Parents Feeding kids when thre is a 5:00 meet?

[Monkeygirlsmom]

Dinner time is about 5pm so do you just feed a small simple dinner and how long before ?
also snack , I know our coach does encourage a small snack of non messy fruit or crackers or cheese or something on that sort!

we just have not met this before only 8am meets and breakfast is not as heavy so a diff situation for us

 

[bogwoppit]

I usually pack a cooler with all sorts of nutritious stuff they can snack on. Wholegrain wrap with PB. Bananas, homemade trail mix, cheese strings. That way they can graze and won't be too full. If they are only eating healthy stuff then they'll be good to go. Often meets sell the crappiest food, and that is best avoided.

 

[cadybearsmommy]

Hmmm, that is a tough one, I would do the snack type foods that bogwoppit mentioned and maybe take them out for dinner after? That way they won't be too full for the meet.

 

[bookworm]

5 pm would be an early time for my daughter to compete!! In general, since she went Level 10 , she has competed at 6pm or later so what we do for local meets is feed her around 2-3 pm...her request is spagetti and meatballs before meets so that's what she eats before every local meet and is fine...she packs a granola bar for during the meet if she needs it ..if we are away at a meet, we eat in a restaurant around that same time (2-3 pm) and that works out fine too.

 

[Sunobo]

We do what Bookworm does. If she has a lunchtime meet, we eat a late breakfast. If she has a dinnertime meet, we eat a late lunch. She also has snack food (apple slices, grapes, granola bars) in her gym bag in case she needs a boost.

 

[Monkeygirlsmom]

Thanks all GREAT ideas!
I am just not used to this laste of meets LOL

 

[IrenicMom]

I just posted something similar on the Q&A portion. Ours is a 5:30 report time - and she is not allowed anything on the floor!!

Sounds like grazing is the way to go.

 

[gym law mom]

I've always done as some others have mentioned. For a dinner time meet---gymmie just eats a late lunch. Then she always has a few snacks in her gym bag and her water bottle. Do be prepared for them being quite hungry after the meet. Either pack some food for after the meet or figure out a place to stop and eat.

 

[my4buffaloes]

My daughter has gotten really good about eating a small meal before a meet or practice or whatever, regardless of the time of day. Only once before a meet did she say she didn't feel like eating anything. I made her eat half of her sandwich, because I knew by the time she got to eat again it would be 4 hours from then, if not more. If we are traveling for a meet I pack something for her to eat as we get close. Works out well usually.

 

[MaryA]

We have a 12:30 meet this weekend. We'll need to leave around 9am. I let my daughter pick a "special" breakfast for Saturday morning (she picked a breakfast casserole with eggs, veggies, french bread, and turkey sausage that I can make the night before and pop in the oven when we get up). Then we'll probably stop once we get close to the meet (we're allowing for an extra hour in our schedule) and she'll eat a light lunch around 11:00. Luckily, we've never been to a meet that wouldn't allow snacks (though we had to take the nuts out of her gym bag for this upcoming meet because the level 4's and level 5's are competing together and there's a girl with a nut allergy on her team who is in level 4) so this meet she'll have beef jerkey and chex mix in her bag. I had to tell her "Don't eat while they're calling the awards for your age group!" Every video I have of her on the podium, she's CHEWING!!!

 

[mariposa]

That is my daughters least favorite meet time. She is NOT a morning person, but would rather an 8am start time than a 4pm or later start time ANY day. She can't seem to NOT eat and then eats too much by then. LOL. She had a coach tell her it was the perfect time because they always practice then, but she just hates it. Hates waiting all day, she always is way more tired because she says she doesn't sleep well due to excitement, so waking up early and then having to be up competing late just isn't for her.

I would keep it light (or do it 2-3 hours before the meet)and send lots of snacks as everyone said. Some kids seem to love a big meal before a meet, mine prefers something lighter and takes lots of snacks.

Good luck!!!

 

[staceyb]

I used to have a bowl of porridge with some dried fruits on top, about an hour before whatever time I was competing.