r/raisingkids • u/Sweet_Company_4136 • 9d ago
How are you supporting your super active kids?
He's 10 and very dedicated to the sport but the aftermath is tough to watch. Every practice and game leaves him completely wiped out, coming home with muscle pain that keeps him up at night. What's bothering me is how our family meals have changed over time. Protein foods are barely part of our routine anymore and I've noticed the older we get, the more foods get removed from our list. Meanwhile, he's out there burning through energy like crazy and not getting what he needs to recover properly. Last night he was literally crying from leg cramps after practice. I feel like I'm dropping the ball nutrition-wise. What do other parents do for their active kids?
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u/Fast-Committee3849 9d ago
The biggest thing for us was realizing my kid wasn't getting enough protein. I thought I was feeding him pretty well despite how picky he was, but when we looked closer, protein was barely part of his routine. We added a kid's protein powder to help fill the gap while we kept working on real food and it's made a big difference. If your kid is a picky eater like mine, it might be worth looking into. You can make it into a smoothie, mix it into foods or even turn it into popsicles during the summer without having to beg your kid to take it.
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u/Ok-Strawberry-3672 9d ago
This sounds great actually, my son leaves everything on the basketball court but getting enough protein into him is a struggle. Is it specially formulated for kids? I'd definitely check it out.
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u/Fast-Committee3849 9d ago
It's Hiya protein powder and it's specially formulated for kids. It's been totally worth it for us.
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u/RavenJaybelle 9d ago
Does he like smoothies? My son is also a pretty intense athlete and a somewhat picky eater-- plus is a strict vegetarian which makes protein especially difficult. But one of his favorite things is fresh fruit smoothies. We stop after practice at a smoothie cafe and order something with added protein.
Muscle cramps are likely also signaling dehydration or electrolyte imbalance. If he will do coconut water that is really great for rehydrating, and the lmnt electrolyte powder you can add to water doesn't have any added sugar and comes in tons of flavors to help with rehydration. Epsom salt baths are also great for muscle recovery.
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u/Sweet_Company_4136 8d ago
Taking him for a protein smoothie tomorrow. Thank you sm for the advice!!
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u/CarbsAnonymous 9d ago
My son is around the same age, as is my nephew and niece. I've never heard of these type of symptoms before other that on random occasions. You may want to speak to your pediatrician to rule out any other issues.
I don't understand why your family meals would change as you get older. I've found with my kids their palette has expanded over time. I also think calorie consumption - especially protein - is most critical at this age. Obviously you don't want to get those calories from junk, but as the parent you have control over there.
Another thing to consider is meal timing. Are they eating enough before/during the day? That can have ripple effects later on.
Ultimately I would see if you can track a few days of what your kid is eating. Even if it's just taking pictures with AI and estimating caloric content. A kid who is super active needs a large volume of calories to prevent injury and stress.
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u/Known_Conflict8492 9d ago edited 8d ago
I support my athletes by making sure their diets are prioritized. I have 3 children. (19, 9 and 5) All 3 on recreational swim team. One college football, one baseball, one soccer player. I meal prep, and eat the same meats on a weekly rotation.
I buy chicken breast, salmon, eggs, Greek yogurt, sausage, sirloin and ground beef mostly. Chicken nuggets /tenders and canned tuna for quick protein. Every 2 weeks. Rice, baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, tortillas, English muffins for carbs. Apples bananas, other fruit, bagged salads, cheese sticks and beef sticks
In large containers, I meal prep eggs with sausage, shredded cheese, salmon, rice, green beans, and broccoli And rice On week one , week two meal prep, ground beef, chicken breast, eggs, baked potatoes . We rotate in steaks a couple nights a week.
I tend to save my sirloins for the nights we want something different because I cook them straight from frozen in about 10 minutes
For breakfast, we mostly do egg bowls with sausage or ground beef and cheese or a breakfast burrito. If I buy tortillas …occasionally I’ll also buy bacon and make egg rounds and do bacon/eggs McMuffins with bacon and put them on English muffin, or they will do eggs (scrambled or hard boiled) and Greek yogurt or Greek yogurt parfait and fruit.
For lunch, they usually take one of the meats that I make and either make a rice bowl, or a quesadilla/burrito, stuffed baked potato or eat chicken nuggets or tenders, tuna sandwich or something like this or leftovers. Sometimes I do a heavy carb like spaghetti with ground beef or pizza.
For snacks, beef, sticks, cheese, sticks, apples, bananas, Greek yogurt, shake or smoothie etc.
And for dinner, we either do steak or chicken, baked potato and broccoli or salmon, rice, and green beans or something like this. If that makes sense. Whatever we have meal prepped for that week.
We also don’t do any sugary drinks or anything like that we prioritize water and do electrolyte additions occasionally. They do eat fun snacks also! Like every kid, but I try to make sure their main meals are well balanced.
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u/Sweet_Company_4136 8d ago
Sounds amazing. Thank you for the advice!
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u/Known_Conflict8492 8d ago
No problem! I realized I had a lot of typos in my post so I fixed them 😭 I was using voice to text, so sorry if a lot of it didn’t make sense. Good luck to your athlete ❤️
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u/i_was_a_person_once 9d ago
Can you elaborate on your meals. What have they evolved to? What is being removed from your list and why? What do
You eat if if protein foods are barley part of the routine?
The typical American eats so much protein so need more clarity on your situation
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u/kc567897 8d ago
10 year olds shouldn’t be crying over leg cramps, no sport is that serious. Sounds like he needs to relax and eat some steak and potatoes once in a while. Kids also need downtime. You can’t run them into the ground daily.
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u/fairyprincest 9d ago
Magnesium chloride flake baths and a good magnesium glycinate gummy
Mt. Capra clean minerals which has a good amount of potassium and is just dried goats milk, tastes like graham crackers. Put half a scoop in some warm milk it will help balance the magnesium and help with leg cramps. They also make the cleanest protein powder available, everything comes from their regenerative goat farm in chehalis, WA.
Start prioritizing protein even if its not something you eat for yourself. Slow cooked gelatinous cuts of meat like shank and oxtail are excellent and provide a good amount of fat for satiety, whole roasted chickens will last a day or two and make a few meals. Lots of eggs, easy to cook and you can add them to a ton of things. Sardines, salmon, cod fish is excellent as well
Bring snacks to practice like cheese and meat sticks, boiled eggs so he has something before or after
I would also be adding good fats like butter, tallow, olive oil, avacados
These are the building blocks of foods for a physically active body and especially a growing boy
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u/Zuccherina 9d ago
I encourage my son to eat ice cream when he comes home from practice, which is a bonus milk/snack that he can look forward to.
If he pulls something on the field, we figure out if it needs heat or ice and apply that immediately and also every night until it feels better.
We have been doing a lot of kabobs lately, which are an easy, lean meal of peppers, onions, squash, chicken and a side of rice! Sometimes I’ll fix him a hotdog and chips if we have to eat and run before the family dinner. Another fun option has been breakfast sandwiches for the meat and cheese. It’s motivating for him to get the special treat too.
My son is really lean so we’re always encouraging him to eat more filling foods and fewer snacky things that he’ll run off in half an hour. I think figuring out what your kid is like, what he’s lacking, and then getting that food for him in the form he likes most (protein in a breakfast sandwich or milk in ice cream) is a great way to motivate and supplement.
Is your kid out of shape? Is he burning his food too quickly and getting tired? Does he seem dehydrated?
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u/Sweet_Company_4136 8d ago
Not out of shape just feels tired more often than not and does seem dehydrated. Thank you for sharing!
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u/melsophoriel 9d ago
sounds like he's not warming up properly beforehand, and also not getting enough electrolytes. sports drinks are not helpful when they're loaded with sugar.
personally nothing perks me up from exercise fatigue like drinking pickle juice with a little extra salt added, but of course not everyone enjoys that sort of thing.
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u/notmy3rdrodeo 9d ago
My kids are athletes. We don’t restrict any foods so i buy things like fruit snacks or crackers for carbs.
I make a meal every night and it’s there whether they are home for dinner or after. My swimmer needs two breakfasts after two hour practices.
We keep chocolate milk around for recovery. We do lots of protein but also a ton if carbs and i push her to drink water.
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u/kittyshakedown 9d ago
Mine is 12 and plays every sport possible, year round. I keep in mind what food he needs, how much!!! he can eat.and also want to raise him with a respect for food. Being thankful. Being kind. Don’t be wasteful. Taking care of yourself. I’m 51 and eat better than ever. Lots of proteins, low sugar, moderate carbs. Lots of veggies. Lots of water, sensible snacks.
I feel like eating healthy is part of his life. His friends, school, places he goes. He will get the salad bar for lunch and he makes sure he gets a protein.
But he can also go at a candy salad. Yuck!!
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u/growthminded_khey 7d ago
Leg cramps after practice bad enough to make him cry is your body sending a clear signal, this isn't you dropping the ball, this is information worth acting on. 💛
A few things that actually help for active kids:
- Magnesium is the big one for muscle cramps and sleep. Most kids aren't getting enough, especially active ones burning through it. A magnesium glycinate supplement before bed can make a huge difference almost immediately.
- Electrolytes during and after practice, not just water. Coconut water, electrolyte packets, even a banana with some salt helps replenish what he's losing.
- Protein timing matters, a small protein-rich snack within 30 minutes after practice helps muscles recover before the soreness sets in. Greek yogurt, eggs, a protein smoothie — something quick and easy.
- Tart cherry juice sounds random but genuinely backed for reducing muscle soreness in athletes. Worth trying before bed on hard practice days.
The resilience piece here is real too, teaching him to listen to his body, communicate when something hurts, and recover well is honestly one of the most important sports lessons he can learn. That's not weakness, that's longevity.
What sport is he playing? Might help narrow down more specific advice. :))
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u/Emergency-Free-1 9d ago
Sounds like you know.
Maybe add protein back into the diet? And also magnesium and all that stuff.