if you make teatime earlier will 15mth wake up earlier cos they are hungry?

[milkyman]

he has tea at 5pm and wakes at 6. but he is always v hungry earlier than 5pm but I dont want him to wake up hungry earlier. he has a bottle before bed.

Can he have tea at 4pm and the a snack before bath-time?

In the nursery my DD1 attends they feed all kids their tea at 4pm. I pick her up at 5pm and then I give her more food at 5.30pm when we get home. She is now 3yrs old and is happy with fruit in front of the TV but when she was the same age as your LO it used to be a whole other tea in the kitchen. Crumpets and honey when don't well, brioche, banana and jam sandwich - that sort of thing.

I opted for something sweet because it was a bit different from the food she'd had in nursery but could be anything.

What time does he go to bed? I find sometimes at that age they eat more when they're not so tired. DS had to eat at least 2 hours before bed or he wouldn't eat enough to see him through.

I second the idea of giving him his main tea earlier if possible and then a supper or snack before getting ready for bed.
Whether they're at home or nursery, mine have tea at 3-4 pm ish and then a supper of porridge or something at half 5/quarter to 6. If they didn't have this, they would be too hungry to sleep through. By trial and error we have found, as Bertie said, that giving them their tea later was counterproductive as they were too tired to eat properly and then woke up hungry in the early hours.
My dd is the same age as yours.

he goes to bed at 6.15pm (cant last any longer). we never have problem with him nit eating enough. hed eat all day if he could!

If he's going to bed at 6.15 you can't really expect him to sleep much beyond the 6am you say he wakes. Is he having an afternoon nap? My dd has a nap around 1-30 to 3pm a small snack when she wakes, then tea around 4:30. She has supper of 1/2 wheatabix and drink of milk at 6:50 bath then in bed by 7:15. She sleeps to around 7am except very occasionally when page manages to go til 7:30

Does he have a mid afternoon snack?

yes he naps 1.30 to 3ish. cant seem to get him to bed any later - he goes bonkers!