Snack Attack: Choosing Snacks to Help Combat After-School Restraint Collapse
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Time to read 11 min
Support smoother after-school transitions with regulating snacks designed to help children reset, refuel, and feel grounded at home.
A Note from Kristin: This post is special — I co-wrote it with Brianna Lambro, M.S. CCC-SLP, a pediatric speech-language pathologist and mom of two neurodivergent children. Together, we combine professional insight and lived experience to share how the right after-school snacks can support regulation and make those post-school moments a little calmer for everyone.
As parents, we’ve all witnessed the after-school unraveling—those tough moments when your child walks through the door...
...overwhelmed, irritable, or downright inconsolable. For neurodivergent children especially, the end of the school day can trigger a major dip in emotional regulation. After hours of masking, navigating sensory stressors, managing social expectations, and holding it all together, it’s no surprise they come home dysregulated. This phenomenon is known as after-school restraint collapse. Kids return home to their safe space, and their safe people, and release all the emotional stress that has built up throughout the day. Restraint collapse can happen to any child, but neurodivergent children are often more susceptible.
Restraint collapse can feel overwhelming as a parent. Often, we receive positive reports from teachers about our children’s work at school, and then experience a total 180 at home, navigating meltdowns and big feelings. A key approach to handling restraint collapse is to minimize demands. It may feel counterintuitive to talk less when we want to connect with our children, but even the simplest questions or decisions can fuel a meltdown. Instead, we want to make space for them to reregulate their nervous systems with simple routines that are supportive and predictable.
One of the most effective tools to ease this daily transition? The right snack.
Why After-School Snacks Matter—Especially for Neurodivergent Kids
Hunger and hydration play a huge role in how our children behave and feel. Low blood sugar and dehydration can mimic—or magnify—dysregulation. Add in overstimulation, changes in routine, and general fatigue, and it’s no wonder your child might fall apart between the classroom and the kitchen.
For neurodivergent children, the need to decompress can be even more pronounced. Many neurodivergent children spend their school days masking, or camouflaging their neurodivergent traits, in order to participate in classroom activities and engage socially. By the time school lets out, they’re often physically and emotionally depleted.
Neurodivergent children can also struggle with interoception, or being in tune with their body’s cues, including hunger. Offering a regulating snack immediately after pickup—or even having it ready the moment you walk in the door—can help bridge that gap. The right snack can:
● Stabilize blood sugar and energy levels
● Provide sensory input through chewing or crunching
● Offer a predictable routine that feels safe
● Soothe emotional overwhelm
● Prevent “hangry” meltdowns before they start
Let’s take a closer look at how snack choice impacts regulation—and why a little intention goes a long way.
What Makes a Snack “Regulating”?
Regulating snacks aren’t just about filling the belly. They’re about giving the nervous system what it needs to reset. Choosing snacks for a neurodivergent child can have an added layer of challenge if your child is a picky eater. Neurodivergent children often prefer pre-packaged snacks because they are predictable in their appearance, taste, and texture. As parents, we can make informed choices for nutrient dense snacks; offering snacks kids want balanced with the things their brains and bodies need.
Here’s what to aim for:
● Chewy or crunchy textures – These types of snacks engage the jaw and offer calming oral sensory input. For sensory-seeking children, this input is grounding and helps the body and mind feel more organized.
● Balanced macronutrients – Combining carbohydrates with protein and healthy fats helps stabilize blood sugar, preventing energy crashes and mood dips.
● Low sugar or naturally sweetened options – Minimizing refined sugars prevents the blood sugar spike-and-crash cycle that can lead to irritability.
● Hydration – Even mild dehydration can impair focus, energy, and mood regulation—especially after a warm day at school or recess.
● Alerting flavors — Stronger flavors, such as sour, tart, or spicy provide excellent proprioceptive and oral sensory input which can help reregulate the nervous system
● Natural food dyes — Research suggests synthetic food dyes can exacerbate symptoms for neurodivergent children, particularly those with ADHD
Let’s explore some favorite after-school options we carry at Margot’s Mercantile, each one chosen with these needs in mind.
Rotten Gummies: Chewy, Clean, and Fun
These are not your average gummy candies. Rotten Gummies are naturally flavored and completely free from artificial dyes—something that matters a lot to families managing behavior and sensory sensitivities. The chewy texture provides steady oral input, which can be deeply regulating for kids who crave that physical feedback after a long day.
Parents love that the ingredients are clean and minimal, and kids love that they taste like candy—making them a win-win in the after-school snack game.
*If you are looking for an option with less sugar, check out our Tidbits gummies with 2 and 4g.
B.T.R. Nation Super Protein + Bars: Balanced & Brain-Supportive
These bars are my personal go-to when I want something functional and filling. B.T.R. Nation Super Protein + Bars are made with plant-based proteins and functional ingredients like MCT oil, mushrooms, and cinnamon (depending on the flavor), which support balanced energy and brain health.
What makes them great for neurodivergent kids is their ability to prevent the blood sugar spike/crash rollercoaster. The protein and fiber help keep energy levels steady, which is essential when your child needs to stay calm, focused, or shift gears from one part of the day to another. Plus, they’re small enough to keep in the car or your bag for on-the-go support right at school pickup.
Unbothered Sourdough Crackers: Tangy Crunch for Sensitive Systems
These crunchy, slow-fermented crackers are one of the most universally loved items in our shop—and for good reason. The satisfying crunch helps meet sensory needs, and the simple ingredients mean fewer triggers for kids with food sensitivities.
Unbothered crackers are free from eggs, dairy, soy, sesame, peanuts, and tree nuts—making them an easy yes for families managing allergies or avoiding inflammatory foods. While they’re delicious on their own, pairing them with a protein like hummus or sunflower seed butter can make them even more regulating and satiating.
They’re a great option for home, especially when you need something quick that won’t require a full prep session to serve.
Jubilee Organic Flavored Milks: Comforting, Protein-Rich Hydration
Sometimes the most regulating snack is the simplest one. Jubilee Organic Flavored Milks are shelf-stable, made with organic ingredients, and lightly sweetened with monk fruit—a natural sweetener with a low glycemic index. This means they don’t cause the blood sugar spikes (and inevitable crashes) that traditional flavored milks often do.
Each carton provides protein, hydration, and a taste that feels familiar and comforting. The tactile experience of sipping something cold and sweet can be especially grounding for kids who feel overheated, overstimulated, or just “off” at the end of the day.
Building Your After-School Regulation Toolkit
Snacks alone won’t solve every meltdown, but when paired with a little routine and empathy, they can make a real difference. It’s important to strive for connection over correction, because being able to help our children regulate will foster better rhythms in our homes. After school routines are not one size fits all. They can be individualized to meet your child’s needs, and different routines can be necessary for different children, even within the same household.
Brianna: In our home, we start with a simple routine of “backpacks away, wash hands, have a snack” before we move into activities to decompress. Doing those three things when our kids come through the door helps them transition from “school mode” to “home mode”, and can let their brain and body know it's ok to start relaxing. Once we move through the initial routine, we can choose purposeful activities to decompress.
Decompression activities can be:
● Physical — For kids who come home with energy to spare, they may respond positively to more physical activities to release the stress of the day. Physical activities, such as — bike riding, playing a sport, playing on the playground, taking a walk, or having a dance party in the kitchen — provide whole body input and can help elevate their mood
● Calming — For kids who seek less sensory input after the stress of the school day, more calming activities may be appropriate. This can happen in a designated space like a calm down corner, on the couch, or even in their room. Calming activities might look like — listening to music or an audiobook with headphones on, playing with sensory toys, reading a book, or doing a puzzle.
Brianna: It’s normal to go through some trial and error to figure out what works best for your children in your home. In our house, we often use two different routines. Our daughter, who is nine, uses a visual checklist to independently move through “backpack away, wash hands, eat a snack,” and then typically will choose a physical outdoor activity to decompress from the school day.
Our son, who is five, relies on us for support and reminders to move through the start of the after-school routine, and will typically choose a low-sensory show to watch before joining in with physical play outside.
We use visual schedules and visual timers to support everyone’s understanding of our routines and help transition through our evening once they’ve decompressed. It’s not a foolproof system, and meltdowns will still happen, but having tools in your parenting toolbox can help everyone move through the meltdown and work towards resetting.
Supporting Kids, Supporting Parents
At Margot’s Mercantile, we don’t just think about what tastes good—we think about how each snack supports the body, brain, and family rhythm. As parents ourselves, we know what it’s like to reach for something easy and hope it helps. That’s why we are so intentional about what we choose to carry in the shop—especially for the times of day that feel the hardest.
Whether you’re parenting a neurodivergent child or just navigating the after-school chaos, know that regulation starts with something as simple as a bite, a sip, and a breath.
Kristin: How and when were you able to identify that your children are both neurodivergent? Can you tell readers about what the beginning of your journey looked and felt like?
Brianna: Having a ND family was not on my life BINGO card, but over the last four years we have come to learn about diagnosis for both our children and my husband. During the pandemic my husband and my daughter really began to struggle, because their routines and coping mechanisms (which they had been using organically) were removed overnight.
Our daughter was diagnosed with anxiety and ADHD between the ages of six and seven, and my husband’s ADHD diagnosis followed when he saw many of her struggles reflected in his own experience. We worked closely with our primary care providers to reach these diagnoses and continue to rely on their expertise for therapies and medication.
Our son was born at the height of the pandemic, and experienced a medical trauma shortly after birth. He received Early Interventions services, but has continued to struggle, particularly with sensory regulation. We sought a neuropsychologist to gain a better understanding of his diagnosis and we are currently waiting for the official report, though we suspect ADHD and a PDA profile.
The journey so far has been just that, a journey, and one where we have had to do a lot of independent research and unlearning about what we thought parenting would look like. Having neurodivergent children can feel incredibly isolating. Finding community has been the best thing I have done so far on this journey. I’m part of a support community called Mother’s Together (https://www.ontheharddays.com OR @on.the.hard.days), which is a space for moms of neurodivergent kids (there’s a community for dads too!). I’m part of a pod of eight other women who just “get” my parenting experiences in a way other friends and family don’t. The validation I have received from these women has truly shifted my experience parenting ND kids.
Kristin: What kind of services can assist children who struggle with food and mealtime?
Brianna: Food and mealtime are such a large part of our day and our culture. It’s part of the majority of social experiences and can become an incredible stressor when you or your kids aren’t able to participate in a “typical” way.
Neurodivergent kids can often have very restricted diets, relying heavily on their safe foods and being unwilling to try something new. They can even begin to reject a safe food if the packaging changes, even though what’s inside is the same. Their systems are sensitive to small changes, and if a food is “wrong” (too hot, too cold, the bite feels wrong in their mouth, etc.) once they may not go back to it again.
Trying to remain calm and neutral about food and mealtimes can be difficult, especially when we're worried about adequate intake, but it's the number one thing we can do as parents. Adding stress to mealtimes will likely exacerbate our children’s stress and anxiety around food.
Neurodivergent children often will prefer to graze throughout the day rather than sit for a meal. If this is your child’s preference, then providing as many nutrient dense snacks as possible can help support their overall nutrition. It’s also important to remember that food is food, it's not always going to be the most nutrient dense, and that’s okay. At the end of the day, some food intake is better than none, and we can try again tomorrow.
If a parent is concerned about their child’s feeding skills they can consult with their pediatrician or consider a referral to a pediatric speech-language pathologist who can provide feeding therapy. Occupational therapy can also be an appropriate addition to your child’s team if the feeding concerns have a sensory component (avoiding certain textures, flavors, or temperatures).
Thank you for being here.
We hope this conversation leaves you feeling more equipped, more understood, and more confident in navigating the after-school hours—especially if your child’s needs don’t always fit the “typical” mold. Whether you came for snack ideas, sensory insight, or simply the reassurance that you're not alone, we’re so glad you're part of this community.
Disclaimer:
The content in this blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with your physician, pediatrician, or qualified healthcare provider regarding any questions or concerns you may have about your child's health or development. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read here.
About the Author
Kristin is the owner of Margot’s Mercantile, a curated shop in the Hudson Valley offering crave-worthy snacks and unique gifts. With 25+ years in retail and as a mom to a four-year-old, she’s passionate about quality, nutrition, and joy. Through the Mindfully Margot’s blog, Kristin shares tips and finds to inspire mindful living.
About the Author
Brianna Lambro, M.S. CCC SLP
Brianna is a pediatric speech-language pathologist working in Early Intervention, and mother to two neurodivergent children. She has worked with families for the last 13 years to help support their children’s communication and feeding development. She is passionate about parent training and practical supports to foster learning. Her parenting journey has led her down a new path for learning, and she is creating neuro-affirming spaces for her children and in her practice as a SLP.
Brianna lives and practices in Orange County, NY. If you would like to inquire about her services, please contact: briannalambroslp@gmail.com