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Original poster

Are midnight feasts no longer acceptable

40 replies

arlie23 · 29/05/2014 20:31

Hello! I'm a newbie here. I've been blogging for five years but never really said hello on here, but a topic that came up on Twitter yesterday prompted me to post this very 'Mumsnet' question!

I promised my six year old a half term treat of a midnight feast and was met with sheer horror by one Twitter user that I could possibly contemplate waking up my son with sugar! I was really surprised!

So, I wondered what the general consensus is? I say that as long as a child has a healthy balanced diet and brushes their teeth, the occasional sweet treat is perfectly fine. The same as TV and computer games in moderation.

I've written a blog about it but not sure if i'm allowed to post the link?
Would love your opinions - midnight feasts - ok, or not?!

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Original poster

arlie23 · 29/05/2014 21:52

I think that's out of context in a way - we'd agreed before he went to bed that as a treat he could have a midnight feast. Regardless of the time of night, yes I was happy to let him have sweets in the night. It's very rare and he has a balanced, healthy diet.
I think letting a child have a treat in the school holidays versus 'making' them eat sweets are two very, very different things.
I hope that puts it in perspective, but I understand why you think it comes across as a bad idea.

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JeanSeberg · 29/05/2014 21:57

I just don't get the waking him up bit.

No problem with a one-off late night with treats but it's bizarre to wake him up for sweets!

Original poster

arlie23 · 29/05/2014 22:08

I agree Jean, a learning curve at this end as he wasn't waking up for love, money or sweets!!!

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steppemum · 29/05/2014 22:34

but surely the whole point of midnight feasts is that they are secret against the rules type of things?

ds has the occasional sleepover and I have turned a blind eye to smuggled sweets and late night giggles. usually 10 ish, and then they are flat out alseep by 12.

The thrill isn't the sweets it is the illicitness of it. Great fun. Occasionally.

WanttogotoDisney · 29/05/2014 22:37

I had the loveliest midnight feast with my 4 year old twinkles last week. We were all jet lagged and they burst into my room at 2am and demanded breakfast. We had toast with marmite, yoghurt and chic ices. It was a lovely half an hour.

bronya · 29/05/2014 22:39

I agree with steppemum - the whole point of midnight feasts are that you're NOT allowed them! Hoarding sweets, hiding them, setting your alarm clock to wake you up - there's the fun! Eating them only makes you feel sick anyway! We used to end up with food fights, then had to wake up at 6am, tiptoe around and clean up before we got caught!

BackforGood · 30/05/2014 13:22

I agree with Steppemum and bronya too - it is the fact you are secretly doing something "naughty" that your parents don't know about in your innocent, childhood mind that makes them exciting. Don't really get the idea of a parent doing this for or with the child.

WhatsTheEffingPoint · 30/05/2014 14:32

Great Idea - As a child i remember my parents walking me and my sisters up to have take us skinning dipping or for a walk in the fresh snow at stupid o'clock and then back home for 'midnight feasts'. They are some of my best memories as like everyone says it goes against all the rules and isn't the norm.

Fxckedmywayuptothetop · 19/01/2015 00:26

Late I know but for the future; a few times a year me and my girls with have late night indoor picnics which I will get ready while they are doing something together and then we will watch a film or play a board game and head into my room where I have set out a tablecloth on the floor with a picnic basket full of goodies like hot chocolate, biscuits, cakes and other things, we will usually do this on all four of our birthdays as its a nice treat and we all look forward to it!

NorahBone · 19/01/2015 22:13

Agree with pps that the feast should be illicit! I remember going on Brownie holiday and suggesting to a new friend that we should have a midnight feast (read WAY too much Enid Blyton). We got all excited and started stuffing food in our pockets during the first meal, then sheepishly put it back when the rules were read out and we found out we weren't allowed food in the bedrooms. Rebel fail!

lookingforsunshine · 20/01/2015 16:40

Some of my happiest childhood memories involved midnight feasts. Usually they weren't at midnight-probably at 9pm..but we were woken for them and it was wonderful. So exciting. We were sent to bed early...we did sleep (usually would have been for a long walk before or played games on beach so shattered)...then we were woken. I can still remember feeling so excited, it was magical being woken at that time. Yes, we had sweet foods, though we didn't have much sweet food at other times so maybe that is the reason we all have good teeth/ good health etc.
When we were slightly older, we had midnight feasts at midnight (probably aged 10/11). Midnight feasts only lasted about 20 minutes but were brilliant. I had them with all my cousins. Often adults weren't involved that much, we were woken by older cousins.. Adults were aware and helped with food but basically left us to it. Happy Times. The benefits of these feasts were so much greater than the negatives. Don't recall any problems getting back to sleep.

Bellyrub1980 · 20/01/2015 22:28

I really hope that the children of those parents who frown upon midnight feasts are secretly tip toeing downstairs and raiding the fridge!!

I remember doing this with my older brothers a few times when we had baby sitters (very rarely would my parents go out for the evening but I was such a mummy's girl I'd always pine at the window till they came home!!) Looking back my brothers probably did it to distract me. (Maybe my mum gave them the idea.)

Either way, I think it's the kind of thing that is only special if it's done 'in secret' once or twice a year.

Even better if its in a tent in the back garden!!

TheBookofRuth · 20/01/2015 22:49

Some of my most special memories of my childhood involve treats like this.

As a kid chocolate was a once-a-week treat, if that, but on the very occasional Friday night my mum would suggest a "beano". We'd get a large selection of our favourite sweets and snacks, snuggle up together on our little Chesterfield in front of the fire, and scoff them while watching something funny.

I say do it!

veronicaperas · 21/01/2015 05:21

I think if done occasionally its perfectly acceptable.

SherbrookeFosterer · 20/07/2017 12:49

I do pizzas. Cooked from scratch mixing oatmeal in the base mix with garlic and Parmesan.

They go down very well and of course using all fresh ingredients for toppings, they are healthy.

Having a midnight feast with my brood this very weekend as it happens.

They will be getting Romanian Papanasis for pudding though - why not?

It's just a bit of fun and the occasional weekend won't harm them.

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