Food Time Switch Up Help Needed!

[daycare]

After a thread about our meal times I got to thinking about how close the times are set together that the kids eat meals.

here is what we are doing now:

Bk- last serving at 8:30, most kids arrive at 745-800, we usually eat at that time, but will serve up until 830 if needed. I would like to switch this to 830 serving only.

AM-snack, always at 1030 no matter what

lunch-1230, not matter what

PM snack 330-345. Some times kids kids are hard to wake up, so we don't get snack until 345.

I would like to take out the AM snack. The thing is that I do have some kids that do not arrive until 845-850am.

Do you think that if I cut out that am snack that the kids would be too hungry? that is 4 hours that they would go from bk to lunch. right now it's only about 2 hours between each meal.....

any advice on how to change this up??

Oh also, I start my preschool right at 9am, so no breakfast could be served near that time frame.

[Crazy In Mo]

Mine is
Breakfast-830
No am snack
Lunch 1130-1145
Asleep by 1230
Pm snack 330

[BumbleBee]

After a thread about our meal times I got to thinking about how close the times are set together that the kids eat meals.

here is what we are doing now:

Bk- last serving at 8:30, most kids arrive at 745-800, we usually eat at that time, but will serve up until 830 if needed. I would like to switch this to 830 serving only.

AM-snack, always at 1030 no matter what

lunch-1230, not matter what

PM snack 330-345. Some times kids kids are hard to wake up, so we don't get snack until 345.

I would like to take out the AM snack. The thing is that I do have some kids that do not arrive until 845-850am.

Do you think that if I cut out that am snack that the kids would be too hungry? that is 4 hours that they would go from bk to lunch. right now it's only about 2 hours between each meal.....

any advice on how to change this up??

Oh also, I start my preschool right at 9am, so no breakfast could be served near that time frame.

That's a tough one, 4 hrs might be too long. Mine tend to pick at bfast so am snack is a must. Not to mention the ones who arrive after and haven't eaten yet. If you decide to remove am snack is there anyways you can move lunch up? Also, if you remove am snack, you may have parents start bringing their kids with a "breakfast." However, if you can move lunch up a little bit and the kids go down for nap earlier, they may be easier to wake up.

Everybodys situation is different but I'll throw this out there anyways:

8:30 - Breakfast
12:00 - Lunch
3:30 - Snack

FWIW this is my meal schedule:

6:30 - Breakfast
8:30 - Snack
11:30 - Lunch
3:30 - Snack

[kitykids3]

Don't know about your state or if you're even licensed, but here, the kiddos cannot go longer than 3 hours without eating. It makes sense because their tummies are so tiny. Even adults should eat something every few hours.

I do a strict 8:30 breakfast. Either kids are here by then or parents feed them before they are dropped off.

I don't do an AM snack. Just an extra thing to try and fit in the day.
Therefore, we have an 11:30 lunch.

PM snack is at 2:30 or as soon as the kiddos wake up if they get up after 2:30.

I think 4 hours is too long for them to go without eating.

[Crazy In Mo]

Don't know about your state or if you're even licensed, but here, the kiddos cannot go longer than 3 hours without eating. It makes sense because their tummies are so tiny. Even adults should eat something every few hours.

I do a strict 8:30 breakfast. Either kids are here by then or parents feed them before they are dropped off.

I don't do an AM snack. Just an extra thing to try and fit in the day.
Therefore, we have an 11:30 lunch.

PM snack is at 2:30 or as soon as the kiddos wake up if they get up after 2:30.

I think 4 hours is too long for them to go without eating.

My state has a 4 hour max between meals.

[Patches]

I serve breakfast from 7:30 to 8:30 (as they come in)
I don't have an "official" am snack but I do gove them a little something if I think they need it
Lunch is at 11:00
Snack is at 2:30

[MNMum]

I'm struggling with this right now as well. This is what I have been doing, and until recently it worked great!

8:00 Breakfast
11:30 or 12:00 Lunch
3:30 Snack

My toddlers have not been eating at breakfast and are getting cranky before lunch. This week I have been giving them a "light" snack around 10. I'm thinking about changing it to this. But that means I would have to feed my schoolagers breakfast at 8 before they go (2 of them are my own kids, 1 dck arrives at 7:45).

9:00 Breakfast
12:00 Lunch
3:30 Snack

[SilverSabre25]

Recently (within the past, like, four months), I have moved to...

Breakfast sometime between 8 and 9...sometimes 9:30 (I'm slow to get started, my kids sleep late, my dcks get here late and unpredictably...and so I don't fuss too much about timing of breakfast. This works for me, for now)

Lunch 11:15-11:30ish (depends again on the day...earlier on days we can play outside before bus time)

Naps...home from bus at 12:30 and all asleep by 12:45 usually

Snack 4...but this is a BIG snack, enough to fill them from empty and hold them until their 6:30ish dinner times (I assume, based on pick up times)

It's a long time between lunch and snack, but they sleep most of that time and then I fill 'em up nicely (basically a second lunch, with lunchy components) for snacktime. I sometimes toss in an extra snack in the AM if breakfast was on the early side that day and they seem hungry.

It's weird typing this out...because I used to be scheduled to the minute...then my daycare shifted majorly and I don't have to be so strict.

[SilverSabre25]

Could you do

Breakfast 8:30
Lunch 11:30
Outside
Naps 12:30
Snack 3:30

I'm liking outside after lunch...our naps have gotten even better lately.

[daycare]

That sound good. Only issue is I have some kids that take 30-45 min to eat.
So I would have some done and some still sitting at the table?

Ill have to see if I can pull it off......

Thanks for your help!!

[itlw8]

you need 3 hours between each meal any less they are not hungry. I serve breakfast at 8:15 and lunch at 12:15 about 11 we have cracker time. I give everyone 2 or 3 ritz crackers. Works for us.

[Blackcat31]

My meal schedule is:

9:00 Snack (is really breakfast..has all the components but I call it snack so parents are more apt to feed their kid before drop off)
12:15 Lunch
3:45 Snack

All my kids arrive between 7:15-8:45 and they are all generally picked up between 4:00-5:00.

[Blackcat31]

That sound good. Only issue is I have some kids that take 30-45 min to eat.
So I would have some done and some still sitting at the table?

Ill have to see if I can pull it off......

Thanks for your help!!

My kids also have a time limit to eat. Part of my job is to prepare them for school and in school you get less than 30 minutes to eat so I set the timer for 45 minutes. When the bell goes off, everyone is done.

Of course the time limit is not for babies but for my 2-5 yr olds.

NONE of them have ever had an issue not being able to eat within that time frame except one little DCG I have who is 3. But she is slow as molasses on winter day about EVERYTHING so it has nothing to do with eating.

[daycare]

My kids also have a time limit to eat. Part of my job is to prepare them for school and in school you get less than 30 minutes to eat so I set the timer for 45 minutes. When the bell goes off, everyone is done.

Of course the time limit is not for babies but for my 2-5 yr olds.

NONE of them have ever had an issue not being able to eat within that time frame except one little DCG I have who is 3. But she is slow as molasses on winter day about EVERYTHING so it has nothing to do with eating.

I have a set of twins that both suffer from gag reflex and its pretty bad. So unless I want to clean vomit, I give them their time.

The others shovel it in and are done in 10min usually.....

[Nickel]

My meal schedules are

9-930am snack (it's actually breakfast but I call it snack so that children are fed before drop off.
12pm Lunch
1230-2:30 (sometimes 3) naptime
3:15 snack

My earliest comes at 830 and dcm always gives her a light breakfast. My other guys arrive around 9, so after everyone is here we eat am snack. Just about everyone has had at least something for at home. SO it's almost like they had am snack at home and breakfast here if that makes sense.