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Original poster

Should I be giving my toddler dinner after Nursery?

74 replies

Alakashazam0 · 11/08/2021 21:45

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

OP posts:

mindutopia · 11/08/2021 23:28

Personally, yes. Both mine were in nursery 9-5 and my now 3 year old has always had a snack once home (after tea around 3:30-4) and then a full hot dinner at 7 ish. He’d be really hungry if he didn’t each much after nursery. We eat together so have to cook a meal anyway so really no added effort.

8dpwoah · 11/08/2021 23:31

That's the thing isn't it, reading your OP it sounds like you've got a nice routine that's working for you both too. She has a nice end of day snack and then has something to fill her tummy before going to bed at a civilised time 🙂 if she was hungry or sad or not growing you'd tweak it so I wouldn't be changing much if we swapped children to be honest. The supper here would be fruit and cereal or something on toast here most likely too, maybe something egg based.
If you were doing her a dinner it sounds like you'd be risking her bedtime routine going to pot by it having to be later and i say if it ain't broke don't fix it!

8dpwoah · 11/08/2021 23:35

"picnic" is a favourite meal here too, houmous, things to dip in it, ham, cheese, crackers. I can always trot that out and get a good response, it's usually if I've left it a shade too late to feed her and she's getting a bit hangry. She loves a bit of quiche too...

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doodleygirl · 11/08/2021 23:37

I think if it isn’t broken you don’t need to fix it. Sounds to me like you have a great routine that works for you both. I would leave it for now, it will change naturally as she gets older.

You are doing a fab job, your dd sounds happy, settled and a great sleeper. That’s a big thumbs up as far as I can see.

Houseofvelour · 11/08/2021 23:46

After I pick up my dd's from nursery at 5, I'll usually make them a wrap with fruit, cucumber/carrot sticks, yoghurt and a packet of Pom bears. They don't tend to eat it all in one go but will graze for an hour before we get them ready for bed.

vickylou78 · 11/08/2021 23:57

Op I think if shes growing well and sleeping well I wouldn't change it too much. Maybe vary during week a bit so some nights like you suggested some eggs on toast, cheese and crackers, cereals and milk, homous and veg sticks, baked beans and jacket potato, soup and bread roll etc. I wouldn't risk upsetting routine too much. Just make sure really healthy main meals at the weekend.

user1471538283 · 12/08/2021 06:43

It sounds like this works for you so I would stick with it. I would eat with her though.

When my DS was at kindergarten he ate breakfast before, breakfast there, lunch and tea there and then a meal with me in the evening.

PluggingAway · 12/08/2021 06:54

I agree with others who have suggested that the different family set up is probably the reason for the difference.

I don't think I would ever not give my DD a proper dinner, but that's because we're a family of 4 and have a sit down meal together every night. She doesn't always eat much of it, and occassionally she eats none of it, but she'll always sit down with us and be offered it. I wouldn't give her a snack close to dinner time.

If what you are doing works for you and your child then I would just crack on with it. I don't think there's a right or wrong way to do it.

MyMabel · 12/08/2021 06:58

My DD is 19 months and similar. Usually something like curry, chilli, or a roast for lunch then crumpets or cheese and crackers for tea at nursery.

Then she gets a packet of crisps and a banana when she gets home; however often she’ll keep asking for another snack so I’ve started to give her a hot meal in the evening, usually pasta/cottage pie or whatever we’re having for tea if we’re not eating too late.

Disfordarkchocolate · 12/08/2021 07:06

I think it sounds fine. Mine had something little like beans on toast or scrambled eggs after full days at nursery. Rarely a full dinner.

BogRollBOGOF · 12/08/2021 08:58

I have ravenous twigs and they weren't picked up until nearly 6pm so the nursery tea was already a distant memory. They'd have something small to keep them going then have their dinner with us at 7-7:30.

Years later they're at school and have a light tea before heading out to a sport/ scouting then our evening meal after.

Some children needore, some children need less. If your routine works for you, that's fine. Nurseries serve lunch as the main meal and a light, early "tea" to cover as many children as they can, but it's not necessarily the most practical set-up for family life.

dcilovett · 12/08/2021 09:59

It's working for you and your family, she's eating and sleeping well so carry on!
Families do things differently for many reasons, and you'll need to evolve as she gets older but for now sounds great all round.

kirinm · 12/08/2021 10:01

My DD has "tea" at nursery around 3pm and we pretty much have to give her a proper meal when she gets home. She eats lunch at 11:30!

kirinm · 12/08/2021 10:03

How do people manage to cook for 5:30 / 6pm? I finish work, rush to nursery and then get home. We wouldn't eat until 6:30.7pm and then we'd be doing the bath / bed routine.

MarmaladeToastAndAMarmaladeCat · 12/08/2021 10:04

That sounds fine to me. She’s having one hot meal at lunchtime so I wouldn’t have thought she’d need a second one after nursery.

TheBestSpoon · 12/08/2021 10:07

I'd say if she's a healthy weight and not complaining, keep going! We do have dinner with our DS aged 2, who is a similarly hearty eater, but he needs less sleep - bedtime isn't until 8/8:30, so we have time to cook after nursery and eat at 6:30/7 all of us together. That wouldn't work for you with your LO's bedtime. But every family has different routines, so long as there's a healthy range of foods over the day in aggregate, it's all good, surely?

ChampagneWorries · 12/08/2021 10:11

My 2 children have been to nursery (one has nearly finished) and the portions are tiny!

When they do toast its half of one slice of bread per child. Mine always has seconds but its not even the equivalent of one meal i would serve.

Sometimes i do tea for them, it depends on what their tea was at nursery. If it was a jacket potato then no they wouldn't eat tea at home, but if it was spaghetti hoops on toast then yes he would need tea at home.

hollyhocksarenotmessy · 12/08/2021 10:21

It sounds as though she is thriving with your current routine. She's still little, so it suits her.

In another 6-18 months she'll may be ready for something a bit more, joining you for dinner, later bedtime, or maybe not. Go with the flow as you know her best.

MinesAPintOfTea · 12/08/2021 10:44

@kirinm

How do people manage to cook for 5:30 / 6pm? I finish work, rush to nursery and then get home. We wouldn't eat until 6:30.7pm and then we'd be doing the bath / bed routine.

Slow cooker here! Put it on in the morning then just have to do some rice/pasta and we can eat.

FTEngineerM · 12/08/2021 11:12

@kirinm

How do people manage to cook for 5:30 / 6pm? I finish work, rush to nursery and then get home. We wouldn't eat until 6:30.7pm and then we'd be doing the bath / bed routine.

One wfh so finishes at 4:30-5 and throws some meat/fish in the oven, maybe with a squash/cabbage or potato. Then chop a salad before serving if we can be bothered.

When the other doesn’t wfh then it’s home at 5:20 and start from there. There are two of us though, if it were just me I’d be finishing work at 5:30 > pick DC up and home for 6:00 then it would be 6:30 we were eating and I’d probably have take away more than I’d care to admit because that is a long day @kirinm ☹️

Original poster

Alakashazam0 · 12/08/2021 17:19

I think a lot of it is to do with set up I agree. We are a family of two and I guess it suits us. If I had a partner and another child perhaps we'd be more inclined to have a family dinner together.

OP posts:

Original poster

Alakashazam0 · 12/08/2021 17:21

My DD is a very very healthy weight, she's extremely dense, it's like lifting up a baby elephant 😊

OP posts:

Original poster

Alakashazam0 · 13/08/2021 18:03

So...
DD had beans on toast for her tea at Nursery... Not impressed, but thats a whole other thread
I decided I'd try a light meal when she got in, made her a wrap and she asked for seconds.. Then wanted a packet of chicken (little snack ones I keep in fridge) and then she had a quorn mini egg...
So I guess she's probably still really hungry after Nursery tea :( she seems less interested in milk these days.. I don't know, is 3 years old OK to drop the milk in take prior to bed?
I think I'll try doing a picky bits type meal when she gets home as she still goes to bed at 7pm, I wouldn't want her to go bed later than that as she is up at 6am and doesn't nap at nursery, she's shattered by half 6.
A picky bits type tea is OK isn't it?

OP posts:

8dpwoah · 13/08/2021 18:17

Picky bits is a favourite here! Beans on toast for tea at nursery would be fine by me though if they're having the usual two course proper dinner at lunch.

DD hates cow's milk so she hasn't had milk before bed since I stopped BFing her at about 20 months, she normally sleeps through. But she is really good with her water so I don't have to worry about her fluids like some of my friends do with their kids who aren't fans.

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