This lifestyle may be convenient - but it's not healthy. Many parents find it difficult to limit their children's intake of sweets, fatty snack foods and takeaway foods, especially when children say their friends are allowed to eat them. Make it clear that these foods are okay sometimes, but not every day. Avoid foods with 'hidden' fat. Encourage kids to snack on healthy, high fibre foods like bread, fruit bread or fruit by having them within easy reach on the table or kitchen bench.
Children tend to eat what they can see.
Leaving for school on an empty stomach means children are more likely to snack on chips or sweets later. It's better to start the day with breakfast cereal, fruit and milk, bread with cheese, yogurt and fruit, or leftovers from dinner, for instance. Give them something to eat on the way. Find other interests they can enjoy that keep them more active. If they're not interested in team sports, they may enjoy drama, dancing, martial arts or lifting weights, for instance.