Should I be giving my toddler dinner after Nursery?

[Alakashazam0]

DD is 3. Full time at Nursery. She has a large lunch, usually a hot meal with pudding and a smaller tea, I.e.wraps, sandwiches, savoury scones etc, usually with a starter such as humous and carrots or pepper sticks etc, she has that around 4.15pm, she always has seconds.. Every day.. She eats so well. I pick her up at 5pm, she has a snack on the way home, usually a packet of hula hoops, or a pear or some cut up apple, then when we get home she usually wants a bowl of cereal and milk or slice of toast. Does this sound OK? Was talking to one of the nursery mums today, her little girl is in the same room as my daughter, she says they have a full on meal every single night, a proper dinner and her daughter goes to sleep at 9pm.... My DD has her cereal and milk around 5.45pm, then a bath then is lights out at 7pm, as soon as she hits her bed she's out like a light.
Should I be giving her a full dinner? She doesn't show any signs of being ravenous when she comes in, she's a very, very good eater and eats pretty much everything. I was just worried I was under feeding her.. Would like to hear from others who have 3+ year olds who go to nursery and find out what they eat when they get home. I'm a single parent to one child and have nothing to base this on.. Thanks

Sounds like she's eating plenty! I think what you're giving her is fine. If she's hungry after all of that she'll soon let you know! Wouldn't stress yourself out about cooking her a full meal when she's eaten healthily all day

My son is 3 and a half and in nursery 3 days a week 8 - 5. He has a very similar day at nursery to your daughter, but lunch and then a snacky tea about 4pm. He's also a very good eater at nursery.

He tends to have something snacky after nursery too, toast/sandwich/cereal. Tonight he had a croissant and cup of milk for example. Other nights he'll choose a cereal bar and a piece of fruit and he'll be happy with that, but never a full meal.

We don’t. Our DD has similar at nursery, except she doesn’t always eat all of it and rarely has seconds. They do give her a pudding (usually fruit or yoghurt) with tea though.

She has a snack when we’re home - a banana, an apple, cheese, maybe a slice of toast, an ice lolly if it’s hot and I’m feeling generous. That’s it, except for a cup of milk at bedtime.

I wouldn’t feed her a snack on the way home and cereal before bed, I would (and do) feed them properly when they get home if they need it. Partially because I like them to eat with us at the table so we have tea at 5.15 ish to all eat together (although I reckon that only works 4/7 nights based on after school activities / work meetings etc).

My dd is the same age and we just serve up our main meal 'family style' on the table and let her have as much or little as she wants alongside milk and a healthy pudding.

Sounds all good to me! Porridge might be better for her rather than cereal but other than that sounds good. My DS is nearly 3 and has a meal at childcare at 5, he has a biscuit and milk at home before bed

Does the other girl's family have older children? I ask because my DD has a similar nursery set up to yours, but because I'm doing a cooked meal for the rest of the family she usually has some when she gets in as we're all eating so she wants some. If it was just DD, I would do what you do, sounds great. If it works for you both don't change it! And my DD would never last til 9pm without getting super grumpy, but she is up early.

If she's having breakfast and then two 2 course meals, then a snack on the way home and cereal in the evening, I think that's absolutely more than enough.

Having said that, if she's having tea at 4.15 with seconds, does she really need a snack 45 minutes later?

I always thought a snack was OK. I don't think she'd eat a full meal at 6pm. At the weekend she has her dinner at 4.30pm.. I swap at the weekend, she'll have her snacky lunch, sandwiches, wraps, home made pizza etc and then a proper dinner.. Usually chicken, veg, potatoes or pasta etc. It never occurred to me to give her dinner at 6pm when we get home.. But just questioned myself after talking to the other mum at nursery. She has her dinner at 4.30pm at the weekend and milk at 6pm and down for 7pm, she sleeps 7 to 7 straight.

Our 2.5yo is always ravenous when he gets home from nursery too. Tbh I wish they'd give them a more substantial meal at 5 rather than a light tea at 4.15. We will always want a snack on the way home - usually we give him fruit. We usually eat when he gets home from nursery and he'll have a smaller plate of what we're having.

@WorraLiberty

If she's having breakfast and then two 2 course meals, then a snack on the way home and cereal in the evening, I think that's absolutely more than enough.

Having said that, if she's having tea at 4.15 with seconds, does she really need a snack 45 minutes later?

She's greedy lol.. If I don't bring a snack for 8 minute journey.. All hell breaks loose!

DD is two and a half. Her nursery is similar although tea is served at 3.15. She eats well there too Depending how she's feeling/timing she either has a small portion of a normal meal (cottage pie, bit of pasta etc.) or say a scrambled egg and piece of toast, but then sometimes she just has some Weetabix or a yogurt.

I find it goes in phases so she'll have hungrier weeks then less so. I assume growth spurts etc. She will ask for more when she needs it!

I think it depends on bedtime too. DD is asleep by 7. If she was awake as long as late as 9 I'm sure she'd want a proper meal.

Given your daughter's nursery does tea later a simple supper sounds fine. I'm sure she's able to tell you if she's hungry. Also if she's sleeping well she's probably fine - you'd know if she was waking hungry in the night.

We give me a snack or a smaller version of our tea after nursery, then cup of milk before bed.
Bedtime is 7 here too and no issues. Nursery always let me know if she's not eaten much of tea so can offer more, but usually is pretty good for eating.
4pm is an early tea for them to going to sleep on.
Cereal and toast sound fine.
We tend to do a car snack too but mainly to keep her awake on the commute home (20 mins on a good day) but will knock that on the head when she starts school next month.

Lunch at DDs nursery is 11am and the afternoon light tea is at 3, at home we serve up whatever we're having for dinner around 5.15, she has as much or as little as she wants, then at 6.30ish she has a small supper something like half a weetabix or small bowl of porridge or a crumpet before going to bed at 7.

@CatOfTheLand

My dd is the same age and we just serve up our main meal 'family style' on the table and let her have as much or little as she wants alongside milk and a healthy pudding.

That is good.

Op, it sounds as though your daughter eats quite well but it is nice to sit round the table and eat together in the early evening. Mine always ate a good dinner regardless of what he had during the day.

She's greedy lol.. If I don't bring a snack for 8 minute journey.. All hell breaks loose!

If she can’t last an 8 minute journey without a snack then you’re setting yourself up for a whole heap of trouble…

She doesn’t have to eat a full on meal at 6pm, but if she had a small portion of what you were having that would be better than crisps and cereal.

This wouldn’t be for everyone as I know it’s very early for dinner, but we eat our dinner with DD when she get home from nursery (so sometime between 5:30 and 6). I know she’s eaten at nursery, and she eats well there, so I use these meals as a way of introducing her to different foods without any bother about her eating or not eating. She gets a bit of both our servings, if she eats it fine, if not, also fine. If she wolfs it down she can have more. Sometimes she does eat a pretty big amount so I guess sometimes she is hungry and needs it. But sometimes she eats nothing and I just assume she’s not hungry.
She’s only just turned 2 and if nursery tell me she hasn’t eaten well, I’m more flexible with giving her alternatives to eat as I don’t want to leave her hungry.

@Bloatstoat

Does the other girl's family have older children? I ask because my DD has a similar nursery set up to yours, but because I'm doing a cooked meal for the rest of the family she usually has some when she gets in as we're all eating so she wants some. If it was just DD, I would do what you do, sounds great. If it works for you both don't change it! And my DD would never last til 9pm without getting super grumpy, but she is up early.

She has an older brother I think. I think it is mainly to do with set up. I'm a single parent and it's just DD and I. She's always had her dinner at 4.15pm/4.30pm, after she goes to sleep I have my dinner at 7.30pm. Sometimes on a Sunday I do a roast for us both and we'll sit and eat together at 4.30pm. I think I'll try some different snacky type stuff when she gets home like cheese and crackers or weetabix. She usually demolishes a bowl of rice krispies or cornflakes when she gets home. We've dropped her bedtime milk now and she has her milk with cereal.

Sounds fine to me. My DC are 1 and 3, with a similar nursery meal pattern. Big meal at lunch then a snacky type tea around 4pm. When we get home, we usually offer milk and snack (oat bar or fruit). There's no time to cook and eat a full meal between getting home from nursery at 5.45 and starting bedtime routine at 6.30, in bed shortly after 7.

Sounds fine. My dd has a similar routine at nursery, she’s 4. She gets home at 5.45pm and we have tea. Sometimes she eats all of it, sometimes she eats only a little bit, sometimes she doesn’t want any like tonight so she had an ice lolly a carrot and a tube yoghurt. Some nights she asks for porridge rather than what we’ve made.

My DS is 2.4 and has the same in nursery, a snack on the way home and then a full tea like chicken and rice or pasta at 6.30 ish. Hes a tall slim thing do definitely not over feeding him 😂

@PotteringAlong

She's greedy lol.. If I don't bring a snack for 8 minute journey.. All hell breaks loose!

If she can’t last an 8 minute journey without a snack then you’re setting yourself up for a whole heap of trouble…

She doesn’t have to eat a full on meal at 6pm, but if she had a small portion of what you were having that would be better than crisps and cereal.

Not really. I like to bring her a snack and it's not always crisps. It's cut up fruit, or a cereal bar or grapes.

My dc have a similar nursery set up and both still eat dinner every night. They have a snack on the way home and then a slightly smaller portion of dinner (maybe 2/3) and then there’s still room for dessert. I would rather offer a proper meal than snack style foods and cereal.

@turtletum

Sounds fine to me. My DC are 1 and 3, with a similar nursery meal pattern. Big meal at lunch then a snacky type tea around 4pm. When we get home, we usually offer milk and snack (oat bar or fruit). There's no time to cook and eat a full meal between getting home from nursery at 5.45 and starting bedtime routine at 6.30, in bed shortly after 7.

That's what i thought too. I work full time also, 7.30pm to 4.30pm and by the time we get home it's an hour until bed time. I did try to put her down later but she doesn't nap at nursery so she's absolutely shattered by the time it gets to 6.30pm, I've carried her upstairs asleep many a time.

DS is 2.4 and they do tea at nursery at 3pm so he has a snack when we pick him up at 4, then a small tea at 5.30pm (nothing fancy!) then bath and bed by 7.

He has his tea (or dinner if you’re not from up here!) at 5.30 most days