To ignore DD who is going "Boo hoo hoo" ostentatiously upstairs?

[MumblingAndBloodyRagDoll]

She's 7 and she claims she NEEDS a snack in bed.

Backround is that every day she is starving out of school and has a sandwich and fruit or yogurt...she really IS starving..after that she BEGS for something else and her dinner is never ready as I have beeen working and can't do it before I have collected her and DD and got home.

So she can't wait (apparently) for her dinnner and eats her snack and moans for something else...this evening DH made her a huge bowl of popcorn and another sandwich after she'd already had a sandwich and a bannana....dinner came and she ate about three mouthfuls of it.

She's been doing this...then at about 8.00pm she starts moaning for more food...well shes in bed, teeth brushed by then so I can't go giving her more food can I??

She has the fruit bowl at her disposal but wont eat an orange or an apple before bed....her dinner was a nice one...not one she doesn't like...she was just full of sarnie and popcorn!

she has been doing this nightly! Also helping herself to biscuits or muffins when I am not looking. SHes skinny...just always seems hungry.

ya probly nbu. does she eat a proper lunch?

WAs going to ask the same- is she eating enough in school.
When mine were on dinners they were always starving coming out of school to the point of crying on the way home.

If your evening meal is a lateish I would give her something like beans or scrambled egg on toast when she gets in, then a normal serving of evening meal.
If we are eating late for any reason mine always have a good snacky meal when they get in, will tide them over till food is ready later- as will be case tomorrow when we go for Christmas lights switch on!!

She's recently swapped to taking a packed lunch where I would rather she had the cooked school lunch...but she has insisted she wants her packed lunch and I do try to make sure t's filling and healthy.....she eats it all...a pitta with ham and salad, a muffin, a yogurt and some cheese cubes along with a piece of fruit.

She might be having a growth spurt....I caved and took her a pear, a glass of milk and a toothbrush! I am a bit full on about teeth as she had 2 fillings recently...

Our evening meal is at about 5.00...not too late.

YANBU to ignore her.

I would give her a snack when she comes in from school (sandwich & banana) then nothing else until dinner. Ignore all whining and begging. Serve dinner. Then possibly a slice of toast fr supper. Once teeth are done and she is in bed no more snacking.

I have planned to try to get dinner cooked before I go to work so I can heat it up tomorrow. It's terrible this!

The problem was the second snack wasn't it. What time is dinner? Assuming it's not later than 6 I would give her a substantial snack after school then insist she waits for dinner - better to have her whining at that point than later in bed!

Could you have dinner pre-done for the kids on schooldays? Things like stews, pasta sauces etc. so you just have to wait for the pasta or rice or whatever to cook and the adults can eat later? That's what we always did when both worked. I would move the biscuits and sweet stuff too tbh - just don't have them in the house.

Sorry - took ages to type!

YANBU and my DS also 7yo has started this recently. He has changed to school dinners funnily enough to ensur he has a proper hot meal then, he has a snack after school (cereal bar/banana etc). He has dinner about 5.30/6 ish (pasta salad/ toast/crisps/yoghurt etc). At 7pm he is told he can have something (banana/ cereal bar or something filling and a glass of milk). He has been refusing and then half hour later complaining he's hungry in bed. I stuck with it and now he knows his last chance to eat is just that.

I do think its hunger and possibly growth/ hormones but I also think children need to learn a meal is filling and sustainable and snacking all the time is just not OK.

5pm is a reasonable tea time ours is 5:30/6pm. Agree with sunny move/remove all snacks. You may find it takes a few days for it to sink in that there is no more snacking once in bed but imho there really shouldn't be a need if she eat her meal and has a small supper.

I have a nearly 7 year old beanpole who sometimes claims hunger at bedtime. My standard line is 'it's very late your body is tired and confuse about what it needs, if you're still awake in 10 minutes I'll bring you a drink of milk'. I don't want him to be genuinely hungry nor do I want to be messed about at bedtime. And I don't mind him drinking milk with brushed teeth.

This does mean there is sometimes no milk for breakfast, but hey there's always toast :)

Do you have a slow cooker? Makes dinner timings easier.

I would give a substantial healthy snack when you get in then resist until dinner, give drinks as sometimes thirst is mistaken as hunger, get her used to waiting for tea then as a wind down for bed sit down with a snack before teeth brushing on the understanding that's it until breakfast. I used to have a glass of milk and an orange or a bowl of cereal every night as supper and this was my bedtime routine. remember it fondly, also gives a reason for not giving in if she is 'pulling the wool a bit' to avoid bedtime.

I knew someone would mention a slow cooker! No. I dont!

Just one decent snack after school and then dinner. If mine don't eat dinner they don't get a snack later. I don't force them to eat things they don't like but I feel you are making a rod for your own back with all the snacks

I would stop her snacking or just a piece of fruit and a drink after school and make her wait for dinner. She only hungry now because she filled up with junk then she not eating her dinner.

For it worth my 7yr old is staving after school and she has school dinner, but she knows there is no point asking for a snack other then fruit (one piece) until she has eaten her dinner and pudding and had a good drink as a lot of time she thinks she hungry when she needs a drink.

As long as she eaten her dinner, if she is still hungry before bed she can have some fruit (banana) and milk.