is it Ok for toddlers to have a bedtime snack?

Is your toddler stalling bedtime by asking for snacks? I know a lot of parents might think this is a manipulation tactic, but I don’t look at it that way. If your little one is eating dinner at say, 6pm and not going to bed until 8pm or so, it’s very possible that they are hungry especially if they didn’t eat much dinner.

However, whether or not they are truly hungry is irrelevant in my opinion. It’s truly not worth the fight and sometimes the more we push against these things the more our little ones want it. We have a couple of options here:

In our house, we do a couple of things:

• First, if they don’t eat much dinner, we leave it out on the table until bedtime. If they decide they’re still hungry after doing bath, bedtime routine etc. they can come back to it and finish.
• If they did eat dinner or there weren’t leftovers, we have only 3 options for bedtime snacks. The kids know that if they ask, we’ll give them one of these three choices. The options are things we know they like and will eat if they are really hungry, but they aren’t too exciting.

Things to avoid with bedtime snacks:

You want to choose things that are nourishing and easy to digest. This means avoiding things that are greasy or fried, high in sugar or heavily processed. Of course you want to avoid caffeine like chocolate or tea.

Food groups to look for:

There are certain foods that are thought to promote sleep as well. While most research on foods and sleep are done with adults, we can still get some insights about which foods may help with sleep (or at least won’t hurt!).  When thinking about what to offer, think about what you’d serve for breakfast! Things like:

• Dairy products, such as a glass of milk, cottage cheese, and plain yogurt, are known sources of tryptophan.

• Protein, like sliced turkey or an egg, contains tryptophan and can they keep you fuller for longer, so this could mean less night time wakings due to hunger.

• Carbohydrates. For example, oatmeal is high in carbs with a bit more fiber and has been reported to induce drowsiness when consumed before bed. Additionally, oats are a known source of melatonin.

• Certain fruits. Tart cherry juice is also known to promote sleepiness, and it’s even been studied for its role in relieving insomnia. For these reasons, drinking tart cherry juice before bed may improve your sleep quality, though more research is needed. Kiwi has also been studied and research has shown its consumption in the evening may improve sleep onset, duration, and efficiency in adults with self-reported sleep disturbances. Bananas contain magnesium, which is thought to assist with good sleep as well.

Here are some ideas for bedtime snacks you can offer to your toddler or preschooler:

• Full fat yogurt and low-sugar granola

• Whole grain toast with nut butter, cream cheese or butter

• Cheese stick with whole grain crackers

• Banana slices sprinkled with cinnamon

• Hard boiled egg with sprinkle of salt

• Oatmeal

• Veggies with hummus

• Smoothie with milk or yogurt, fruits like banana, kiwi, orange or pineapple, and/or nut butter

• Cottage cheese with berries

• Tart cherry juice or cup of milk

When you are incorporating a bedtime snack into your evening, here’s what your routine may look like:

• Dinner time

• Clean up and play time/ rough & tumble play/ family walk etc.

• Bath time (some nights)

• PJs & diaper or potty

• Bedtime snack

• Brush teeth

• Books, telling stories, singing songs, or listening to audio books/ meditations etc.

• Putting on sleep sack or getting into bed/ crib

• Lights out and good night ritual

• Supporting to sleep (laying with, rocking, nursing, cuddling, back rubs etc.) or leaving the room, whatever works for your family.

These things can really be in any order that work for you- that’s not super important! What is most important with a bedtime routine is that it’s pretty much the same every night, so it’s predictable. Toddlers LOVE predictability and knowing what comes next. You could even make them a little visual so they can see the whole routine (including the snack!) as you go through it.

You also want it to be a time of connection where you are tuned in and distraction free. We want to avoid joining our children in power struggles as much as possible, which is why offering the bedtime snack instead of fighting them on it can reduce a lot of stress.

Sources:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21669584/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5409706/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4440346/

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