DD and late night snack

Maybe her stomach is too full to manage a whole jacket potato and tuna, that would be enough for me and I’m an adult. Children’s stomachs are smaller so they need smaller meals but more often. If she’s full, she’s full. We really shouldn’t eat past the point our body says it’s full. Just give her supper then you control what she has and at what time.

If you deny her bedtime food and she was hungry that's a great way to give her issues around food.

Just make it something she likes but isn't exciting. A slice of brown bread and butter as others have suggested would be perfect. Don't change what's on offer at that time or give a choice, it's this same thing every time or you're not really hungry.

She went to bed at 7.30, and came out asking for food at 9pm? What time did she eat/not eat the jacket potato?

So she didn’t fall asleep within 15-30 mins of bedtime, with reading etc?

Asking for food at 9pm sounds like it could be boredom or more likely is that her routine isn’t appropriate for her. 7.30pm is a reasonable bedtime for a 7-8yo, but you’ve alluded to hyperactivity. Does she need to go to bed later? Eat dinner later, and properly? I think something is wrong here with timings.

I don't think there's anything wrong with giving a snack before bed - a banana and a glass of milk doesn't take long to consume and if it means she gets a good night's sleep then it's fine. Are you concerned about her eating in general? Does she often not eat much dinner? If she's had a snack plate at after school club, is she just not hungry at dinner time?

1 - don't put her dinner in the bin. Put it in the fridge and make sure she knows it's there.
2 - agree her dinner in advance for a bit. Maybe get her to write a list of her favourite dinners (within reason of course) and try to pick from that for a while to get her into a habit of eating her dinner

If she's in bed at 7.30 and still awake hungry at 9 I would certainly give her fruit or bread and butter.

Supper a bit before bed at 7.30 wouldn't be a late night snack really, would it?

Does she need to have tea at a particular time? Could you push it later? Does she need to wind down to feel her appetite?

I think you could work with her on this. She is old enough and she's not asking for anything unhealthy or elaborate.

Dinner also goes in the microwave if they havnt been hungry and can have it for supper.

Once mine are in bed its a no to any food.

They get a warning 30 mins before going upstairs to bed that if they want supper it needs to be now. Usually slice of toast/banana/yogurt/cereal.

If she’s eating at after school club maybe she genuinely isn’t that hungry for tea and so isn’t eating much and is then hungry later. Can you move tea to a later time? Or bring bedtime earlier?

Can’t she have supper at 8?

Depends what the snack is. We had a brown bread and butter or a banana or a glass of milk post dinner time. It's important not to turn this into a big deal. If you're hungry this is the available food.

We've always been snack after school then dinner later on

Yes, about that time. They are usually hungry after school, and if they don't eat dinner straight away they'll snack constantly and the end up not eating their dinner!

Warm milk and a banana. Both apparently help promote sleep

Dinner at 4pm?

What’s times is she eating? Is there a short space between afterschool snack and late afternoon/early evening dinner?

She should be asleep by 9pm really. What's keeping her up? Is it a comfort snack do you think?

If it's in her nature to want a little something before bed, you could build it into the routine. Offer a smaller portion at dinner time and then have a regular supper of crumpets or toast etc. When I was a kid it was really normal to have cereal or toast before bed, then we just seemed to grow out of it as we got older.

Both my dc have always had a snack before bedtime...they eat dinner early, straight after school...so are peckish. DD has half a cup of hot chocolate with hers.

Always had supper as a kid that age. Tea was around 5.30pm and and by 8.30 it would be toast, or cereal, crumpets, cheese on toast and a hot drink then bed by about 9. I was a skinny kid and slept well too.

you could have saved what wasn’t eaten and given it to her later. Sometimes it’s preferred to eat a little bit at a time, it’s actually recommended to have smaller meals more often throughout the day maybe it’s what she prefers to do. Its also harder to sleep when hungry because the body releases hormones

What’s the time gap between having snacks at afterschool club and then dinner?
is it possible she’s not properly hungry at dinner time so picks at the food offered and then ends up feeling more hungry a little later on at bedtime?

*after

DP and I differ on this issue. I don’t like banning the kids from taking food from
the Kitchen whilst I can have whatever I want. It doesn’t seem right. However I wouod
definitely try to ensure it’s boring food only affee
a
certain time

Mine have always had fruit and milk before bed. Sometimes a smoothie.