to send my child to bed hungry?

[ladyfirenze]

dts 7 was offered snacks after school of raisins, apple and carrots with a glass of milk. He ate some raisins and turned down everything else. At five thirty he was served a roast dinner consisting of chicken, roast carrots and sweet potatoes, steamed mange tout and gravy. He sloped off for a poo during dinner and left his carrots and potatoes. I didn't push him to finish them, but I did say I thought he should. He's just got out of bed to tell me his tummy is rumbling and he's hungry. I've said he can have a drink of water and have sent him back to bed...... That's right isn't it.....

We've done similar in our house but you do feel guilty about it

it is quite a long time between 5.30 and now , i would and do offer supper of cereal or toast. This is with snack after school and evening meal.

icouldnt do that think about how you feel if you ever wake uphungry just because his belly was to full to finish dinner he may be hungry now there is no way i could do that to my kids if they come down and say they are hungry i give them some milk and a biscuit never refuse them so so cruel

Completely right! They have to live with consequences of choices and it can be a key learning for them that they can now understand why you ask them to eat the food served.

Yes it's right. He will be fine until the morning. He could have beans on toast or eggs for breakfast if you still feel guilty.

I'd offer cereal and a drink of water if he was mine-maybe after he'd had his poo his dinner had cooled and he didnt want it.

I think that's right. I wouldn't offer more food but might offer warm milk or a hot chocolate. I don't think they should be allowed to get up from bed and request food when they have been offered snacks and dinner earlier.

I always offer dd age 6yo a yogurt or piece of toast before bed and a glass of milk. If she went to bed saying she was hungry I therefore wouldn't believe her and would suspect delating tactics - however in your case I would have doubts and that would play on my mind which I suspect it is yours!!!

Well...
He needed a poo and he had no control over the timing. He presumably didn't want the rest of his dinner because it was cold or because he was full then.

Have you never done that and then felt hungry later? I have.

A glass of milk would have been better, with a plain biscuit. It's hard to sleep when you're hungry.

Doesn't exactly sound like he was being naughty.

doh delaying tactics!!!

Yep you're right, ignore the guilt brigade! He has had a snack and the protein part of a meal, and it's really not good to sleep on a full stomach.

I also think him needing to use the toilet midmeal could have affected his appetite earlier.

Charleneanna - it's a bit harsh to say that it's cruel. He's had a snack and his dinner and most of his dinner by the sounds of it - he's hardly being starved.

Lilyloo and charleneanna - my reasoning is this, he should have eaten the snacks offered straight after school. If you fill up properly by eating little and often through the day, you shouldn't be hungry at night. And I'm pretty sure he didn't eat the apple and stuff cos he couldn't be arsed, which is crap imo. He'd still have eaten the same amount of dinner, and not felt hungry.

A biscuit or toast hardly constitutes sleeping on a full stomach.

I would have given my DC something, a glass of milk and a biscuit or cheese prob. But that is because I am a soft touch and know really that not eating all their dinner = no snacks

It doesn't send out the right message though does it? 'It's OK to leave your dinner because Mummy will give you a biscuit so you don't go hungry'

Actually, I think YABU. 5.30 is really early to be having the evening meal, especially if you gave him snacks at 3ish. It's no suprise he is hungry again. I'm guessing you feed him and then yourself later? Can you not let him eat with you or just feed him a bit later on?

Maybe offer him the snack he doesn't eat after school at supper time. He may just not want all his snack straight from school. I find ds the complete opposite he is starving after school , dd is happy with a small snack but loves supper.

depends how much dinner they had left I think. If they made a good effort then supper is fine. If not then I would still give supper because as mentioned earlier, I am a soft touch and so is DH!

I would turn a blind eye to him sneaking a biscuit, but there's no way I would offer anything else now. There's a massive difference between offering/providing healthy food for your DCs and withholding food, which is what I originally thought this thread might be about.

i cant beleive mothers on here are so bloody harsh maybe he wasnt hungry when offered the snacks or didnt like them lets face it hardly tasty are they maybe hes bored with rabbit food snacks your children arent gremlins that shouldnt be fed after a certain time i would rather give my child a biscuit orpiece of toast with milk rather than them try to sleep when hungry

ofgs.

Give the lad a biscuit and a glass of milk with the warning not to expect this another night.

He is 7yo, he will understand this.

And maybe think about giving him a light supper of biscuit or crackers with milk before bedtime. I think that going from 5.30 to morning is a long time.

If this is the first time I would give him something. I think 7 is quite young to understand the relationship between turning down a snack at 4pm and being hungry at 8:30pm.

Tomorrow when he comes in from school, if he turns down the snack I would say 'you remember last night you were hungry becuase you didn't have a snack/eat all you dinner. If you don't eat now, you'll be hungey later and they'll be no late night snacks tonight!'. Then he's had a chance and fair warning.