Alistair, oh my goodness, you’re not alone! That phase felt like it lasted forever with my little guy. It’s so tricky trying to find that balance, isn’t it? Katrin, your ideas about the snack station and the visual routine are so smart, especially for bringing in that predictability.
What I found worked for us, once my son got a little bit older (around 3.5-4), was taking a similar concept but giving him a bit more control over the *how*. Instead of me always dishing it out, I set up a low drawer in the pantry as his ‘snack drawer’. At the beginning of the day, I’d put 2-3 pre-approved, healthy options in there – maybe a small bag of crackers, a piece of fruit, and some veggie sticks. I told him, ‘These are your snacks for today. You can decide when you want to eat them, but once they’re gone, they’re gone until tomorrow.’
It was amazing how much that shifted things. He still had boundaries, but he felt so empowered by being able to go and get his own snack when he felt hungry. It cut down on the constant asking, because he knew exactly what was available and that *he* was in charge of when to eat it. It took a bit for him to understand that ‘gone means gone’, but it really did help him learn to regulate himself and respect meal times more.
