Do kids need to eat before going to bed?!!!?

Question

I fix great, nutritious dinners, and always ask if everyone has had enough...but more often than not whining and moaning ensue before bedtime about "starving". It's the last thing I want to deal with at that time of day. They sometimes literally break down into tears. I think they're just tired, and they interpret it as hunger.
My five year old and eight year old complain the most often, but even the older kids will claim the same thing.
Sometimes I'm really not in the mood to give in, and just send them to bed, but other times it doesn't bother me so I let them have a piece of bread and milk.
What to do? I would prefer to have a system or rule for handling this annoying phenomenon, because I don't want to be wishy-washy. I need consistency.

Answer 1

they shouldn't eat before they go to bed, that makes most people gain weight. i would let them eat no later than 2 hours before bedtime. if they need a snack give them something healthy like an apple.

Answer 2

We all feel it even as adults. When our bodies get tired we start to feel hungry even though our stomachs may not be growling. It's our bodies natural reflex to attain more energy. If it's really a problem make sure they get a small snack an hour or two after dinner but an hour or two before bed time like fruit, a piece of toast w/ jelly, some carrots or other veggies (something that won't give them much sugar). So this may be what is going on w/ them and this could prevent that. If they still act this way after you've implemented the snack routine then I'd guess it was just them stalling or feeling like they're "getting treats" before bed...

Answer 3

There may be legitimacy in their hunger. If dinner is nearly two hours before bed, then bedtime would be when their tummies are again empty from dinner. My stance on the matter has always been, if I give them a little something for their tummies before bed, they won't be waking up later and bugging me. My boys go to bed at 8 so at 7:15 they are offered a snack. I try to include a little protein because it takes longer for the body to process and keeps the blood sugar stable all night and they wake up not feeling quite so ravenous. I usually opt for a half slice of bread with peanut butter and a small glass of milk. They have 15 minutes to eat it. We brush our teeth at 7:30 and that's it for the night, no more food and only a little water right before bed. I don't EVER allow candy, ice cream or other sweets before bed (except on Halloween). It is always a fresh fruit or vegetable or some bread with peanut butter or a little cheese. There is nothing wrong with a bedtime snack as long as it is healthy and timely, 2 minutes after brushing teeth and before getting into bed is just a stall tactic. To give them responsibility for it, set them up with a shelf in the cupboard/fridge that has approved snacks for bedtime (crackers, fruit, veggies, yogurt, and a cup of milk) then at the appropriate time tell them to choose one. Your kids are old enough to get a little peanut butter or cheese if they want it to put on bread (mine are still too little). Then you don't have to listen to whining and never have to stop the nighttime flow for it. They can get a snack, eat it, clean up and then off to the bed time stuff. Hope that helps.

Answer 4

Well on average kids do not need to eat right before bed nor should they as going to be on a full tummy may ihibit their sleep.

I don't know when you usually have dinner and when bedtime is but for example.

If dinner is at 5pm
and bedtime is at
8pm

that is a three hour interval so it's possible that they will get hungry.

an easy way to help this is that an hour before bedtime

so at 7pm you offer them a snack (healthy and light)
-fruit ( I LOVE the fruit cups the chunky ones or the ones that are mushy like apple sauce fast and yummy)
-apples diped in a little peanut butter,
-1 slice of bread with cheese or some cheerios.

I would recommend staying off anything with sugar, even to many carbs isn't good and anything to heavy. Fruit is the best and you can get creative with that and have the snacks all ready in the fridge (That's why I like the fruit cups ready to serve!)

You offer them the snack at this time if they refuse you make it clear that if they don't have it now they don't get it later! then baths and to bed! An hour is long enough for it not to bother them as they sleep.

This also could be a way of them delaying bedtime asking for food and drinks etc.......

Try and offer them water, very little milk or little juice to go with their snack don't give them to much to drink.

It will help if they have a routine where they know that at 7pm or so they can have a snack if the refuse stay firm and say to bad they will quickly learn that if they are truly hungry they will have their snack if not then they will also learn that mommy and daddy are the boss and no eating before bed if they miss snack time.

Hope it works

Answer 5

some kids do some kids dont depends on what time dinner was. My nieces do the same thing. We eat dinner around 6 or 7 and by 830 or 9 they want something else. I give them a snack. nothing too big and no junk food. I want them to go to sleep not run around some more. I'd say every night a 1/2 hr to and hour before bed give them apples and caramel dip or a granola bar and yogurt or some kind of fruit mix.

Answer 6

about a half an hour before bed time my kids get a few crackers w/peanut butter or 1/2 an apple and some milk. This routine started when my daughter was about 2 and would cry every night before bed saying she was hungry. Been doing this since and none of the kids complain when its time to go to bed.

Answer 7

Maybe try giving them an evening snack like an apple or something an hr or 2 before bed, and tell them that this is the snack before they go to bed, maybe try a glass of milk or water with that , my mom always did that with us, and I plan on using for my own, and stick to the rule and they can't use the excuse that they are hungry they just had a snack

Answer 8

When does your family eat dinner? If they are starving by the time it is bedtime, maybe your shoul make dinner a little later. Sometimes, eating doesn't hurt as long as it doesn't contain too muh sugar because they will be wired.

Idunno...If they have trouble sleeping and claim they are hungry still, you can fix them some warm milk. It seems a little baby-ish but it does wonders!

Answer 9

You didn't tell us what time you ate dinner and what time the kids go to bed. If you feed them early then they may be hungry again before bedtime. About a half an hour before bedtime let them know that they are more then welcome to have a snack...veggies or half a peanut butter sandwhich, maybe an apple or banana. That way they aren't hungry right at bedtime.

Answer 10

We always got a bedtime snack before bed. Usually it was cereal with milk. I would let them self-regulate their eating habits as much as possible. Children, left to their own devices, tend to make healthy choices and eat on a healthy schedule. It's adult intervention that makes them degenerate into eating disorders, obesity and using food as a way to control their lives.

Remember, your children's stomachs are about the size of their fists, so in 2-3 hours, their stomachs are empty and they really are starving again. When they have growth spurts, their bodies need more calories to grow.

If you are not in the mood to deal with it, think of it this way--This is not about you. It is about the children you are charged with providing for expressing a need to the person who is supposed to fulfill their needs. You will save yourself a lot of drama by recognizing that they are just asking you for what they need. Stock healthy snacks, put snack time into their bedtime routine between baths and teeth-brushing, and go on with your life.

Answer 11

You really aren't supposed to eat anything for at least 2 hours befor bed. However, I don't see the problem if they eat something that doesn't have any fat in it. If your children want a cheeseburger and french fries before bed, then obviously that's not good for them.

Like some other people said, maybe give them a healthy snack like apples, etc.