Schools ends 3:30, fruit after school then dinner 5pm and snack before bed ?! Is this too much or wrong

[Momofmanykids]

hello I used to do dinner 6-6;30
now I moved it to 5 and from what I come from it’s not the norm . The norm is 7pm but because we are in the uk I decided to give it a try. Yesterday was the first attempt. I gave my child fruit pear after school 3:30 and he ate dinner 5pm and then pudding 7:30!
should I skip the fruit after school and go straight to dinner ?

5pm seems very early to me. Just do what suits your family and don't worry about norms in this country or any other.

I always try to have dinner between 5-5.30
my husband is out 2 days a week 7-7
i have a flexi job
so I try to either not work those days or I get home by 4
the other 3 days my husband is part out part wfh
we always try to be back for school pick up or use wrap around twice a month until 4.30

and we mostly all eat dinner together at 5/530 (husband doesn’t have dinner on his 7-7 days but I still eat with the kids )
I definitely wouldn’t want to be doing 2 dinners one at 5 and one at 7

For constipation I recommend making daily snack a big handful of dried apricots. Great for moving the bowel

Do what suits your family and who cares what others think or do.

my kid was in bed by 7pm as he got up so early!!! He was done! So dinner was early and bath and bed. He turned into a demon after 7:15pm

Honestly, do what works for your children and your family. For us, we prioritise having a family meal and therefore we do a snack after nursery to tide my daughter over at 5.30pm and she will already have a snack as part of the after school club. Then we sit down to eat at 6.30pm / 7pm as a family and have a pudding if she wants one (often she doesn't because the snacks are often the same as pudding! A yoghurt / healthy muffin / crackers / fruit or a small dark chocolate as a treat if it's been one of those day and I need a perk too!). I've also read that you shouldn't eat too close to bedtime..but contrary advice says it helps kids sleep better 🤷 so who knows. But we normally follow dinner with a long bedtime routine (reading etc.) so hopefully that's enough time for some digestion.

We’ve had to bring dinner time earlier (to also around 5) because otherwise we get them demanding snacks all evening! They eat lunch at around midday, so of course are hungry by 4 let alone 6-7. I would supplement with a light sandwich but then found they wouldn’t eat as much dinner. It’s hard to find what works, but if your kid is happy with a 5pm dinner then so be it!

I’ve never done dinner at 5pm and don’t know anyone who does - most people I know are still at work! Mine will have dinner around 7ish on a week night and the adults eat later as it’s still too early for us. On the weekend we all eat together as we have more time.

Hi, so I don't remember the exact reasons for not eating close to bed, but it's something I've heard quite a few times. Imagine it's something to do with digestion.

Personally I don't eat late most days because it affects my preferred regular overnight fast and breakfast habits.

When it comes to DC eating closer to bed, they should stop eating a minimum of 30 minutes before they go and clean their teeth, preferably leave it longer, ask any dentist. They'll probably also tell you to keep the pudding with the dinner rather than giving the teeth a separate hit. As for eating sugary things close to bed (I think you mentioned a biscuit), I find they keep me awake later and make my DC get a bit silly and hyper - not conducive to a calm evening wind down routine and good sleep habits so I don't believe in doing that regularly either.

So the only tweak to your plan I'd recommend is to give the biscuit/nuts whatever right after dinner and watch the timings :)

He pood again today omg this is a dream. He usually goes twice a week. He has been going everyday since the routine change 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I am so excited.

7 is definitely not a normal time here in the uk for kids to eat thats far too late thats bedtime... I will give an example of our routine... I have 3 kids ranging in ages and they're always happy with their food. After school they want their dinner straight away theyre always "absolutely starving after school" (lol) so I aim to give it them for 4pm. I don't give them snacks after school as they then eat more of their actual dinner but I do give them quite big portions. If theres a day I can't get it ready for 4pm which is very rare then I let them have a fruit or a healthy snack (cheese string, those chicken sticks, peperami or something similar) but nothing too filling so they eat their dinner. After dinner for 2 days a week (5 day school week) they get a desert (like tonight I made rainbow choc cookies, a couple of days ago I bought them some lindt chocs). For the other 3 days they can have a yoghurt and fruit whenever they want it between dinner and 6.30pm. One of mine atm is having a growth spurt (and I'm trying to put a bit more weight on her) so sometimes instead of yoghurt after dinner she will have some ritz crackers her fave or some toast &peanut butter around 6. I always encourage the fruit though as its good for them so they all have one between dinner and bed time mostly though they dont want the yoghurt. Sometimes they have a small glass of milk too if they want it they can have that every night. After 630, we brush teeth and then they arent allowed anything as it isnt good for you to eat just before bed. They go to bed at 7.30, sleep all night are very happy generally and don't go to bed hungry. They're also all a normal weight not overweight and have lovely teeth etc. I think that there are no wrong answers here, you find what works with your kid. Don't worry about what other parents say if your child is happy then stick to it.

Giving your kids tea at 4pm isn't normal either.