Trending: Are Kids Snacking Too Much?

Raise your hand if you always have a kid-friendly snack in your bag. (My hand’s raised).

But if, like me, you’ve also worried about whether your children are snacking too much on packaged items (even if they’re “healthier), you’re not alone—and your concern is valid.

This conversation around “continual snacking” has been around a while. Back in 2010, researchers saw that snacking accounted for over 27% of kids’ diets.

It’s popping up again in light of research-backed advice that urges pediatricians and parents to rethink snacking as we know it.

The typical doctor-doled advice of three meals and two snacks gets harder to follow effectively when access to travel-friendly, packaged items is available virtually anywhere you go.

Enter constant snacking and potential harmful health impacts on children.

So what can you do to push back against this unhelpful new normal and change your kids’s snacking habits?

• Say bye to carb-dense nibbles: If a snack is mostly carbs, nix it.

• Wean kids off processed snacks to teach hunger cues: Offer a snack that's 75% processed and 25% wholesome and gradually decrease the packaged amount.

• Think quality over quantity: Instead of counting the snacks you offer, focus on high-quality items in small portions, like a slice of cheese with a piece of fruit or nuts.

• Stop packing processed snacks: Without access, you won’t offer and kiddos will stop expecting and asking for them.

In Chicago Parenting News:

• In case you missed it, Kids First Chicago created a helpful breakdown of CPS’ FY 2027 budget.

• CPS won’t be able to reverse all layoffs before the school year starts.

• Chicago parents spend 35% above the national average on school supplies.

• Fifteen more schools are now part of the Sustainable Community Schools program.

• A two-toed sloth named Alface is now available to meet at The Shedd Aquarium.

Parenting IRL: Help My Teen Eat Healthier Foods

Many parents worry about their kids’ food intake.

It starts early and probably never ends to a certain extent.

But for one NPN member, the concern about a teen daughter’s eating habits raises some important questions.

When does a rigid preference for less nutritious foods benefit from therapeutic support?

Have you been in the same boat? What did you do?

Share your experience.

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