Right at bedtime, my 9 year old says he's hungry. What should I do?

Question

I usually go downstairs and prepare a quick bowl of Ramen noodle soup, or I heat up some leftover dinner. I would like to know what others do in this situation.

Answer 1

My son only says he is hungry right before bed because if he gets something to eat he will be able to stay up a little later. So I tell him to go to bed.

Answer 2

I had that problem with my 10 year old but I never gave in tell him you'll make a good breakfast and say goodnight at that age he will be fine till the morning if you are really worried he is hungry make sure to give him a small snack a hour or so before bedtime.

Answer 3

He sounds more like he is stalling his bedtime.  He doesn't need to have food before going to bed..especially leftovers from dinner.  I would give him a snack say an hour before bedtime and tell him that is it until breakfast.

Answer 4

Say tough, you should have though of that before, "Goodnight" it's just a delaying tactic to avoid going to bed, sounds as though he has you well trained.. No food it's bedtime. end of story.

Answer 5

lol my niece is  9 and i have the same problem!! Just have a nice bedtime snack!! Like...fruit,cookies with milk,or whatever. Ask him what would he like for his snack!! Make sure you have something easy that he likes!! Something like crackers!! Just remember to brush your teeth!! OUR teeth rot more in our sleep than while we are awake!!

Answer 6

He's not hungry! He just doesn't wanna sleep!

Answer 7

tell him bad luck , he needs to eat all his dinner

Answer 8

Don't always assume it's a delay tactic.  It's common for kids that age (especially boys) to be hungry all the time if they are about to hit a growth spurt.  You just have to make sure you give them something healthy to support the growth spurt and not junk (like that Ramen- loads of salt and fat, hardly any nutritional value).  You can try to prevent the bedtime request by asking him if he's hungry about 15 minutes before bedtime, or however long it will take him to eat something.  If he says no that close to bedtime, and is suddenly hungry 15 minutes later, he's stalling.

Answer 9

give him some fruit or something bcz if u give him something fatening *sp the fat will sit in his body and he will become fat so give something thats healthy but not heavy.

Answer 10

Maybe he is trying to prolong staying up. Thus getting a later bedtime.

I've always just made the rule of no eating after 7:30 pm.. which also depends on your childs bedtime.

if need be, set a rule similar to this one.

At 7:30 you ask if they want a little snack and if not, the warning was fair and given and they'll have to wait until morning.

at first, this may be a little difficult seeing as though he is already used to getting a night time snack but after a few days he should be able to adapt.

Hope this helps!!

Answer 11

i would give him a few crackers or animal crackers something more light to go to bed on.

Answer 12

i think he might just be stalling bedtime but liek some1 says some kids just eat to eat because they're bored or something. also some people may think they're hungry but are actually thirsty instead. they mistake thirst for hunger so there's a few reasons why he might be doing that.

Answer 13

Does he eat a really early supper?  Maybe you should make supper a little later or his bedtime a little earlier.

If this doesn't work you could get a plastic container and fill it with chex mix or something.  Put it next to his bed so whenever he's hungry at night he can just get a few handfuls and munch.

You could also try milk which gives your belly something to work on and also has something which makes you more relaxed and sleepy.

I used to always have to eat a bowl of cereal or something before bed because I THOUGHT I was always hungry because my belly would always gurgle when I was in bed and keep me up.

I turns out they were just my guts digesting.  Whenever that happens I just drink milk and eat a tums.

(Although this might be a possibility for your son I'm not trying to encourage you to doubt him when he says he's hungry ;))

Hope this helped!

Answer 14

I honestly give my kids a quick snack. It does not happen every night and sometimes kids go through growth spurts where they are really hungry. I usually give them Ritz crackers, goldfish, cheese or a granola bar. And only 1 helping if they are still hungry I give them a little milk and send them on their way. Even if they are still hungry the small snack is enough to take the edge off until morning. And when my kids are in sports they are always more hungry.

Answer 15

If he is saying it right at bedtime, he's stalling for time. Ask him why he didn't eat anything before bedtime. Or, give him a 'last call' from the kitchen for the night a short while before he is supposed to go to bed.

Answer 16

how about anticipating this request about 30 minutes before he makes it....sometimes we eat a really early dinner due to extracurricular sports etc....so about 30 minutes before bedtime I will cut up an apple (fiber sticks longer in tummy)....

Also, sliced turkey meat or ham is also a healthy option that sticks in the tummy.

Tonight I was out of apples and I offered bell pepper as the only option, and both kids sucked down sliced red bell peppers and a large slice of turkey....

Also if your son likes apple sauce or yogurt....reheating leftover dinner seems fine to me, but just to make sure he's not using it as a stalling tactic to delay bedtime, offer it 30 minutes before bedtime and let him know that if he changes his mind at bedtime, NO DICE.

Answer 17

Im going through the same thing with my 4-year old daughter.  It's always right before bed even after she brushes her teeth.   I do something different each time, sometimes I give her nothing because it is some kids way of just not going to bed (or to stay up later) and I know she just ate a four course meal.   However if I think there is a slight chance I give her a  small bowl of cereal.  Also sometimes kids eat out of boredom and not hungry at all, but definitly because they dont want to go to bed - Gee now that I am older I wish someone would tell me I  HAVE to go to bed lol.....good luck

Answer 18

well if its like a 7 hour stretch from dinner to bedtime, i understand a quick meal. but try giving him some healthy snack (apple, crackers, peanuts, celery) and thats it. its good for him and will tide him over till breakfast. but i suggest if you start with the healthy food you stick with it to show him eating a lot of junk food before bed isnt healthy. If you cave in when he complains or goes after the sugar cereal, over time he just wont take your expectations seriously.

Answer 19

Let him have a snake at 8 or 8:30 so it is not at bed time. My kids eat a snack most nights.

Answer 20

i am the same way i cant go 2 sleep on an empty stomach but i only have a half of ramen noodles by breaking it in half and use only half the powder so i dont eat alot or try some crakers and cheese or bread to fill her up quickly without using alot of food or try having dinner at a later time 2 keep her full and make it a little bigger

Answer 21

He may be trying to delay his bedtime by saying he is hungry.  Try to give him something light maybe some crackers.  Or give him a small snack earlier in the night well before bedtime.