Snacks

For children

Mid-morning snacks

If your child has a full breakfast at home in the morning, or at the childcare centre or even at school, they do not need a light meal mid-morning. Instead, you can offer a piece of fruit or some pieces of vegetable without spoiling their appetite for lunch. 

If your child does not want breakfast, you can give them some bread and butter, a dairy product and a piece of fruit or vegetable to eat at around 9 o'clock. They shouldn't eat it after 10 o'clock***, otherwise they will be snacking too close to lunchtime and may not want to eat their lunch. 

Remember that a light meal during the morning is not necessary if your child eats a full breakfast. On the other hand, if the light meal consists of the wrong type of food, for example if it mainly consists of foods high in sugars and fats, it can upset the food balance for the day, and, due to lack of appetite, prevent the child eating properly at lunchtime. 

Eating filled biscuits, pastries, chocolate bars, etc. should be a rare occurrence, reserved for special occasions, like St Nicolas' day for example.

For children who are hungry during the morning in spite of the breakfast they had earlier, a portion of fruit or some fruit compote or vegetables (carrots, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, etc.) will be welcome during morning playtime.

The afternoon snack

The afternoon snack is important because it allows the child:

• to complete their food (with fruit, milk, yoghurt or cheese, for example, if they have not been able to have them at lunchtime) ;

• to wait for dinner without randomly snacking;

• not to be ravenous by dinnertime.

As for breakfast and depending on the child's appetite, a balanced snack will consist of:

• a portion of bread or low-sugar cereals;

• a dairy product (1 glass of milk** or 1 yoghurt or 1 portion of cheese);

• a portion of fruit;

• unlimited amounts of water (tap water, mineral or sparkling water).

The afternoon snack must be consumed at least two hours before the evening meal; that way the child will still have an appetite for dinner. Just one snack is enough in the afternoon, so check if your child has already had something at the childcare centre.

Some ideas for weekday snacks:

• 1 bowl of cereal with milk** and a few pieces of fruit;

• 1 fruit milkshake with a few plain biscuits;

• 1 piece of tart or fruit cake and 1 glass of milk**;

• 1 slice of cheesy bread and 1 small glass of unsweetened fruit juice;

• 2 crêpes with jam and 1 glass of milk**.

**semi-skimmed milk

Healthy food is varied, colourful, rich in smells and flavours. Accompany your child in this adventure, set a good example, enjoy being at the table as a family, and share the health benefits of a balanced diet together.