Toddler waking up hungry at 5 am!

[SpikeDearheart]

DS is nearly 2 (22 months) and has never been a great sleeper. Recently his night sleep has really improved, except he is still waking up at the crack of dawn - 5 or even earlier - and immediately demanding breakfast, which he demolishes. He is a good eater in general and always eats a substantial dinner between 5 and 6 pm, then has milk before bed, around 7 pm. I can't imagine stuffing any more food into him before bedtime, so are we just condemned to early waking until he is old enough to make himself breakfast??

@SpikeDearheart

He's sometimes happy to be distracted with books and toys for a while but the way he then demolishes his breakfast suggests to me he really is hungry. Yesterday he had a bowl and a half of porridge, then a banana and Greek yogurt, then started eyeing up my breakfast as well, and was asking for lunch by 9.30. Hollow legs!

If it is habit rather than hunger, what would you suggest? From what I've read he's a bit young for a gro-clock type approach, plus he usually comes into bed with us at some point between midnight and 4. Anything we've tried so far to persuade him back to sleep after about 5 is met with shouts for milk/breakfast and a friendly toddler knee-drop.

Maybe it's just a growing phase and you just have to struggle on through!

Take up a banana/savoury flapjack and a bottle of water etc for the morning, so he can eat it there, to help him last until breakfast proper?

My boy is younger, nearly 18 months, and has recently really started demolishing the food. He has big portions at breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as decent snacks at 10am and 3.30pm. I also give him half a banana with his milk before bath. Sometimes he comes and asks for the rest of the banana 😅
Maybe you need to give him a little bit more food at each meal so his overall intake is up.