Supper? What do you do

[IVFthenPERI]

4 year old twins have their dinner at 4pm. They’ve been at my parents today so they’ve had pizza & veg sticks

they’re now drinking a cup or milk - 1 with a slice of bread & butter and 1 with a tea cake.

do you children have supper if they have an early dinner and if so what do they have?

Why are they having their meal at 4pm ?

I mean, if they had their meal at - say 5.30 - then they wouldn't be wanting another meal before bed.

4??

How early is lunch then?

Yes my children have supper. They have tea at 430/5 and supper at 7/730. They have no snacks.

They have cereal, fruit or toast for supper.

That’s so early. What time is lunch?

Mine regularly used to have supper. Toast or cereal usually.

Mine always have either toast, cereal, fruit or yogurt. Sometimes cheese on toast.

No supper here. Evening meal was at around 5.30 to 6pm. Bed at 8pm.

If children are hungry-give them something to eat. It's easy.

Omg why is everybody so concerned at the time her kids have their tea, it's their routine I fed mine early when they were little. My kids used to have hot chocolate and toast for supper. It's rare they'll eat supper now unless it's a bag of crisps that they'll take into their room 🤣

A bit surprised that the eat their main mean at 4. Mine eat, and have always had a snack at 4 - something like a slice of toast/tea cake/piece of fruit and a glass of milk or water. Then their meal at 630-7.

Should have done it the other way around, meal at 4 then I could have called their snack "supper" and told everyone "my kids don't snack!"

To be honest, I'm not sure what the point of this thread is. As I said earlier-if children are hungry give them something to eat! An if they have their dinner at 4, then of course they'll need something else before bed.

Are you in the North ? I think this pattern of eating is more common in the North, I have always assumed it is due to the climate. Down here in sunny Sussex at 4 or 5pm it's often 25°C and no one wants either to cook or have a hot meal. 4pm is ice cream time in the Summer or after school snack time. Hot meal is served between 6 and 8.

At nursery DD (4 this month) had main meal (2 courses) at 12 followed by a tea at 4pm, she then still needs a substantial snack/supper at home before bed. Tonight she had 2 slices toast and marmite, warm milk, yoghurt and strawberries.

We change to a new nursery setting next week where she will have a packed sandwich type lunch, then dinner at home about 5.30-6pm (she will be home about 5pm) which will include a pudding (usually fruit/yoghurt). So I suspect no supper, but we will see how that goes. They get 2 nursery snacks though and we might need to offer something before dinner if it’s later than 5.30.

We aim to get her upstairs for bed around 7 with lights out at 8.

It's climatic as illustrated here

Blimey, what time would a 4 year old go to bed if they don’t eat until 8pm? We have to
be up at 6.30am so that wouldn’t work at all as a regular weekday thing.

As an adult I’d like to eat at 7pm or thereabouts but we feel it is better to eat together so we will be shifting forwards for
DD now she no longer eats at nursery to
hit an 8pm bedtime.

I’ve lived North and South, it’s food has always been working pattern dictated not climate! Just how cold do you think it is north of Watford Gap 😂

Not just temperature it's also light levels. I did say we eat between 6 and 8. My 4 year olds ate at 6 or 6:30, upstairs at 7 bed between 7:30 & 8. How far away is your school ? We had to leave at 8:15, I would wake them if not up by 7:30-7:45am ( v. rarely needed to). From yr 1 we all ate together between 7 and 7:30, now they are older teens it's closer to 8pm sometimes even later.

According to this about 7°c the difference between 18 and 23, so noticeable.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/regional-climates/index

Food is food, whatever time of the day it's eaten. I'd give a high protein snack like milk and peanut butter toast or a bowl of porridge.

lol there’s a new slant on the north south divide 😂

We eat at around 4pm as that’s when they’re hungry. They have lunch between 11:30 - 12pm and they’re always ready for it. They eat their lunch at the same time at nursery (School nursery)

I don’t why there is so much focus on what time we eat dinner, horses for courses I guess, but they’re in bed for 7.30pm. We need time for bath & wind down.

Oh i love supper. It just implies cosy winter evenings.

Mine are older and have a cooked lunch at school so we might have;

tomato soup and cheese toasties
crumpets with butter and honey
scrambled eggs on bagels

My boys have 'high tea' at nursery at 4. So I offer supper as well when we get home around 5.30/6

Toast fruit yoghurt
Cereal
Porridge
Cheese wraps

Etc

Mine always have supper, even if they had dinner at 6 and the youngest is going to bed in an hour, he just demands supper straight after dinner! But then its just a small snack like a biscuit or some fruit rather than a proper supper. DD has hers later and will have something more filling like toast and yoghurt, or crispbread and cheese, or biscuits and fruit, or boiled eggs.

My kids are older but they have always had supper. Doesn't really matter what time tea is, you can guarantee they would supper before bed- which is absolutely fine. Usually toast, cereal, maybe a sandwich

My kids have supper. Tea is anywhere between 5-6. They have a piece of fruit and/or a slice of toast with a glass of milk just before bedtime.

Why don’t you just give a snack at 4, and then dinner at 5:30/6?

Our routine is: home from school, snack and do any homework/reading. Dinner at 6, wind down time before bed, get ready and into bed for 7:30. Dd is 6. Never needed a snack before bed if dinner is substantial enough.