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What do you give your toddlers to eat after their dinner?

32 replies

Taler · 23/07/2015 00:13

DD (20 months) has her dinner around 5pm at home (4pm at nursery). About a month ago we stopped giving her a bottle of milk at bedtime but instead have been giving her cereal.

I think she may be getting a bit bored of this now as she also has cereal for breakfast.

She will be hungry if we don't give her something as she doesn't go to bed until about 7pm.

What do you all do?

OP posts:
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MrsHathaway · 23/07/2015 00:20

My 20mo comes home from nursery and has a small portion of whatever his brothers are having for tea, tbh. Two or more hours is a long time without eating again for him Grin

Quick easy things could include scrambled egg with or without toast, microwave baked potato with cheese or tuna mayonnaise, noodles, potato waffle (in toaster).

CharleyDavidson · 23/07/2015 00:26

Toast or cereal. With some fruit.

Taler · 23/07/2015 00:26

I suppose I just think it seems a bit too much to give her 2 dinners but guess in fairness to her she will want variety

OP posts:
Taler · 23/07/2015 00:28

Oh and another reason for doing cereal is so she gets some milk. She associates milk with a) being in a bottle and b) warmed up. Have tried not doing either but she turns her nose up

OP posts:
BackforGood · 23/07/2015 00:34

Not sure why she would need anything else after her dinner, before bed, but, if you wanted to, if there a reason it couldn't be a cup of milk - warm or otherwise?

PenelopeChipShop · 23/07/2015 06:36

Mine just had milk but if they are clearly more hungry than that then maybe toast or eggs or a rusk? Something easy anyway!

trinitybleu · 23/07/2015 06:44

At that age, it was a cup of warm milk and toast, but she would be up til 9ish so a big gap from Nursery tea time at 4:30pm.

WorldsBiggestGrotbag · 23/07/2015 06:45

Nothing, just a cup of milk. She has dinner at 5.30 and bed at 8.

Fugghetaboutit · 23/07/2015 07:01

My son sometimes has a slice of toast/bun/minivcroissant as he gets hungry before bed, he also has cup of milk

CakeRattleandRoll · 25/07/2015 09:29

Yoghurt would give some dairy, if you wanted something to 'replace' bedtime milk. DS (3) still has warm milk before bed.

Lndnmummy · 25/07/2015 16:22

A small bowl of porridge with some berries or fruit.

Artandco · 25/07/2015 16:24

Nothing. Dinner at 7.30pm, bedtime at 9pm

MsJuniper · 25/07/2015 18:17

Banana.

Procrastinatingpeacock · 25/07/2015 18:18

If he says he is hungry I give him a banana with his milk before bed.

MewlingQuim · 25/07/2015 18:28

DD has dinner with us about 5.30pm, but if she is still hungry before bedtime she gets either

A slice of buttered bread or toast
A yoghurt
A banana

She also gets a small mug of cold milk. Until recently she got milk in a bottle and she was not impressed by milk in a cup at all to start with, but once she realised the bottle was definitely not coming back she drank it quite happily.

Mulligrubs · 25/07/2015 18:31

Dinner at 6pm then some warm milk just before bedtime. I don't really give him snacks or desserts, I don't know if that is weird Blush

afreshstartplease · 25/07/2015 18:35

In my experience tea at nursery is only light so they do need something else at home

Toast
Cereal
Soup
Sandwiches etc

FreeButtonBee · 25/07/2015 18:36

Dinner at 5-5.15. Cold milk in a cup at 6-ish with maybe a sliced banana if they have a hungry look about them. A rare biscuit if I've baked.

SnozzberryPie · 25/07/2015 18:39

Mine has a snack at nursery when the others have their tea, then dinner when she gets home at 6. Pudding is usually fruit. Then she has milk before bed.

HeyMicky · 25/07/2015 18:40

Any combination of fruit, cheese and crackers/breadsticks. She doesn't drink milk at night.

She's had a main meal at midday and tea at 4 so it's to tide her over til morning. I don't think they need another hot meal at home tbh

Queazy · 25/07/2015 20:10

Crackerbread, toast, fruit, or cereal. I'm ashamed to say she'll sometimes have rich tea biscuits. I know it's not exactly red bull and a kilo of haribo chaser, but do think after reading other posts I need to curb that one!!

BlueBananas · 25/07/2015 20:19

Mine are 4 & 6 and still have a banana/toast (or both) and a cup of warm milk before bed, why no milk OP?

poocatcherchampion · 25/07/2015 20:23

Tea at 5.30 bed 6.30-7.
Nothing.
We haven't bought into the snack thing though so they are used to 3 meals a day.

Age 1 and 3.

MrsHathaway · 25/07/2015 20:35

A lot of the people saying no have quite a short period between the last meal and bedtime.

The last meal at nursery is early and light so that everyone has finished by the time the first parents start collecting. DC1 used to have something like crumpets at about 3.45pm. Even though he'd had a substantial lunch, that crumpet wouldn't fill him for long.

In fact it was nursery who said they find that children tend to need a little something when they get in, such as toast or cereal. He'd have that around three hours after his last meal and still want bedtime bf and full breakfast in the morning.

DC3 is at nursery nowadays and follows a similar pattern. He gets home at a meal time so he has something of that meal. If the others are out for some reason then I don't make him a meal, but toast/cereal/scrambled egg/waffle etc. Quick breakfast type food.

Toadsrevisited · 25/07/2015 20:55

same here: Ds has tea at nursery then has a little fruit or some of our supper at 630, then porridge cereal or rice pudding before bed at 8.