Bedtime snacks for children?

[partysong]

Can someone please give me an idea. 3 year old DS. We eat dinner about 6 but by bedtime (8pm) he's hungry.

He hates peanut butter. The only options I have so far are toast, cereal or fruit. What have I missed?

A bowl of porridge?

Or if you give him some yoghurt after dinner would that keep him fuller past bedtime?

Dd(4) will have toast before bed if she is hungry.

A banana...you could semi freeze it and then blitz it and "pretend" it's ice cream? It does actually taste like ice cream!!

My ds always likes malt loaf for supper, especially the super fruity one toasted with butter

Weetabix it keeps them fuller longer

Fruit and yogurt

If he is eating a good amount of a well balanced evening meal then he really shouldn’t be hungry at 8pm. Bedtime and late night eating is a really bad habit especially in a child so young

Weetabix if really hungry here

Crackers cheese, bread sticks, biscuit,

No snack, just a drink of milk

None

Nothing! Milk at a push and bed.

Mine have fruit, cheese, yogurt, crackers. X

A banana - there’s something in them that helps sleep

Nothing here.
Dinner about 5.30pm.
We never had this constant snack culture growing up either and I'm 26

Is it a genuine thing or a delaying tactic?

My three love cocoa, a couple of Belvita biscuits or some mashed Banana on toast with a smear of Nutella underneath
They also love ready brek and mashed banana stirred through with some apple purée on top

Or a bagel with cream cheese and some cold sliced chicken a little earlier than the other snacks

Greedy little critters

DS has always topped up with cereal and milk if this happens.

Is he eating enough dinner? Mine know if they haven't eaten all their dinner not to ask for snacks. If they haven't eaten their dinner and are truly hungry a banana is all they are allowed so as not to make it a treat.

I'd be worried if this was a regular thing, could you push dinner back to 7pm?

I'd try and give a bigger dinner, and make it clear at the end of dinner that there won't be anything more until breakfast. After a proper full meal, they shouldn't be hungry 2 hours later. It's not a great habit to get in to snacking late at night (it is late for a small child).

It’s fuck all in our house. Normal family dinner, we have puddings in a weekend. They can have a glass of milk an hour or so before bed. All this can be adjusted for activity levels. But deffo no just before bedtime snacking.

Crumpets, weetabix, oatcake, a cup of warm milk. Nothing sugary, cheesy or heavy on the stomach.

Young children have variable eating habits, I think it's a good idea to offer a supper 40 minutes or so before bedtime just to make sure they're full…and to prevent any wheedling for food at actual bedtime as a delay tactic. I don't see it as a bad habit like pp above.