rebann-I just had to post on this before I went to sleep! Your older child sounds like my 8 yr old. He wants to eat all meals and then anything he can get his hands on in between! My kids all continue to amaze me. They will all go for celery and carrot sticks, apples and oranges before anything else, no matter what is available to them. I usually keep those things and little packages of crackers or pretzels. I buy the big bags of small pretzels and store brand "goldfish" and just divide them into snack size bags for them to help themselves after school. Also, Granma sends cookies every so often and they get one or two of those at a time.
Unfortunately at the rate my older son eats the snacks, they're going to eat me out of house and home
. As to the original question, I really find that dividing the bigger bags of "snack food" ahead of time cuts down onthe actual amount consumed and makes them last a bit longer.