Do you let your kids snack after supper?

[hollybells]

The bigger two, definitely have a snack before bed. We aim for some sort of protein paired with fruit and / or a grain. If we're watching something special (at the moment we're excited that there's an Amazing Race Canada ) we'll make popcorn or nachos and cheese, occasionally ice cream sundaes but the oldest especially will still ask for something more substantial. We don't have issues with gluten so (non-sugary) cereal, milk and fruit that can be prepped independently - sometimes oatmeal in the winter - are also popular.

We tend to eat between 5 and 6 depending on sports / dance so Dinner Part 2 often happens if the boy has been at dry land training for 90 minutes. He's 13 - need I say more?

Originally Posted by Rose5000

because ds keeps asking me "mom, will jello at this time give me bad dreams?"

Yeah, see, jello would be a "no" for right before bed, especially if it's on its own but it's also not something that's in our house often. Most of the time, we're looking at the snack as fuel, so our kids have learned what is and isn't ok to choose from for the most part.

---------- Post added at 06:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:56 PM ----------

ETA ~ Our list of anytime snacks is pretty similar to bolt.'s with the option of sliced turkey or roast beef etc.

[3PeasInAPod]

Do you or your dh ever have a snack after dinner?
We do, so there's no reason to deny that for our ds. He usually has popcorn, cheese stick, or a pudding cup. No biggie.

---------- Post added at 10:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:02 PM ----------

oh & I'm put off by the fact that your dh is lying to your son about having bad dreams if he has a snack. I would not put up with that myself.

[DancingWithElves]

I'm concerned with the way your dh is choosing to teach this

---------- Post added at 06:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:38 PM ----------

here are some signs that a child may need a snack right before sleep:

bed wetting
nightmares
waking up after 1 am
waking up with signs of low blood sugar: overly tired, crabby, sluggish or hyperactive, dazed or "absent"
signs of elevated stress: hypervigilance, antsy, anxious, clingy, regressing, increased aggression, increased sensory seeking and avoiding behaviors, etc.
need for a nap very early in the day (after breakfast)
waking up "starving" and/or thirsty
often feeling cold throughout the day


i recommend that before bed snack has fats, carbs and salt. this combo is least likely to produce hyper symptoms that will prevent a peaceful bed time and are most likely to lower stress hormones.

*if* the child is tolerating dairy very well, then it's a good choice.
in this family we have one child that will wet the bed if he consumes more than a small amt. of dairy per day.
a little OJ along with dairy is fabulous, that way you get a food-based cal-mag
obviously, what the snack will depends on the age of the child and diet you eat but the sings of needing it are quite universal.

[milkmommy]

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! 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.

My 3 year old ussually eats (or picks and ingnores ) dinner around 5-6pm she in bed for the night ussually around 7-7:30 I ussually try to get her to atleast eat some yogurt and she does nurse down. She sleeps through the night ussually waking around 6-7am she demands breastmilk and Chocolate milk when she wakes I have one ready to go in the fridge (its actually some instant breakfast mix yea I know but she eats soo little) other than that though she never acts lke we are starving her or has she really woke with hunger.

[Pearl In Oyster]

Originally Posted by DancingWithElves

I'm concerned with the way your dh is choosing to teach this

---------- Post added at 06:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:38 PM ----------

here are some signs that a child may need a snack right before sleep:

bed wetting
nightmares
waking up after 1 am
waking up with signs of low blood sugar: overly tired, crabby, sluggish or hyperactive, dazed or "absent"
signs of elevated stress: hypervigilance, antsy, anxious, clingy, regressing, increased aggression, increased sensory seeking and avoiding behaviors, etc.
need for a nap very early in the day (after breakfast)
waking up "starving" and/or thirsty
often feeling cold throughout the day


i recommend that before bed snack has fats, carbs and salt. this combo is least likely to produce hyper symptoms that will prevent a peaceful bed time and are most likely to lower stress hormones.

*if* the child is tolerating dairy very well, then it's a good choice.
in this family we have one child that will wet the bed if he consumes more than a small amt. of dairy per day.
a little OJ along with dairy is fabulous, that way you get a food-based cal-mag
obviously, what the snack will depends on the age of the child and diet you eat but the sings of needing it are quite universal.

That sounds somewhat like my little girl.

Snack before bed.. why haven't I tried this before!

[MudPies]

We snack before bed. Dinner is usually several hours before bed though

[bolt.]

If the information I've gleaned from parents of older children is correct, it is my understanding that teens (of both genders) have large appetites and a strong need for the food they take in -- and that boys are particularly voracious.

I also imagine that teenagers stay up later, by and large, than the 8 to 12 year old set, and have more after supper activities (possibly sports).

So, to me, a rule of, 'no eating after supper' has very little chance of being feasible in the long term... your boy is 10? Is it seriously worth the fight (in your DH's eyes) for such a short time frame? {{{Or is he seriously considering making a teenage boy live without food from 6pm to 11pm on a daily basis, even if he does after supper sports, for all those voracious years? That's 5 hours of daily (awake) fasting.}}}

I mean, now, it's only 3 hours... which isn't such a big deal... but kids get older, and that needs to be considered when setting standards.

[DancingWithElves]

Margaret, kid you not, I feed one f mine every 30min until she falls asleep on bad nights. so happy finally figured that out

[Pearl In Oyster]

tried it last night ... but she wasn't interested in eating much Not too interested in food this morning either although she is crabby as all get out

[Rose5000]

I haven't had time yet to read in detail all the replies, just scanned them.

Wow! THis is AWESOME!!!!

All these people who do food before bed!!!!!!

I am going to share some of these ideas with my husband. I am going to show him that see? , the whole world doesn't operate on your idea that we should leave our tummies empty for 2-3 hours before bed!!!!!

Thank you, ladies, for all the input! I am just totally amazed that there are so many people who do this!

[BarefootBetsy]

Originally Posted by HomeWithMyBabies

We always have a bedtime snack. Our bedtime is a little later though, like 9ish.

This

And *I* snack before bed so I can't imagine not allowing my children to. I mean, it'd be different if the children went straight from dinner to bed, but they don't in our house (well, usually... Sometimes we do eat at 8:30 and then there's just no time for snack before bed, but that's not a regular thing!).

[teamommy]

My younger kids don't. There have been rare occasions where we are dinner super early for one reason or another, and then there may or may not be a small snack if they ask for it.

However. My oldest, around 9-10, did start to snack before bed, not always but a lot of the time. He would eat plenty of supper, but then be hungry again later. I think he needed to then. He's not a kid to eat when he isn't hungry. That was also the time when he started to stay up a little later than the others, reading.

Snacks at my house don't require making any food or heating anything up. It has to be something simple and not messy, and he has to clean his dish if there is one. It's usually an apple or other piece of fruit, and/or a handful of unsalted nuts.

[marathonmom]

I have two teens....they go to bed later, tolerate dairy pretty well and need lots of calcium, so I usually suggest a string cheese or a yogurt if they are hungry.

[Rose5000]

Originally Posted by hollybells

The bigger two, definitely have a snack before bed. We aim for some sort of protein paired with fruit and / or a grain. If we're watching something special (at the moment we're excited that there's an Amazing Race Canada ) we'll make popcorn or nachos and cheese, occasionally ice cream sundaes but the oldest especially will still ask for something more substantial. We don't have issues with gluten so (non-sugary) cereal, milk and fruit that can be prepped independently - sometimes oatmeal in the winter - are also popular.

We tend to eat between 5 and 6 depending on sports / dance so Dinner Part 2 often happens if the boy has been at dry land training for 90 minutes. He's 13 - need I say more?



Yeah, see, jello would be a "no" for right before bed, especially if it's on its own but it's also not something that's in our house often. Most of the time, we're looking at the snack as fuel, so our kids have learned what is and isn't ok to choose from for the most part.

---------- Post added at 06:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:56 PM ----------

ETA ~ Our list of anytime snacks is pretty similar to bolt.'s with the option of sliced turkey or roast beef etc.

Is the slice turkey the kind in packages that has nitrates? If not, and you have some other type you use, please describe the cut you buy , how you cook it, and how you prepare it for availability / eating in the fridge.

---------- Post added at 01:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:19 PM ----------

Originally Posted by BarefootBetsy

This

And *I* snack before bed so I can't imagine not allowing my children to. I mean, it'd be different if the children went straight from dinner to bed, but they don't in our house (well, usually... Sometimes we do eat at 8:30 and then there's just no time for snack before bed, but that's not a regular thing!).

glad i'm not the only one who sometimes eats supper at 8:30pm! I hate it, but it happens......

---------- Post added at 01:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:20 PM ----------

Originally Posted by 3PeasInAPod

Do you or your dh ever have a snack after dinner?
We do, so there's no reason to deny that for our ds. He usually has popcorn, cheese stick, or a pudding cup. No biggie.

---------- Post added at 10:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:02 PM ----------

oh & I'm put off by the fact that your dh is lying to your son about having bad dreams if he has a snack. I would not put up with that myself.

I'm not sure what exactly dh said to son. I haven't asked dh about it as far as his exact wording. He probably said something that he (dh) has been learning from a nutritionist on the radio about "eating before bed is not good for our bodies because if the food is not digested before we sleep (which takes a couple hours) , we cannot digest and sleep at the same time, so whatever food is undigested 'rots'-according to the Dr. Marshall guy- in the gut , goes to the liver and causes havoc. anything disturbing the liver causes people to wake up in the middle of the night--hence a 'disturbed state of sleep'." DH is greatly influenced by this man, and I have a feeling that is probably along the lines of what he may have told son (of course, in a way made easy for a child to understand). I'll try to remember to ask dh exactly what he has said to my son .

The point i'm trying to make is it's not lying to son if dh truly believes that any food after 9:00 at night will affect /disturb son's sleep.

---------- Post added at 01:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:25 PM ----------

DancingWithElves--I like the idea of the snack including salt. DH just had an emergency room bout where he had extreme vertigo. Our naturopath is telling him he is not eating enough salt, and has given him a dosage of 1/2 teaspoon natural sea salt per day, to start, we will go more later if testing his adrenals warrants it (Dr. Marshall sometimes tells people they need 1-2 tsps salt per day). DH was not getting enough salt, he was drinking A TON of water, and yet his bloodwork at the emergency room showed him as "DEHYDRATED"... fancy that! It's because if you do not have enough salt in your diet, you will not be able to retain any of the water you are drinking, you will just pee it out. interesting......

I'm not so sure about carbs before bed, though. Maybe a whole unrefined carb. But I think protein is more important.

Fat, now that's good. I have read that fat is so good for us (Nourishing Traditions). Good quality, the right kind of fat.....like flax oil or butter (good quality butter from pasture fed cow).

DancingWithElves-what kind of fat do you recommend? Do you have an example of a carb/starch/salt snack?

[Aerynne]

We always do food before bed unless we have an off day and end up eating dinner at 8 or something. Usually we have dinner at 6. Last night we had dinner at 7 and all my kids ate well and I still gave them a bedtime snack.

Aside from the fact that they are hungry after dinner, there are two other reasons I feed them bedtime snacks.

1. If I have a kid who doesn't eat a good dinner and/or bedtime snack, he or she will wake up in the morning really nauseous and sometimes even throw up (probably low blood sugar).

2. I sometimes like to serve more grown-up-like dinners that they don't love. I don't short-order cook if they don't like dinner. While they usually eat whatever I make, they don't always eat a lot if they don't like it. Then the bedtime snack is something really kid-friendly (peanut butter banana smoothie, toast, cereal, graham crackers and almond milk, etc) so they can really get full for bed.

I wonder what is going on with your dh that he feels the need to control their food intake so much. Does he feel a dislike for himself related to "undisciplined" eating and is reflecting that on the kids?