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February 9, 2021

How to Solve the Pre-Dinner Snack Dilemma

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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.

BONUS: End mealtime battles! Grab my list: 5 Things To Say To Your Picky Eater

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.

I believe that EVERY mom can feel successful and confident about feeding her kids, lose the stress, and finally enjoy mealtime again.

Sign up for my weekly emails for support and inspiration (plus dinner ideas!) and I'll send you 16 game-changing tips for feeding your kids--even the super-duper picky ones.

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Filed Under: Family Life, Nutrition Advice + Ideas Tagged With: dinner, snacking, snacks, vegetables

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. [email protected] says

    April 1, 2013 at 11:46 am

    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?

    Reply
    • Sally says

      April 1, 2013 at 11:48 am

      He was hungry and it was the only thing I was providing–so he just finally gave in! 🙂 I serve most of the veggies plain, but he likes a fruity salad dressing as a dip for raw broccoli florets.

      Reply
  2. Tuesday says

    April 1, 2013 at 11:49 am

    you = genius

    Reply
    • Sally says

      April 1, 2013 at 12:07 pm

      Tuesday, oh go on! (no seriously, keep em coming!) 😉

      Reply
  3. Elana says

    April 1, 2013 at 12:06 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Sally says

      April 1, 2013 at 12:08 pm

      Elana–totally agree that food can seem more “special” when it’s doled out as a snack vs. on the dinner plate!

      Reply
  4. Becky says

    April 1, 2013 at 1:56 pm

    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.

    Reply
  5. Beth says

    April 1, 2013 at 4:18 pm

    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!! 😉

    Reply
  6. Robin Jingjit says

    April 1, 2013 at 4:20 pm

    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!

    Reply
  7. stacy says

    April 1, 2013 at 4:26 pm

    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!

    Reply
  8. Bettina at The Lunch Tray says

    April 1, 2013 at 5:43 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Sally says

      April 1, 2013 at 7:43 pm

      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.

      Reply
  9. Rehana Arain says

    April 7, 2013 at 8:06 am

    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.

    Reply
  10. Melissa @ morepeasplease.com says

    April 8, 2013 at 10:40 pm

    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!

    Reply
  11. Kendra says

    May 21, 2013 at 7:17 pm

    Wow! Such a great idea. Thanks for sharing this to us. Gotta try this at home. Keep posting!

    Reply
  12. Heather says

    January 23, 2016 at 8:58 pm

    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.

    Reply
  13. Mina Yang says

    February 13, 2017 at 4:24 am

    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. 🙂

    Reply
  14. Jayme says

    September 29, 2020 at 11:41 am

    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

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The Rules We Eat By: 7 Healthy Habits For Our Family - Real Mom Nutrition says:
    February 23, 2015 at 10:47 am

    […] The pre-dinner snack is very tricky, especially with hungry kids. But I finally settled on a system that works for us. The house rule: If you’re hungry in the hour before dinner, you may have an “appetizer” of veggies or you can simply wait for dinner. My older son typically waits. My younger son happily eats a dish of pepper rings, a big carrot left whole, or a bowl of crunchy romaine leaves. Read more about this in My Pre-Dinner Snack Strategy. […]

    Reply
  2. Wish Your Family Ate More Veggies? Try These 7 Moves. - Real Mom Nutrition says:
    March 6, 2015 at 8:04 am

    […] written about my no-snacks-except-veggies-in-the-hour-before-dinner-house-rule before (read My Pre-Dinner Snack Strategy). It’s worked wonders around here. It takes the edge off of hunger (but they’re […]

    Reply
  3. Our Family's Food Rules - Parents.com says:
    July 7, 2015 at 12:10 pm

    […] Is it just me or do all children suddenly become ravenous exactly 60 minutes before dinner will be served? So our policy is this: If you’re hungry in the hour before dinner, you may have an “appetizer” of veggies. Or you can simply wait for dinner. My older son typically waits. My younger son happily eats all manner of veggies, including a big carrot left whole or a bowl of crunchy romaine leaves. Read more about this strategy here. […]

    Reply
  4. Coming to Peace with a Not-So-Perfect Dinnertime - Real Mom Nutrition says:
    July 20, 2015 at 11:22 am

    […] So come dinnertime, I try to cut him some slack. The rules still apply: You have to join the family at the dinner table, you eat what the family eats, you use manners, and you ask to be excused. And no snacks in the hour before dinner except veggies (read more: My Pre-Dinner Snack Strategy). […]

    Reply
  5. Is Your Child As Picky As You Think? - Real Mom Nutrition says:
    November 17, 2015 at 12:14 pm

    […] Try This: Ideally, you’d establish set snack times (for example, 10am and 3pm). For some kids, that really helps reign in nibbling and build hunger for dinner. But honestly, it never really worked with my snacker son. What DID work: Establishing a veggie-only policy before dinner. Read: My Pre-Dinner Snack Strategy […]

    Reply
  6. Do These Things This Sunday (To Make Dinner Time a Breeze Next Week) - GoodHealthGirl says:
    January 29, 2016 at 4:08 am

    […] Tip: I read a great post recently about only offering your children vegetables between the time you enter the house and the time supper is on the table. I guess that may seem mean to some but it makes sense to me. You can read more about it here. […]

    Reply
  7. 5 Things That Make Your Kid's Picky Eating Worse - Real Mom Nutrition says:
    May 10, 2019 at 12:11 pm

    […] Instead: Try to have planned times for snacks, such as mid-morning and mid-afternoon. My younger son is a chronic snacker, always has been, so I understand this may not fly with your brood. But at least do this: Keep snacks 1-2 hours away from mealtime. When snacks were interfering with dinner, I implemented a policy of “only-veggies” in the hour before dinner. Worked like a charm. My younger son nibbled on all manner of vegetables, from plain lettuce leaves to carrots with dip. My older son simply waited for the main meal. Read: My Pre-Dinner Snack Strategy […]

    Reply
  8. Toddler Not Eating: How I Got My Toddler to Love Vegetables Again says:
    July 1, 2019 at 5:14 pm

    […] This method also works for older children, and Sally is definitely speaking my language in her article about it here. […]

    Reply

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