If your children have ‘tea’ at after school club / nursery...

[Enigmasaurus]

...do you feed them again before bed? My youngest has ‘tea’ at nursery at 3.30pm and bedtime is not until 6.30/7pm. The others have something at after school club which tends to be more of a meal (though still earlier than we would normally).

At the moment we end up having to top up with toast or bits of leftovers or cereal but I’m keen that they get something a bit healthier.

So what does everyone else do? I’d be keen to hear examples of what works for other families

Yes, always fed them hot food, as quality wasn’t great and they often didn’t eat much in childcare.

Yes. Mine have tea at 4 at nursery and another tea at 5.30pm with their brother.

Yes, LO has hot dinner at 3.45 so we usually give something at home. Often dry Cheerios which isn’t great but he loves them. Sometimes fruit, veggies and hoummous or something I’ve made snack wise and have handy but depends on what time I pick him up as often it’s 5.45 and he goes to bed by 7 so we default to Cheerios. I’m sure someone will tell me they are awful for kids etc but he likes them!

Tea at after school club is really more of a snack eg spaghetti hoops on toast, hummus and pita etc so proper tea is still needed.

Mine used to have a dinner at nursery at 4.30 then another one at home at about 6 with us.

My DS (18 months old) has tea at nursery at 4pm. It's usually something light though like cheese and crackers, or a sandwich/wrap with veg sticks as the nursery serve hot food at lunch (12 ish) and then do a light tea at 4pm. I offer DS dinner (whatever we are having) around 6-6:30 ish. Most nights he does eat it. Occasionally he doesn't but I'll always offer it as I don't feel a light tea at 4pm is enough and it's quite early as well.

@orchid, I'd class those examples as 'a proper tea'!
My DD has nursery tea at 3.30, sometimes ill give her more food if she's hungry later, if she's not I don't.
We are an 'eat what you fancy when you're hungry' kind of family though, not 3 meals a day.

Mine is a hobbit, he needs a second dinner with us, too!

Yes.

Yes, dd and ds get toast and fruit at 3 o’clock in after school so they definitely need a hot dinner at home!!i collect them somewhere between 3.30 and 4.00.

If you don’t want to give your children a meal with meat/fish, then give them a warm bowl of soup. It’s so healthy and if you want you can mash a boiled egg and it will be more filling.

Yes. They get whatever we are having for dinner. My daughter (3 years old) never eats it, my son (1.5 years) always eats all of it.

Yes. DS has tea at nursery at 3:30, they am have a fruit snack around 5, we get home about 6 and he had crumpets or toast usually.

What kind of “tea” are they having at Nursery? Don’t assume it’s a proper meal.

My 3 year old has never wanted a proper dinner after nursery tea at 4:30. I offer him food and he sometimes has some fruit or a yoghurt but he genuinely doesn't want a proper dinner. He is a good eater generally and a healthy weight.

Of course you feed them again.

Yes, two breakfasts and two dinners on nursery days. Neither of mine were overweight either

DD gets 3 meals in her nursery and eats well whilst she’s there. Her last meal is at 3.30 and is usually a sandwich/wrap/something on toast with fruit so I’ll give her a small portion of something at around 5.30.

Things we typically give;

Cheese and veggie quesadilla
Quiche and crudités
Pitta, hommous and crudités
Omelette and roasted tomatoes
French toast with roasted toms
Fajita/taco
Tuna and pasta

We don’t usually give her a full blown meal as she’d probably be being overfed (she eats lots in nursery). We do also offer fruit (berries usually).

No not if DS has eaten all of it. He's never had a big appetite in the evening though. If he's not eaten fresh pasta and tomato passata is my go to meal.

DD (just 2) has tea at nursery and she rarely wants dinner when she gets home. It drives me bats. To keep her from waking up hungry in the night I give her a huge bowl of Cheerios (because it's the highest-protein lowest-sugar of the cereals) right before bed, about 7.45. She has the option of proper dinner with us around 6.30-7, and I usually try offering egg or chicken or something similar but she generally spurns it.

It's especially awful when nursery give them bloody cake at 4.45pm. In almost all other aspects it's a great place but this business of too much food in the afternoon is very tiresome.

Yes, always a proper dinner. The tea they get at after school club is tiny portions and just equivalent to a snack, not a proper dinner. I can't believe people don't! Mine would complain of being starving if I didn't feed them!

DS is 21 months. Gets snack at 3pm in nursery which is usually ham, breadsticks, fruit, yoghurt type foods.
I pick him up at 5pm and make him a hot dinner when we get in. Usually baked potatoes with beans/cheese, pasta and sauce, spag Bol/lasagne followed by plain yoghurt and some fruit.
He usually seems very hungry. Very occasionally he will refuse dinner and then I will offer him a bowl of porridge or weetabix before bed.

Ours get a proper dinner at after school club and they also have a salad bar and they get a pudding. This is picking up at 6pm.

If they're still hungry at home then it would be a some bread and butter before bed.

DD loves her food and has a good appetite but I feel that if she's had breakfast, lunch and tea plus morning & afternoon snacks at nursery that to give her another meal would be overdoing it. If she says she's hungry, I give her an oatcake when we get home.

She moved nursery recently and the new nursery has a fantastic chef who makes sure the meals are nutritionally complete so I feel confident that DD has eaten well during the day. DD's old nursery would often give her no protein at tea time so then I would give her something when she came home.

I must be very neglectful then as i dont feed mine after nursery.

He has a drink of milk but thats it. If we do offer him what we are having for tea then he never eats it. 90% of the time he refuses to sit at the table if hes been to nursery so i always take that as hes not hungry.