All last spring, summer, and fall, my son had either t-ball or soccer games in the early evening, also known as dinnertime, a few times a week. I had to choose between trying to feed him at 4 p.m. (challenging) or waiting until after the game. The problem with option #2 is that he'd always eat some kind of crummy post-game "treat," and then not be hungry for a nutritious supper. Ugh!
That's why I loved this video from Sally Kuzemchak, a registered dietitian and "soccer mom on a mission." In it, she makes a strong case for offering fruit and water only at kids' sporting events (we're talking here about young kids who only play for an hour or so; bigger kids who exercise vigorously for longer periods of time sometimes do need electrolyte-replenishing sports drinks or milk).
If you're as inspired by the video as I was, learn how to create or update a sensible sports snack policy for your child's team or league. Once you rally other parents to your cause, kids will quickly learn that there's no point in begging for rice-krispie bars or sugary juice pouches after a game. Maybe they'll even eat the dinner you serve them too!