Do you let your kids snack after supper?

[milkmommy]

3 year old ussualy no but that because she is general put to be with in about an hour of dinner and she still nurses to bed (so maybe she does get a snack) in general its just not an issue..

10 year old she can get something if she is hungry me allowing something "desert or snacky" versus something more "healthy" depends on how well she ate dinner.

Both up late a snack ussually comes into play...

[Rose5000]

Originally Posted by jame06

My children get a small snack every night before bed.

Is it an issue of what he wants to snack on? Can he have healthy choices ie: veggies or fruits or cheese?



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No. It's my dh's belief that a) ds has to learn to eat more food at dinner time; feeding him a snack 2 hrs later will just reinforce the habit of not eating enough at 6pm. b) our bellies should be empty for a couple hours before bed for digestive purposes. c) he has put thoughts in son's head that "certain foods will give you bad dreams".

On the last one, he used to say things like pizza or spicy foods could do that-which is true-dh & ds have experienced this....but lately he must be telling son that ANY food after 8pm?9pm? will give him bad dreams.....because ds keeps asking me "mom, will jello at this time give me bad dreams?" "will such and such food do so?"

---------- Post added at 07:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:29 PM ----------

Originally Posted by graciousmomma

If they are hungry, my kids eat a bedtime snack.

good. glad to hear it. what types of food do they get then?

[phathui5]

I'm a fan of yogurt or string cheese before bed.

[milkmommy]

[QUOTE

good. glad to hear it. what types of food do they get then?[/QUOTE]

I like to do a carb and fat for a bedtime snack. I have to do this with me or my blood sugars eaither plummet in the night or I get a huge rise the the early AM.
apple with some peanut butter
slice pears and some string cheese
cereal and milk (lousy breakfast but good before bed "meal"
a baked good (muffin or toast with some butter ect)

[blondie]

Yes, but it has to be a fruit or veggie. They can have yogurt if they're starving.

[Marsha]

I cannot imagine going to bed w/out a crunchy snack, usually popcorn, or apples, but in a pinch crackers or carrots. Therefore, one of my children also has a "must have crunchy before can go to sleep" and the other one sometimes wants half a pb sandwich and many times, not.

I think for those of us who want a crunchy snack before bed, that it's a sensory thing. I'm personally OK with it, none of us are overweight or need to watch caloric intake or anything.

I don't really restrict food, but the kids usually do ask for food, and we discuss what might be best at that time. If I"m gone, I usually tell them what 4 or 5 items may be eaten.

DS and DH are the same...if there is any sort of gap between bedtime and dinner - both require dinner and a snack... or they do not sleep well.

[jenn3514]

Ideally we eat between 5 and 6. Bedtime is between 9 and 10, breakfast between 8 and 9. So yes, my kids have a snack before bed. We usually will have a fruit/veggie smoothie with peanut butter or coconut oil thrown in. Sometimes cheese and fruit, nut butter, or plain yogurt with fruit and honey. If we eat later than normal, they will eat the snack food around dinner time. Because of struggles I have had with eating, I would rather teach them to listen to their bodies telling them they are full or hungry than stuff them at dinner so they aren't hungry toward bedtime. IME, asking my kids to go from dinner until breakfast the next day is almost a sure way for at least one of them to wake up during the night with a head ache or bellyache. They are actually hungry.

[Marsha]

Originally Posted by jenn3514

Ideally we eat between 5 and 6. Bedtime is between 9 and 10, breakfast between 8 and 9. So yes, my kids have a snack before bed. We usually will have a fruit/veggie smoothie with peanut butter or coconut oil thrown in. Sometimes cheese and fruit, nut butter, or plain yogurt with fruit and honey. If we eat later than normal, they will eat the snack food around dinner time. Because of struggles I have had with eating, I would rather teach them to listen to their bodies telling them they are full or hungry than stuff them at dinner so they aren't hungry toward bedtime. IME, asking my kids to go from dinner until breakfast the next day is almost a sure way for at least one of them to wake up during the night with a head ache or bellyache. They are actually hungry.

I'm an adult. And there is no way that I'd feel alright not eating from 6 pm to 8 am. No way! And I"m sure my kids wouldn't. We go to bed a bit later and are up earlier, so we do tend to eat a second "something" not sure if it's a meal or snack or something in between , a bit later than most people's "dinners". They also eat when get home from school, so that's kind of a "dinner" as well. Basically, they eat around 4:30 and again around 7:30-8 pm. that seems reasonable to me.

[Iarwain]

Some kids' metabolism will burn off a good meal that quickly and it is healthier not to teach them to stuff themselves at mealtime because that can mean ignoring the body's hungry/full signals which is bad news down the line. It's especially true that a child who is growing quickly may need a snack in between. My teens have gone through phases where they'd eat dinner, have a snack before bed, and still wake up starving in the middle of the night and need another snack to get them through until morning. None of them are overweight and some are very thin. I prefer protein foods for a late night snack because I think it sticks with them longer.

[jenn3514]

Originally Posted by Marsha

I'm an adult. And there is no way that I'd feel alright not eating from 6 pm to 8 am. No way!.

Exactly. That's why I feed them. I should add that we usually throw oatmeal or chia into the smoothie, by the time it's done, it could qualify as a meal. As for breakfast, they can eat earlier, none of them like to eat as soon as they get up. One more reason I like them to eat before bed.

[itzj]

We eat a late dinner, usually 7:30. We go to bed late too. So we don't do a snack.

I think it's more important that he learns to not overeat. He should stop eating dinner when he isn't hungry, not stuff himself in anticipation of having to tank up. A healthy snack would be better than overeating and getting indigestion.

[SamRose]

Interesting about the crunchy before bed urge, cuz when they do ask late I usually offer carrots or almonds. Veggie or protein, nothing even naturally sweet. (My kids would eat fruit all day & night if I let them)

[bolt.]

I allow (and sometimes provide) a healthy evening snack when my kids are up for more than a couple of hours after supper time -- but that does not mean "snack food".

We have "anytime foods" which are available during the evening, and most often the snack is from that list. Sometimes I prepare something nutritious, and occasionally I opt for a family treat.

Anytime foods:
- Fruit or veggies that are already clean and require no parent prep
- Mini-wheats cereal (up to 8 pieces)
- Triscuit crackers (up to 4 pieces)
- Bread or Toast (with a spread)
- Cheese
- Milk
- Nuts or seeds (quantity limited to a tiny saucer)
- Dry fruit (quantity limited to a tiny saucer)

[Beth1231]

Dinner is anywhere between 6-7PM,depending on husband's overtime so sometimes we do popcorn before bed.