Ok, so I have this 7 year old dcb. He arrived late so at 12:30 he had a hotdog, strawberries, and tator tots for lunch. 2 hours later he was acting like he was starving for snack. It wasn't snack time so I made him wait. I eat the same as the children and I was more than comfortable with our meal. So at 3:30, only 3 hours after lunch I gave them snack. He and 3 other children shared a bag of popcorn. He whined again how hungry he was so they all had an apple. He was still whining about wanting more food. To me, that seems like a lot of food in 3 hours. He is a very spoiled little boy and will often whine until he gets what he is asking for and I believe it is for attention. So I am not sure if I am not feeding enough or if he is looking for attention.
Now, I love working with children, but I need to make money here! I can't let my entire grocery budget be blown because of this child. Just so I don't sound too cheap I should mention he is my assistants child and he attends daycare and eats food for free. No charge at all.
Sould I offer saltines? Those are cheap and not that tasty so if he truely is hungry he will eat them. Any other suggestions?