Children and Snacking.

I was reading this post and article over on the Ohdeedoh and all the comments about children and snacking and it got me thinking. Is it really so bad to take a snack out with you if you know it's going to keep your child happy and quiet(er) while you're out running around?

Granted, I don't think it's the best idea to continually bribe my son with cookies and candy every time we run out, but we usually take some cheerios (usually the multi-grain, his fave) or crackers or a banana with us because he tends to get hungry when we're out. Though, he does usually get a treat at the candy store when we go to the mall, but I've finally limited his intake of the dark molasses chips he get's from See's Candy from 3 to 1 for a day.

I did notice a huge difference in my son's mood and ability to keep himself from "falling apart" one day when I realized that I hadn't given him any sugar that morning. It took me a while to figure out that although he might be screaming over that piece of candy that he wants at the moment, he'll probably be over it in 5 minutes and he'll be just fine. Giving him too much sugar to keep him quiet in the car for an extra minute usually come back and kicks me- hard.

So I do see the problem with offering children too many sugary and non-nutritional snacks (especially if they're kindergarten and elementary school children eating Twinkies and Doritos as a snack every day), but I think it's healthy to eat something healthy in between meals, though maybe not every 20 minutes. I'm not going to stop with his healthy snacks, but once he turns 4 he's not eating at Church anymore, even if it means having to take him out because he won't be quiet.