Bedtime Foods...

Updated on September 05, 2011
J.M. asks from Cleveland, TN
10 answers

What type of foods are better to give your child before sleeping? My DD generally eats a small 'lunch' before her nap, and a snack before bed (I just weaned her, and she needs something in her stomach or she won't sleep... we will work on that later. lol.) My problem is that I keep inadvertently giving her stuff that hypes her up... like a peanut butter sandwich before naptime the other day... yeah, that nap didn't happen. lol. So I decided to just ask... what types of foods are easier to sleep on, and what foods should I DEFINITELY avoid before bed? Are there certain food groups that are generally good, like any veggie or grain... or any specific foods (like peanut butter... lol) to avoid....any advice is appreciated. :)

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K.G.

answers from San Diego on

Mabey String Cheese?

Updated

Mabey String Cheese?

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S.Q.

answers from Los Angeles on

My children have milk or apples and their vitamin tablets. Must always remember to brush afterwards though!

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A.Y.

answers from San Francisco on

I was told foods with potassium help with sleep, so i started feeding my son banana for pudding at evening meal and he started sleeping through! I didn't dare stop until two weeks later when it didn't work but I think there is definitely something to it! Maybe he just got bored after eating it everyday!

L.M.

answers from Kansas City on

you could give her:

a fruit

rice crispies with sweetner inst of sugar

gold fish/a graham cracker.

The above is low in sugar and quite filling. And what kid would resist goldfish?

Why would she need a bed time snack after Lunch/dinner? A plate of food should be all she needs, at night, maybe a glass of milk before she has her bath (an hour before bed) instead of a snack. Milk is quite filling. Try to give her a bigger lunch/dinner, and a smaller amount of snacks, and eventually cut out the snacking all together. Snacking, in my experience, fills up the kid so they don't want to eat their food.

I hope this helps

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J.P.

answers from Denver on

Huh, peanut butter should help unless she is sensitive to it---protein calms you down typically. You might want to get her tested. Typically protein and milk work well.
J.

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C.B.

answers from Madison on

Graham crackers and milk are a great bedtime snack. There's something in the graham that helps induce sleep as well as the calcium in the milk. Also bananas are another great sleepy time snack!

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I always do regular breakfast, morning snack, lunch, nap, good size snack, dinner, good size snack, bed. It is the only way younger kids will sleep through the night and not wake up hungry. They have enourmous growth spurts and need the food.

I don't know why PB did that...I have never heard of that, it is one of our solid standby's. We do sandwiches, leftovers, nuggets, TV dinners, and add in some fudgecicles, homemade pudding, whole wheat rolls and butter, Pillsbury Orange or Cinnabon rolls, all kinds of yummy stuff before bed. The kids are at 50% weight, height, everything so they are not overweight or underweight. They do go put on jammies then brush right after snacks and it's pretty quick off to bed.

I think it may have been something else keeping her awake. Food is not really one of those things we try to control. The kids eat pretty much what is in the house and we have normal stuff. Complex carbohydrates do tend to stick with them longer though since they are harder for the system to digest. Since she's just barely 1 I would't be giving her any nuts or peanut butter yet. Especially if she is going to go lay down right away. PB sticks to the roof of the mouth, it sticks in the throat and esophagus, it is a severe choke hazard and we're not even supposed to let kids under 2 have it on bread or by spoon until they are 2. It can be in cooking and spread very very thin on bread.

Never give a child of any age sugar free foods. There is way way too much evidence that the artificial sweeteners are not actually healthy and may even be dangerous. I know my mom, myself, my daughter, and now my granddaughter all have migraines after having anything that has an artificial sweetener in it.

Tested on me by my hubby. He gave me something sugar free, a pudding or something, and I was sick within 20 minutes and in bed with a towel wrapped around my head and puking in 10 more minutes. I won't even use any product that is sugar free, not even gum.

I have a friend who is insulin resistant diabetic. She had a huge surgery that saved her life and the diabetes doc she ended up going to told her to stop all sugar free foods, drinks, powders, everything that was not 100% pure sugar.

She is to eat only foods that are normal, not artificial, like fake sugar, fake fat, etc.... She no longer has an insulin pump, she doesn't take any diabetes medication, she is out running around doing errands, participating in her kids schools daily, volunteering, having a life after many years of being in a recliner, having congestive heart failure, pneumonia 2-3 times per year, spending her time drinking small servings of regular foods and pops. She watches her carbohydrate intake and is NORMAL. Her blood sugars have stayed within normal ranges for 3 years now, since she stopped using sugar free additives.

C.B.

answers from Kansas City on

i think somewhat it depends on the kid. peanut butter doesn't bother my son, but fruit or graham crackers (the sugar) definitely keeps him wired. we have learned this from having snacks at church. usually something with carbs is good, crackers or unsweet cereal (like cheerios or chex).

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A.V.

answers from Billings on

The Answer to this is pretty simple don't give her anything with sugar in it. You would be amazed the things that have corn syrup or sugar added to them
Even a lot of breads have these added. The higher on the list the more is in it. Depending on the child depends on how much they can take some can take a little bit and it not effect them some can not take any at all veggies are always a good option for before bed and if you are still having issues a good soothing drink is chamomile tea and milk is a great thing to help calm them down

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