Are your kids always hungry before dinner is ready? Here’s a strategy for snacks before dinner that won’t wreck their appetites.
There’s nothing more maddening at mealtime than sitting down to a dinner you’ve spent 45 minutes preparing only to have your kids push aside their plates because they’re already full. On pretzels.
Navigating the hour before dinner is tough with kids–especially young ones, who hear “Dinner will be ready in 10 minutes” as “Dinner will never, ever be ready. Commence meltdown!”
The problem with snacks before dinner
If kids fill up on snacks before dinner, they won’t be very hungry–which means they’ll be less receptive to eating what you’ve made, much less trying new, unfamiliar, or more challenging foods like casseroles, soups, and other mixed dishes.
Yet kids’ appetites seem to inconveniently peak before dinner is ready. I remember painful 5pm Witching Hours, when my son would literally scale the cabinets for snacks when I turned my back to stir a pot on the stove.
Over the years, I tried a few different approaches to snacks before dinner: a handful of whole grain crackers, half an apple, no snacks at all. Nothing seemed just right.
Then I found a system that worked
I established this house rule for snacks before dinner: If you’re hungry in the hour before dinner, you can have an “appetizer” of veggies. Or you can simply wait for dinner.
Either serve some of the veggies you’re prepping for dinner or give free rein over whatever veggies you’re got in your crisper drawer. Even better, prep veggies to put in easy-to-grab containers in the fridge.
When I debuted this rule, my older son was fine with it. Most nights, he held out for dinner.
My snack-happy younger son wasn’t pleased at first (understatement alert!). But after a few weeks, he started scarfing down all manner of veggies.
You might also like: Your Kid Hates Vegetables. Now What?
Veggie Snacks For Kids
- Raw veggie sticks like carrots, celery, and bell peppers
- Cucumbers slices or cherry tomatoes
- Frozen peas
- Edamame (more filling but good source of protein and fiber)
- Small salad
- Portion of vegetables you’re serving with dinner
What’s great about this snack strategy
When kids are genuinely hungry, they may be more open to eating vegetables and even trying less familiar ones. My son started eating bowls of plain romaine lettuce leaves, big stalks of celery, and raw green beans.
Another perk: If your kids don’t eat much (or any) of the veggies you serve with dinner, knowing they’ve already had some may help give you some peace of mind.
What about fruit?
Fruits like apples and bananas tend to be more filling than vegetables like carrots or lettuce–especially right before dinner.
What about dips?
Dips like ranch dressing and hummus can help kids enjoy veggies and eat more of them. But they can also add to the filling-factor of a pre-dinner snack. So experiment to see what works.
What if my kid gets full on veggies?
Most veggies like carrots aren’t very filling on their own. But it’s possible your kid may be maxed out by the time dinner is served. If that happens, you can:
- Adjust veggie portions next time
- High-five yourself for implementing this dinner rule
- Save your child’s dinner plate and serve it later. Read more about this: What To Do if Your Kid Won’t Eat Dinner
Hi! I'm Sally, a dietitian-mom.
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[email protected] says
Definitely going to try this idea, though I anticipate resistance. My boys aren’t big on veggies. How did you break thru the veggie resistance with your younger one? Do you mainly serve the veggies plain?
Sally says
He was hungry and it was the only thing I was providing–so he just finally gave in! đ I serve most of the veggies plain, but he likes a fruity salad dressing as a dip for raw broccoli florets.
Tuesday says
you = genius
Sally says
Tuesday, oh go on! (no seriously, keep em coming!) đ
Elana says
I do the same thing – started by accident. We usually have salad before dinner, and so when the “I’m hungry”-s start, I just picked from their salad plate or gave them a bit of whatever I was cutting up. Funny how they’ll eat baby carrots when I hand them over as a “tide me over” snack, but if they’re on a plate at dinnertime, they often get refused!
Sally says
Elana–totally agree that food can seem more “special” when it’s doled out as a snack vs. on the dinner plate!
Becky says
Similar – we have a rule where if it’s after 5pm they have to have a fruit, vegetable, milk or yogurt. I know the milk/yogurt part wouldn’t work for some families, but neither of my kids are big milk or yogurt kids, so it’s a way for me to get some calcium in them. Although normally they pick a fruit or veggie.
Beth says
I do something similar… Veggie tray gets prepped usually after my weekly grocery run (cherry tomatoes, carrots, pickles, cheese cubed, cucumber slices… Whatever is on sale/seasonal) and then I refill as needed. It comes out as I’m prepping dinner and its amazing how many times I see little hands up on the counter!! We got started with this by having appetizer nights for dinner. Anything on a toothpick is tastier and more fun!! đ
Robin Jingjit says
Awesome idea! We eat way early dinners right now, so that saves us from this problem, but once they’re in school and sports I’m sure we’ll have to change our routine. I’m going to file this one away!
stacy says
That’s a great idea, now I just need to be prepared and lots of veggies bought and ready-to-eat. My kids are loving jicama and organic carrots!
Bettina at The Lunch Tray says
We have a similar rule, which is that only fruit or vegetables are allowed within an hour of dinner. My kids usually wander off or will have a piece of fruit. But now I wish that all along I’d been putting out veggies as you do, since that’s still a big hurdle for my kids!
Sally says
Thanks for your comment Bettina. A few other people have mentioned fruit too–I’ve tried that, but it seems to fill Sam up too quickly.
Rehana Arain says
I never allowed my kids to eat anything sweet two hours before dinner or even eat some appetizers before the meal. It just did not work as they tend to fill up with the appetizers and just say they are too full for dinner. If they are “really hungry” then I give them a very limited amount of snacks or appetizers to make sure they don’t lose their appetite for dinner.
Melissa @ morepeasplease.com says
This is such a great idea! My little one is always hungry the hour before dinner. I usually always give him a healthy snack, but I love the idea of all veggies, especially new veggies. Thanks for sharing your tips!
Kendra says
Wow! Such a great idea. Thanks for sharing this to us. Gotta try this at home. Keep posting!
Heather says
I just say no to pre dinner snacks. My kids are not starving. They had a snack two hours earlier and lunch 2-3 hours before that. Then they not only eat their dinner, but sit at the table the entire time and participate in family conversation.
Mina Yang says
I need to do this for myself! Lol… I get hungry too! (And probably don’t eat enough veggies either.) Grateful for this tip, and hope my kids fall in line easily. đ
Jayme says
During that 5pm hunger hour, I usually start feeding them bits and pieces of what would go on their plate anyway at dinner. But, I do love the veggie tray appetizer and would feel good about them eating