Everyone's hungry at bedtime

the world's best mom

Sun, Nov 03 2013, 9:35 pm

Every night at bedtime, the kids suddenly begin to feel hungry. I usually let them have a fruit or a couple of crackers, but tonight they went to bed very late and supper was very late too, so I just said no eating now, it's too late, and they can't possibly be starving 2 hours after supper. So dd cried that she didn't have enough supper, just as she tells me every night, and I said that supper time was the time to worry about having enough supper, not bedtime. So I sent her to bed "starving". And crying.

Am I really mean, or is she just trying to push off going to bed?

rachel6543

Sun, Nov 03 2013, 9:47 pm

My son used to do this. After dinner, bath, brushing teeth, he would claim he was hungry to delay bedtime. We started a rule we've had for a few years now, once you brush teeth, no more food for the rest of the night (only water). So I remind him at dinner, make sure your yummy is full, because once you brush teeth, no more food. After the first 2-3 nights of this rule, we didn't have any more bedtime delays of being hungry.

seeker

Sun, Nov 03 2013, 10:00 pm

Same here - I give a warning at dinnertime (or closer before bed if dinner was early) that she needs to eat nicely and not bop off before she's full or she'll be hungry at bedtime, because this is the end of eating time. Maybe once or twice she actually went to bed hungry, but I just told her next time for eating is in the morning, and she has eaten supper very nicely since. If I know she ate well during the day/evening, then I can be pretty sure that she's just stalling at bedtime. If I'm not so sure, it shakes my confidence but I don't back down because otherwise supper AND bedtimes will be totally hefker all the time - worst case scenario she will go to sleep hungry this one time and she'll know we mean business.

..hope I'm doing it right...

asd3

Sun, Nov 03 2013, 10:01 pm

When my kids are eating supper I tell them to make sure their stomachs are full to the top cause the kitchen is closing for the night. On nights when they had supper on the earlier side I warn them that it's almost bedtime and whoever needs a snack can have some crackers now. It could be your dd is hungry or maybe she justs wants to push off bedtime but I find that being proactive really doesn't give them any excuses

ra_mom

Sun, Nov 03 2013, 10:07 pm

It used to drive me crazy.
Then I decided to just add snack time to the routine.
This way it's scheduled in and does not annoy me (much) each time.
Yup, about half hour before teeth brushing time.

the world's best mom

Sun, Nov 03 2013, 10:16 pm

seeker wrote:

But she did eat supper nicely. It just seemed like not enough once bedtime came around. Before bedtime is pretty hectic, but I'll have to try to schedule in a last food warning BEFORE bedtime.

FranticFrummie

Mon, Nov 04 2013, 1:31 am

the world's best mom wrote:

How old is DD? If she has a small stomach, she could very well be hungry again in two hours. I always offer a snack a half an hour before bedtime, and it works like a charm. I started this from the very beginning, so there were never any "I'm hungry" tears at bedtime. (I never put her to bed with a bottle, either. Not even water.)

Getting her to actually SLEEP is a whole different issue. Thank G-d for melatonin!

Tablepoetry

Mon, Nov 04 2013, 1:58 am

We have supper very late, right before the youngest goes to sleep. If we ate earlier, I always offer cereal or something shortly before bed.
Kids have small tummies and its unpleasant to go to bed hungry. Also, I don't think they need to feel pressure to eat big at dinner, because that's the last call. I wouldn't like it if I couldn't eat anything after dinner.

amother

Mon, Nov 04 2013, 8:50 am

I read an article that people can mix up symptoms for tiredness with hunger because both feelings are very close to each other in the brains. My overweight DS is always starving when he is overtired. My dr told me to offer him a healthy snack about an hour before bedtime.

anon because I have told alot of people.

lkwdlady

Mon, Nov 04 2013, 9:00 am

I always let my kids choose a "night drink" after they are all ready for bed. I know it's not so good for them after they brushed their teeth but it wards off cries for food after the kitchen is "closed". I don't pour much - about 1/4 of a cup since I don't want them waking up for the bathroom.

MaBelleVie

Mon, Nov 04 2013, 9:15 am

Another vote for making one last offer closer to bedtime. Right before baths I make an announcement: "do you want anything else to eat? If you don't eat now it will be too late later." I also find that it's a good opportunity to get them to eat something healthy, because after dinner the only options are something from the fruit or vegetable bins in the fridge. Once baths are over, I usually let them play for a few minutes but I'm very firm about no more food.

(I've found that most of the time they're just trying to push off bedtime. Young kids can't be expected to anticipate hunger, but it's perfectly reasonable to expect them to understand your arrangement of one last offer.)

ectomorph

Mon, Nov 04 2013, 9:17 am

Well, I'm a grownup and I have always been hungry at bedtime, even if I ate a full supper, unless I eat supper immediately before going to sleep.

So I don't have any advice for you but can sympathize with the kids. I always wondered if psychologically my body knows it won't be eating for the next 8 hours so it gets hungry in advance.

the world's best mom

Mon, Nov 04 2013, 11:48 am

Dd is 7. She cried until we finished saying Shma and then she stopped and went right to sleep. Both my girls did wake up and ask for breakfast immediately, which is unusual, so maybe they were hungry. I'll just have to schedule in a pre-bedtime snack somewhere in between therapy, homework, supper and baths. Evenings are so hectic as it is, but I guess they can eat while we read our bedtime story.

pinkshoes

Mon, Nov 04 2013, 8:09 pm

I have bread and water available, at any time, for the kids. If they say they are hungry, then why don't you give them something? How can you tell your daughter that she can't eat if she is crying?

Fabulous

Mon, Nov 04 2013, 8:12 pm

seeker wrote:

I do the same. Usually ds is a good eater but when he is in a rush or doesn't eat too much when he says he is full, I remind him that this is it for the night and he can't tell me he's hungry later. Sometimes he eats a bit more and sometimes not, but I hardly ever get the I'm hungry anymore until 6 am LOL

then he wakes up STARVING!

seeker

Mon, Nov 04 2013, 8:38 pm

amother wrote:

Me too! ME, not my kids! When I am tired I have the munchies all day, like cannot stop eating. I guess something in the brain equates food with energy... my kids also often act tired when they're hungry and then snap back into action after a snack. Go figure. Another good reason to limit snacks at bedtime...