Midnight snack ideas?

What time is she eating supper? You might try giving her a small snack just before bedtime so she can brush her teeth then and you won't have to worry about that.

Another thing to consider is what you are serving for an evening meal.We sometimes forget that kids are growing and therefore need some "stick to the ribs" kind of food. You know how some foods make you feel like you'll never be hungry again, where 2 hrs after you've eaten others, you are starving? Just a thought. You might just watch what choices she makes from what you've served and see if she may be choosing "lighter" foods only.

As far as snacks, I read somewhere that if there is any food you eat without brushing your teeth afterward. . .that cheese would be less harmful to your teeth. Something to do with acidity best I remember.

I know you aren't giving your child chocolate milk at bedtime, but as a note of interest, I also read that chocolate milk is the absolute worst thing you can give a child in regards to tooth decay!

We usually eat at 6pm, sometimes 5:30 (depending on when DH makes it home). DD9 has a preference for veggies. Yesterday she ate two corn on the cobs, 1/2 cup mashed potatos, and 1/2 slice of meatloaf. She only drank half of the 1 cup of chocolate milk offered. Then she claimed that she was too full. She still ate her dessert (jello & whipped cream) though Generally, she will leave 1/2 of the meat & grain group behind but asks for more veggies.

DD9 would just love it if I let her keep cheese in her room She'd eat us to the poor house. The kid loves to eat chunks of swiss cheese ($4.50 worth of cheese would be gone in 10 minutes).

What do you mean by "stick to the ribs kind of food"? It is grains?

Protein Anja. Try having more meat and dairy at dinner. Or maybe some nuts or peanutbutter at bedtime. Not having enough protein can make you feel hungry.

Not sure about this, but I think I'd probably avoid giving her milk with her dinner. It's exactly what Fern was saying, that it will fill her up at the time, but then it doesn't last long, and it's stopping her from eating full from food.

meatloaf and mash would be fine stick to your ribs food! Maybe if she's filling up on veggies she feels less hungry for the rest... could you maybe do the veggie snacks as an after school snack?? It seems crazy when you've actually got a child who loves veg to then worry about her, but veg will only fill her up for a while and then wear off fast - water content. It's like having a big bowl of soup - you feel full quite quickly, but it wouldn't last long without bread to bulk it out.

is she going to bed later?? Otherwise I'd tend to agree with you that she might be heading into a growth spurt. I wondered that with my DD8 the other day when she polished off a third of my fish in a restaurant after finishing her own portion, and the next couple of days was asking for more constantly. However we can't have dinner till at least 7:30pm (her school bus gets here at 7:10pm), so she gets lunch and a whole meal at recess if she so chooses, then gets to bed by 9pm on average. Mind you, I've been waiting for a growth spurt from her since she was not even three!

Kerri.

Yes to what Andrea & Kerri said. To me it sounds as if you are having early supper, plus even though you are having a well rounded menu, she is selecting mostly lighter foods and it just isn't holding out for her.

Personally, I wouldn't want to get started leaving snack food in her room after bedtime. That could graduate into a very bad habit later on.

Even 1/2 peanut butter sandwich close to bedtime or a slice of cheese with a few grapes or a couple crackers with the cheese might hold her over to the next morning. Just a caution about the teeth though. . crackers encourage placque buildup and peanut butter would stick to the teeth, so I'd insist on brushing afterward.

Referring to "stick to the ribs food". . . when growing up my mother & her generation always made sure their working men had this kind of food because it was the only way they could hold up to hard work. It was also considered what kids needed since they were growing. Mainly protein (meat/poultry) & peanut butter, cheese, etc. but also things like mashed potatos, gravy, bread, macaroni & cheese. . . something that we might consider lies rather heavily on the stomach.

Let us know how it goes.

My kids don't wake up for midnight snacks. But when they go to Grammies, they are usually up that late anyway. They get oranges, apples, motzerella cheese sticks, popcorn and cheerios. Not all at once, those are just various things they eat, depending on whats in the fridge and what they are in the mood for.

I wouldn't cut out the milk. Kids need milk. Whole milk. That's my opinion. I do give Chocolate milk, but only on Friday and Saturday nights. It's their special treat for the weekend.

800055 is my account password! hehe those are zero's lol SERIOUS i'm that dumb!

Last night, she didn't get up. I gave her a PBJ sandwich & chocolate milk at 8pm but that pushed the "lights out" to 9pm. There is another thing that I have noticed: She doesn't seem to get hungry as often on weekend nights. Even though DD is denying it, I think, she is skipping school lunch. Her class had to write a "persuasive letter" to the principal in English class and she complained about having to fill every compartment on her tray even though she didn't like the food.

She is munching on a sandwich right now and let me know that she is sick of whole wheat bread. When I asked her if she wanted me to buy rye bread, she started whining. I think, I'll make sure to fix her a sandwich with German bread next time (DH calls it "the brick" claiming it weighs a ton. One slice has 6 grams of fiber.)

Thank you for all the suggestions! I know that milk with supper may not be a great choice but I don't know if DD really drinks her milk at school. Plus a whole cup of milk adds an easy 150 cal, more than a can of Coke DD9 is 4'7", weighs 63 lbs and even though that is a healthy weight, it's hellish trying to find pants that fit her tiny waist and long legs. For a while, I let her do all the things that docs claim lead to childhood obesity, hoping she'd fit into those regular size clothes (eat in front of the TV, spend hours in front of the computer, eat chips and other high fat foods). Didn't work... I always knew obesity was largely genetic... Anyway, so far, letting DD eat a sandwich right before going to bed seems to be working I might try giving her more than just a snack after school as well. Somehow her body is apparently not getting all it needs.

You could try giving her extra milk in the morning and afternoon. Also a lot of kids get a bit lactose intolerant as they get older, which means that milk can cause a feeling of fullness temporarily. For that you could try switching the milk with cheese, since she likes cheese and it is lower in lactose.

Well first, I dink you guys are having supper too early(6). Second, it may be because of the chocolate milk and veggie's she's having at supper. I'm not saying you shouldn't feed her those things, but chocolate milk and veggie's tends to fill your stomach up very quick, but doesn't last very long. Maybe you should try giving her meat for supper first and veggies and milk last before desert. That way, after she's done eating her meat, if she's still hungry, you can give her one more plate of meat with veggies and milk.

Try giving her a glass of regular milk before she brushes her teeth? lol

Hope it helps

Little cubes of cheese, or maybe a string cheese and some crackers, and even add some cut up pieces of fruit.