In Defense of the Bedtime Snack

In Defense of the Bedtime Snack

People hate on a bedtime snack for kids. When people hear that we offer a nightly bedtime snack to our kids, I get quite a few reasons why this is a bad idea. Often these reasons scream judgement and not genuine concern. Regardless of any comments I get, we will continue to be a bedtime snack family.

We have done a bedtime snack since our oldest was fully on solid food. I took the idea from one of the amazing Instagram accounts I stumbled upon when I was looking for resources on baby feeding. @kids.eat.in.color is a wealth of knowledge for ways to help your kids form a healthy / productive association with food. One of the tips I’ve seen her bring up frequently is the value of a bedtime snack. Her logic: kids are more likely to try new foods at dinner when there is no pressure to eat unless they want to. Makes sense – take away the dinner battles and the pressure of making sure your kids eat more than 5 foods, but ensure your kids feel safe to try new foods and have the autonomy to listen to their bodies by ensuring they don’t go to bed hungry and their nutritional needs are being met.

When I first brought up the idea to my husband, he didn’t quite believe it would make a difference, but we agreed to give it a month and see what happened. What happened is our then almost 2 year old learned the value of being in charge of whether she was hungry or not. She learned the lesson that if you get up from the table to play too many times, then dinner is over. She learned that it’s okay to not like a new food and that she doesn’t have to eat something just because we tell her to. My husband and I didn’t get into the habit of making a separate meal for our kid just to make sure she was getting the right nutrients in her growing body. Every night, about an hour before bed, we give a cup of milk and some sort of snack, usually a cup of yogurt or some peanut butter and pretzels or some cereal or some fruit and a cheese stick. We try to balance out whatever she needed from the dinner she did or didn’t eat, though on occasion we enjoy a cookie or fig bar with the cheese stick. The month we tried this out went so well that we made it a permanent part of our bedtime routine.

Why this works based on our experience

We avoid the “I’m hungry!” bedtime stalling, they sleep well because their tummies are full, they don’t fight us about not liking what’s for dinner, and dinner time is calm and enjoyable (as much as it can be with two small kids and a dog trying to steal their food). If you have picky eaters or find yourself consistently fighting your kids about dinner, try to bedtime snack. Once or twice here and there won’t have the same effect that a consistent, nightly snack will have, but if you’re willing to give it a try, you might be amazed at how well it can work for you!

Alison Ruckert
Alison was born and raised in New Orleans. After 7 years in north Louisiana for college and her first years of teaching, she returned home, and now lives in Metairie with her husband, two daughters, and dog. She has spent the past 16 years teaching high school English and Speech. When not at school, she enjoys weekend and summer break days with her family, including her two strong-will, high-spirited daughters who keep life interesting and moving at all times. She cannot survive a day without coffee and will drop everything if you ask her to join you at PJ's or go have chips and salsa. Watching her kids grow up with family and friends close by and in the city she loves so much is the greatest thing she could ask for.

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