Food once home from Nursery?

[Fevs]

I went back to work full time 5 weeks ago and my 18mth daughter goes to Nursery 3 days a week.
I had thought she would come home exhausted and after bath/bed routine would be out like a light.... oh how wrong I was.
She's got into a habit of chatting and singing in her cot from 7ish (when I put her down) until 830/9 sometimes even 930! It is just proving to be a nightmare as she's exhausted in the morning when I try to get her up!

I know that the nursery feed her tea at 430/5 and because we give her milk before bed I haven't been feeding her again apart from a small snack.
However I'm thinking perhaps she's not falling asleep because she does need food and is in fact hungry... I just popped into her now and gave her more milk (which she devoured) and is now quiet... touch wood.

It just seems like so much food though! Breakfast, snacks, milk, lunch, tea, snack at home then more milk! Would I give her another tea at 530/6 then...?

What do other mums do in terms of food once their LO's are home from nursery, assuming they eat tea at 430/5ish there too...?

Obviously all children are different but I don't want to be ignoratently starving her!

Thanks

[HSMMaCM]

If you don't give her some sort of supper, then it's a long time between tea and breakfast. Speak to nursery about their tea, as it may well be just a snack, to keep them going until dinner at home.

[YorkiePudster]

When DD was in the baby room (up to 2.5ish) they had a fairly substantial "tea" but early - about 3:30. I always gave her a small second tea then when we got home at 6ish. When she moved up to the big room tea moved to 4pm ish and became lighter - sandwiches, fruit, maybe beans on toast, that kind of thing. She stopped eating at home after nursery for about a year but has just recently starting asking for a snack when she gets home (usually bread and butter).

It feels like loads of food to me but I think the portions they get at nursery are much smaller than I give at home (this could be a reflection on just how much DD eats though!)

[wobblywonderwoman]

Mine are two and three. They eat at about four or so and again at seven (banana or yoghurt) I feel they need it. Both of them sleep from 8.30 until 7.30 no problems - I would give her something else.

[timeforachangeithink]

My son is almost 18 months. He gets tea at nursery around 4.30 then milk at 6. Goes to bed at 7 and sleeps till 6.15.

[JosephineMaynard]

Maybe ask nursery what their tea's are like?

The nursery we use for our DC serves the main, substantial, meal at lunchtime. They serve tea at about 4pm, but it's a light tea they serve rather than a proper meal - the nursery have said it's intended to keep them going until they have their family dinner at home. So our DC would really need some sort of supper after nursery to fill them up. Generally a lighter meal than on a day they're not at nursery, but still a meal.

[Hermano]

I normally offer DD (3, but have done the same since she was 2) cereal, eg weetabix or porridge. Sometimes toast or a boiled egg instead. She normally says yes, sometimes eats about half and other times the lot. I figure something fairly healthy, smallish, plain and quick to get ready fits the bill after she's had a cooked lunch.

[soundsystem]

Mine has tea at nursery but usually (not always, but usually) wants something at home as well. Most of the time it's something like cheese on toast or a bagel, but occasionally she's hungrier and will eat a bowl of pasta or something. As well as milk.

[PetalMettle]

I tend to give my 16 mo what we are eating or at least offer it. I probably don't get as bothered about carbs as I do normally. I'm still bfing so he has milk before bed too

[pinkapples]

I manage a nursery and we have dinner at 4.30-4.45 in our baby room. At 18mths old I'd look at how much milk she's having in a day as your little one should have perhaps a bottle in the morning and a bottle before bed that way when they got home you could give her a slightly larger amount in her bottle.
I don't know what your nursery portions are like but I'd say if they've had a meal and a dessert and a drink of normal portion sizes they shouldn't need anything else... except their bottle of milk before bed. also, it may be nothing to do with food and it may be a behaviour thing at 18mths they are great at testing boundaries :)

[Screamer1]

Like others have said, ours have a tea at around 3.30/4 but we always give dinner too when we get home. You could always try a bit of porridge /weetabix or banana to see how they take it.

Also at that age my ds was very overtired from nursery so took ages to go to sleep. Could that be a factor?

[insancerre]

I manage a nursery and would never think that children weren't fed at home after nursery
Our tea is at 3.15 and is a very light tea to tide them over till they get home
It's not substantial enough to last till breakfast

[Marmite27]

My DC have always sat down to dinner with us at 6pm after 'tea' at nursery at 3:30pm.

Some days she eats it all, others she's not bothered, but she goes crazy if she's not offered anything with us.

Milk between 7pm-7:30pm, usually asleep by 8pm, up for 6pm with no night waking.

[liquidrevolution]

Dd has second small dinner at home followed by fruit. Tea at nursery is sandwiches or crumpets so not filling enough for the whole night.

[Squidgling]

Like others have said at my DDs nursery the main meal is given at lunch time and then a lighter snack like sandwiches or something at about 3.15 to tide them over. She always has a proper dinner at 6ish at home then her milk before bed not long after that.

[BumWad]

I give 18 month old DS porridge after nursery. He is always shattered so in no fit state to eat anything else.

[Bohemond]

23 month DS has 'tea' every night at 5.30pm including on days he has been to nursery. Sometimes hot, sometimes sandwiches but always with a small bowl of porridge and fruit. Then bottle at 7pm bed. He sleeps 7-7 with no differentiation between the days.

[Ilovenannyplum]

DS gets his 'dinner' at nursery at 3.30, at home he has it at 5.30, I think they feed them too early.

When he gets home, he has some weetabix or cereal, fruit, yoghurts etc.
I would definitely give her something when she gets in, I reckon she's probably hungry

[timeforachangeithink]

Our nursery gives a proper two course meal, hence why we don't feed him at home afterwards. Usually they get something like Spag Bol and Eve's pudding with custard.

[TheLesserOfTwoWeevils]

Tea is at 3.30/4 at my son's nursery. It's normally something light like sandwiches after they've had a hot meal at lunchtime. I normally offer him something like eggy bread or beans on toast when we get home (DH isn't home from work in time for us to all have dinner together).

[HSMMaCM]

Often the emphasis is on not letting the children get hungry, but allowing those families who want to have a family meal later to have a chance of getting their child to eat something.

[Hermano]

Ooh thanks for reminding me about eggy bread Weevil! DD loves that. I'd forgotten it existed. That's dinner sorted for tonight

[pinkapples]

Wow so many nurseries feed dinner early... at 3pm we've only just finished snack...

[PetalMettle]

When he was in baby room he was having tea at 330 I think it might be 4 now. They're meant to eat at least every 4 hours aren't they so I guess that's why

[Fevs]

Thank you everyone! That is so helpful and interesting to hear how different nurseries (and kids!).
I think I'll definitely introduce a heavier snack/tea once she's home now as don't want her going to bed hungry!
Her nursery tea at 430/5 is along the lines of cheese and tomato pasta but she is a growing girl!
Thanks again :)

[AndWhat]

My DS's nursery snack at 4ish ranges from fruit loaf to spaghetti on toast!
If it's a larger snack I'll just do some light supper between 5/6 if not I'll do a proper dinner at the same time.
He has bath following and bed for 7.
He has his last drink at 6 unless he needs a sip of water. We dropped his evening milk around 12 -18 months and he's now 3 and still in the same routine