Routine is key

A lot of parents find their children are better behaved at school or nursery than they are at home – and that is because little ones respond well to structure. It’s important to have lots of communication around routines, and to make sure little ones are aware of any upcoming changes to their normal schedule.

Early Years Child Development Specialist Sophie Pickles explains:

"Most children thrive not only with boundaries, but also with routine. Your routine at home, whatever it happens to be, will be important to your child. And when you break that routine, it can sometimes throw them, especially when they’re younger"

It also applies to food

We all know how easy it is to lose our cool when our stomach is rumbling – and the same goes for children. If they have set times for meals and snacks it makes it easier to avoid the hunger-related meltdowns.

Kiddylicious Nutritionist Katie Angotti says:

"A tantrum can often strike when a child is hungry but doesn’t realise it. We’re great at looking for the early cues with very small babies, but with toddlers, we almost don’t recognise that behaviours such as becoming fidgety are signs of them being hungry."
Routine can be fluid

Children won’t always manage to eat as much as they need to fuel themselves, so keep an eye on how much they’ve been eating and take this into account if their mood begins to change.

General Practitioner Dr Stephanie Ooi adds:

"When you think of tantrums, you just think of behavioural elements. But parents will often notice their children getting cranky and then realise that they didn’t eat as much as usual at breakfast, for example. Even if a child likes their routine and sticks to it, they’re not a robot – sometimes they will just get hungry a little bit quicker – so just take a second to step back and assess why they may be acting the way they are."

They may need more at certain times

If your child has been particularly busy/physical, or they are going through a growth spurt, then it’s important to remember that they will need more food than normal to sustain themselves.

Early Years Child Development Specialist Sophie Pickles says:

"Children have growth spurts, just like babies do. So, they need to eat more at certain times."

Kiddylicious Nutritionist Katie Angotti adds:

"Their brain is developing so much. They pick up so much from being around other children. That will really impact their hunger because you’ve got to fuel their brain – it burns through sugar so quickly to try and keep it going that we need to keep up with that in terms of food."

Nutrition is key

When you’re handing out snacks to replenish your child’s energy and to keep them going until a mealtime, try to make sure there’s a source of protein to sustain them – because fruit alone won’t give them long lasting energy.

Kiddylicious Nutritionist Katie Angotti explains:

"I think parents can be too scared to give snacks that aren’t just fruit, because fruit is healthy. But a lot of fruits don’t have enough substance on their own to support a child through a growth spurt."

General Practitioner Dr Stephanie Ooi adds:

"I would always try and make sure  there are multiple food groups as part of a snack."
 

Try not to limit their options

Early Years Child Development Specialist Sophie Pickles explains:

"Children are great at regulating their own appetite. So, really, they will know when they’re full. And if they’re asking for more, it’s because they’re still hungry. Sometimes, the best advice on how to adapt your routine will come from the child themselves, so it’s important to check in with them regularly to ensure they are happy with their current structure."