Appetite vs Snacks

I am by no means an expert. However, I do have a two year old, so that does allow me to open my big mouth. My two year old is an anomaly. Much to my chagrin, my husband let him have about half a can of spinach the other day. I could describe scenes that would cause a spike in Trojan sales. Oh, and typically we don’t eat ‘canned’ veggies I just keep them around for a night where we are in a hurry.

Anyhow, I guess this is to the other moms who oooh and aah over how my child will sit and eat a meal. My secret is… :drumroll: we don’t snack all damn day. If he needs a snack between meals he can have one; however, it will be something healthy like an apple or a few whole grain crackers and cheese. Yes, I’m that cruel. I recently went to the Children’s Museum with a couple of women I barely know. One of them was giving her child marshmellows to keep her quiet on the walk over to lunch. Another mom, whom I love dearly, always has cereal etc for her kid. My son, of course mooches off them when we are together, because well, it’s an exciting concept to him, eating somewhere other than a table.

I know, all too well, that not everything works for every kid. However, it stands to reason that if you never allow a child to feel hungry then he or she may not have much of an appetite when meal time rolls around.