dumping about a half cup of pretzels on the napkins. Eat the pretzels, throw away the napkins, move on. I was amazed that the children were satisfied by this. (No peanut butter or Nutella into which to dip the pretzels? No cup of milk on the side? The little dears will waste away!)

Around here, every mid-morning, I take the children from whatever activity they are doing, march them to the table, and work on a snack that usually involves cutting things, spreading things, using real plates, pouring drinks, and washing dishes and wiping down the table afterward. It's really like a lunch. A long half hour later, we transition back to our activity. 

In addition, to the above problem of too much work, too many dishes, and too much time spent is that I would serve too many calories. I noticed a couple of years ago that my kids wouldn't be hungry for lunch, but then they'd be famished an hour into Quiet Time. I discovered that I was giving them way too big of a morning snack: they just keep asking for more and I'd figure, they're hungry, I'll feed them, never calculating at the time that each large graham cracker with peanut butter is about 200 calories. Two or three of those later and the child has eaten way too big of a portion of his or her caloric needs to be hungry come lunch time. We're talking little tummies of children two, four, and six, you know?

Thus, I unveil my latest and greatest plan! (My poor husband having to learn of Yet One More Grand Plan. I even posted a sign!)

I went to Trader Joe's and bought what the children are calling "a million snacks." Many of these are individually packaged, like trail mix in packets or granola bars. I dedicated an entire shelf in the pantry to these snacks and labeled it to try to ward off the invading Huns: "SNACKS for school time! and for out-and-about!"

I know, individually wrapped = expensive and results in wasteful packaging. I have fallen this far, what can I say? I'm desperate to make snack time go easier. Most mothers who send their children to school send snacks like this and I've realized I'm actually the teacher and I'm teaching while caring for a baby and a toddler and this is extremely hard. So, this is one way I can try to make my job more do-able. I tried to keep the snacks at 50 cents per serving or less. If my three children eat these snacks about four mornings per week, that is $24 per month and I can live with that as a small price for my sanity.

If my plan works, then when I am setting up the children's school assignments for the morning, I will also put one snack (either individually packaged, or put into a little Tupperware) in their work boxes, to be eaten when half our school work is done, which should time well with the mid-morning and provide incentive for them to stay on task. We will get to stay in the school room, won't have to work through all those transitions (hard on toddlers), and snack time should take about five minutes, not half an hour. Plus I can read a story to the children while they eat, so maybe they'll sit still and listen better.

The snacks need to be dry food (because we'll be in the school room) and I want them to be 150-200 calories. If this helps encourage the children to learn to eat a heartier breakfast and then causes them to be hungrier at lunch, then we're adding triple and quadruple bonuses to my whole plan. I tried to avoid snacks that are pure sugar (like gummy "fruits") but, other than that, my nutritional standards were fairly reduced because I figure my children might not actually die if they eat a snack somewhat nutritionally lacking because there are four other times to eat during the day at the table and get a more well-rounded meal (breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner).

Maybe my plan is fraught with its own troubles I don't yet foresee: needing to vacuum the school room more often, children sneaking into their boxes and eating snacks ahead of time, one child eating a snack first while the other child watches and then second child throws a screaming fit, others?

Anyone with thoughts on snacks is encouraged to write them in the comments section!