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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to expect a 2.5 year old to go all night without food?

16 replies

trekxc · 17/03/2013 02:28

She's been waking in the night for a fortnight asking for food. At first I gave her an oatcake each time because DS used to occasionally wake with genuine hunger until he was 3ish.

But it's every night and seems regardless of daytime intake. She'll be up for a couple of hours crying and whinging whether she gets food or not. I'm really fed up.
AIBU to ignore the whining and tell her to go to sleep?

OP posts:

AgentZigzag · 17/03/2013 02:36

It could have turned into a bit of a routine for her, there's no reason for her to not be able to go all night without something to eat, and if she cries regardless then maybe it's time to try gently telling her it's night-time, we don't eat in bed and she can have something for breakfast when she gets up.

I can't imagine it'd go down well to begin with but you have to be consistent with whatever you decide to do.

She must be half or even fully asleep, bless her, and I think you start to feel hunger pangs quite soon after eating normally, she just needs to be able to ignore them.

What normally happens if you've never told her to go back to sleep before?

JackieTheFart · 17/03/2013 02:36

YANBU. She's got into a habit with the waking. Give her a drink of water instead.

Original poster

trekxc · 17/03/2013 02:39

Oh I've spent all her life telling her to go to sleep she just cries. She's still crying now after an hour and a bit, and water. Unfortunately she's waking DS up too and she just won't shut up.

OP posts:

Original poster

trekxc · 17/03/2013 02:41

We have spoken about it in the daytime, repeatedly, and warn her at dinner that she won't get anything else until morning.

OP posts:

lovemycat · 17/03/2013 03:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AgentZigzag · 17/03/2013 03:35

Could she have indigestion or wind or something?

It's unusual for her to be up crying for so long without taking any comfort from you, have you seen the doc about it?

Original poster

trekxc · 17/03/2013 06:57

Yes we've tried the pre-bed oatcake to no avail.

I haven't seen the doc tbh, she's absolutely fine otherwise. Well, huge tonsils which we're keeping an eye on, but she's really fine.

She fell asleep last night and woke abouthalf an hour ago. It's a mystery!

OP posts:

Smartiepants79 · 17/03/2013 07:14

Don't know what to say other than my 2.5 year old goes all night without food!
I would not feed her in the night even if she asked. She'd be told to go straight back to sleep. I tend to ignore all night time whinging unless it gets really bad!

blueberryupsidedown · 17/03/2013 07:17

Can you give her something else but oatcake before going to bed?

my kids often have a bowl of cereals before going to bed, or toast with a banana, and they always have a biscuit and a glass of milk. It's part of our bedtime 'routine'.

mezza123 · 17/03/2013 07:20

Does she still have a nap? Maybe she's waking coz she's not tired as she naps, then can't get back to sleep and asks for food? My son does this sometimes (asks for water) - usually he doesn't have a nap but he sometimes wakes on the days that he has.

Original poster

trekxc · 17/03/2013 08:29

She's in the process of dropping her nap but it makes no difference.

An oatcake with cheese is surely going to keep her going better than a biscuit or cereal? Anyway, she will rarely eat much in the evening. We eat as a family so she'll often have a big meal at 6.

She woke me asking for food this morning but didn't really eat much for breakfast!

OP posts:

Lueji · 17/03/2013 09:05

I'd check with the doctor, should she have diabetes or something.

MigGril · 17/03/2013 10:31

I'm going to go against the grain hear and say that she could well be hungry in the middle of the night.

She's only 2.5 years old her tummy is the size of her fist. A lot of children do sleep through at this age but just as many still wake in the night. I think the actual figger is about 60% of pre schools still wake at lest once a night. Asking her to go 12 hours without any food or water when they are still growing at such a fast rate can be hard for some children.

Just think do you go 12 hours without a drink on a regular basis?
I'm the sort of person who needs to eat little and often and I honestly am staving hungry if I don't eat often enough, plus grumpy (I'm not overweight ether so not over eating).

It probably is worth getting her checked out at the GP just to make sure. But it could be totally normal for her to.

I've known a number of small children who still need feeding in the night at this age. So don't consider it that unusual.

livinginwonderland · 17/03/2013 17:46

i wouldn't go 12 hours without food without feeling very hungry, so i'm not surprised that she's hungry, especially as you say she's not eating much in the evening. why not give her a snack before bed, or move your evening meal a bit later so she's less likely to get hungry in the night?

mrsjay · 17/03/2013 17:49

give her a drink of water in the night I used to give mine at that age water bottles well a sippy cup with a flip down lid , I think its is ahabit bt you can break it give her a little 'something' before bed and say she cant have it at sleep/bedtime I used to give mine toast or a biscuit cos dd1 was a fussy eater and would wake during the nights hungry , or say she was, it is quite easy to break the habit

BeaWheesht · 17/03/2013 18:00

An oatcake and cheese wouldn't fill either of mine up. I'd give banana and crumpets or whole meal toast and dips or something. I wouldn't give cheese at bedtime as my kids find it hard to digest.

Dd is the same age and doesn't need food in the night but she eats ALOT in the day.

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