19m old waking hungry at 3am HELP

[PremieMummy]

I need help... my 19mo has recently started to wake between 2:30-4:30am wanting either breakfast or milk (she's quite a good talker and knows a lot of words so can ask for what she wants, I'm not guessing here). We have reluctantly given in the past few nights and given her some milk when she screams for it and she'll go back to sleep again until 6:30/7 which was always her normal waking time. Is there anything I can do to get out of this habit? Has anyone experienced similar?? We give her plenty of food and a bottle of FF cows milk before bed so I just don't know what to do?!!!

Banana at bedtime?

@rainallnight we give her pre bed snacks, I can try a banana but she'll usually only eat two bites of one and leave the rest.

Genuine question, what do you as an adult do if you wake up at 3am absolutely starving? I get up, make myself some toast and make sure I have bigger meals the next day.

She needs to eat more. If don’t want to give it to her ar night, you need to give her bigger meals in the day.

@nerfelite if I wake up at 3am I ignore it and go back to sleep. She eats perfectly well during the day, nursery say that she eats 2 sometimes 3 portions of food if she wants it.

My son was like this at about the same age. Only thing that stopped it was porridge before bed. Like, as close to sleep time as possible. And a big bowl of it . He doesn't need it now (he's nearly 3) so I wonder if it was just a big period of growth for him. He still eats 7 times a day though (breakfast at home, breakfast at creche, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack) and is bang on 50th centile for weight so he needs it.

Can you try offering just water?

My 23 month old is the same but he gets breast milk so it's a proper engrained habit. I'm just waiting for something magical to happen as the thought of any screaming at 3am is more of a hassle than just feeding him for a few more months. My 6 yo doesn't need this so I know he will grow out of it...eventually!

She's growing and hungry the same as a teenage boy who can just help themselves to food.

Before bed she needs bananas and toast to fill her up.

If she's waking up at 3am crying for food then she is starving and her stomach is very much hurting her. So of course you must feed her as she can't go to the fridge on her own and help herself like any one else would

@dollpiglet she asks for her water as well, so we always offer that first.
I'm in my first 3 months of pregnancy so am absolutely exhausted and will try anything!
But I can't physically give her more food, she won't eat it as she's eaten a decent amount and will be full, and I'm not about to force feed her.
I give her water first, I try to let her CIO but if she gets too worked up she's sick and I hate the thought of putting her through that.

Looks like I'm giving her all she needs and I'll just have to ride out this growth spurt???

Why not just give her some more milk? My 21 month old occasional wants some more in the night. Hand her drink and back to bed for both of us. My 3 yr old was the same it doesn’t last. It’s also been very hot so she might just be genuinely thirsty.

If you’re tired and pregnant do whatever makes your life easier.

I was still breastfeeding at that age so maybe I'm missing something here, but why can you give her more milk? There's massive growth and developmental spurts at this age (you mention her language) so even if she eats well during the day she could easily be hungry again at night.At this age it's not 'habit' they wake up because they're hungry/ thirsty and you're so lucky she can tell you, it was always a guessing game with my eldest. But I always fed him and if he still seemed hungry Id offer a Weetabix with warm milk. But I do understand pregnancy tiredness - if you've a partner, could they help?

Oh I'm very luck and my husband does help a lot, but he had MS, and is up for work at 4:30, so I'm always conscious that he needs his sleep.
I just wondered if it was a phase she's going through, but looking at most the replies it would seem its just natural hunger and a growth spurt.

*has MS, not had!!