MAG Late Night Eating

[JLev]

Now that school has started, DS (age 9) gets home from practice around 9:15. When he gets home, he is always hungry (which I understand) but I hate to feed him and then send him to bed. Any nutritionists out there that can suggest what's best to eat in this scenario. He's fairly picky and would prefer to eat crackers and goldfish. I try to steer him towards milk but he says it doesn't fill him up. He doesn't care for meat, fruit, or vegetables

 

[gymdog]

I've eaten dinner after 9:15 almost my entire life. It's probably not the best time to eat but who knows. I would feed him whatever things you normally feed him for small meals. Maybe some PB or cheese on whole wheat crackers.

 

[duyetanh]

Can he eat on the way home? How long is your drive? Mine has about 45 min in the car (an hour in bad weather) and dinner is eaten in the car.

 

[Madden3]

Well it is not ideal to eat right before bed, but I long ago made my peace with it, because they have to eat sometime and they have to get enough sleep.

Do you mean he rarely eats meat, fruits and veggies at all, or just not late at night? One thing I figured out long ago is how to hide veges in other things so the kids get enough. We do veges as sides as well, but the hidden veges really help.

Our coaches have talked to the boys about the importance of proper nutrition for athletes. It helps.

My older son who is 13 now has the latest practice we have ever dealt with and is home about 9, after starting at 5PM. We live less than 10 minutes from the gym, so car eating does not make sense for us. I used to feed my kids dinner before evening practices, but they both complained of feeling sluggish at practice. So now they have a good snack before practice and eat dinner after, and dinner is whatever I made everyone for dinner, leftover. And yes for older DS that means he eats a full meal (although not a large meal, he is not a big eater at any meal) and goes right to bed. So far it has not caused any issues, he sleeps fine, etc.

I think carbs are fine for right before bed, but ideally they should be balanced with some protein. I do not think fruit or veges are needed as part of a before bed snack.

Our go-to snack day and night is peanut butter on a rice cake. It hits the spot without being overly filling. My kids like it with honey. Apple slices dipped in peanut butter are also a favorite of two of my kids. Of course if peanuts are an issue, any other nut or seed butter would do. Good source of protein and most kids like it.

Will he eat cheese with his crackers? Since we were out of peanut butter today (disaster) I made my son a before practice snack of cheddar cheese, crackers and slices of apple and he really loved it.

Does your child like eggs? Maybe you can do some kind of breakfast-for-dinner thing of eggs and toast.

Ok now I'm hungry.

 

[duyetanh]

The egg brekkie idea is awesome....my girl loves breakfast for dinner....

 

[sce]

Apples and peanut butter, string cheese, quesadilla, pb&j, yogurt parfait (yogurt, fruit and cereal) ... all quick, easy bedtime foods

 

[Faith]

Goldfish

I know fish is good for you but why not stick to good old salmon or mackerel?*




*only teasing . I assume this is another US/UK language barrier and you don't keep fishtanks fully stocked for a quick snack...?

 

[Iwannabemargo]

From what I can gather @Faith they are Ritz crackers ! But obviously shaped like fish ????

I always take food for Pink to eat in the car if its a late one. Wraps, pasta, sandwiches, she eats a full meal in the car quite easily.

 

[samsmama]

We're in the same boat -- 9 yr old DS practices 4:30-8:30 and gets home between 9-9:15. We have to race from school directly to practice, so he eats something in the car on the way to gym and on the way home. We do chocolate milk plus popcorn or pretzels, babybel cheese or cheese sticks, yogurt, applesauce, sometimes a little thermos with mac & cheese or another pasta if I have time before I pick him up. I'm sure we could be doing better, but he is a super-picky eater, so that limits the options.

I worry more about sleep -- he's in bed 9:30-7 most nights, but often has trouble falling asleep. He could sleep later, but his middle school sister has to be up at 6:30 and while she tries to be quiet, he always wakes up.

 

[skschlag]

D eats a full meal at about 9:20 when he gets home every night. Has for years. Usually whatever leftovers we had from dinner. He eats a big snack at 4ish and then a dinner at 9:20. Some nights he eats more than others.

Can you have a plate ready for him...with a meal on it?

 

[sce]

From what I can gather @Faith they are Ritz crackers ! But obviously shaped like fish ????

They are little fish shaped, cheese crackers.

While they may not be available in stores, you can buy them on Amazon in the UK too.
Link Removed

 

[lilmisssunshine]

Could he do a "milkshake"-- I do milk, vanilla protein powder, chocolate Ovaltine, a spoon of peanut butter and a handful of ice and it blends up nicely into something that is really close to a milkshake (you can make it creamier with avocados).

If he'll do pasta, I'm a fan of the Barilla protein-added pasta for my kids who don't eat a lot of meat. It's the pasta they like, but I feel less guilty about not having a lot of protein around.

 

[l.c.o]

Totally not nutritionists here, but DD gets home at 9:30 each night and the promptly eats me out of house and home (after eating like a bird the rest of the day).

She does eat a "full dinner" before practice (ex: half a chicken breast, six broccoli florets, six strawberries, milk).

She seriously eats whatever she wants when she gets home, but over time she's learned to alternate different 'food groups' like: small bowl of ice cream, watermelon, chocolate milk, couple handfuls of goldfish, half a banana, then couple handfuls of cashews... Sometimes I literally make her "second dinner" with leftovers, depending on what's in the fridge.

But that ice cream is almost always first.

I swear she gets half of her daily calories after practice. I should chart it sometime just out of curiosity. Wonder if it qualifies as "binge eating"?!?

 

[SPX]

We have hobbit like meals. Breakfast, 11sies, lunch, dinner, (practice with snacks like cheese, lunch meat rolls, pb crackers), supper and bedtime snack. He eats constantly unless he's sick, then he eats nothing. We've got one late practice a week from 5:30 to 9pm. Ds gets dinner before he leaves or in the car (30 to 40 minute drive) and a second full dinner plus dessert/bedtime snack once he gets home (or sometimes in the car). Then 5 minutes in the shower and off to bed hopefully by 10pm. For us it is only one day a week so I don't worry about it too much and it doesn't seem to have affected his sleep.

 

[Sasha]

D eats a full meal at about 9:20 when he gets home every night. Has for years. Usually whatever leftovers we had from dinner. He eats a big snack at 4ish and then a dinner at 9:20. Some nights he eats more than others.

Can you have a plate ready for him...with a meal on it?

Same with my 9 year old son. "Mini" dinner before practice (4:30 ish - often a PB sandwich, some salty crackers, jerky and cheese, that kind of thing...) and "regular" dinner at home after 9pm in whatever portion his body feels like eating. Sometimes it's a full-size dinner, and sometimes a small plate, but usually with protein, fat, and carbs mix like a chicken pasta or rice and beef, cheese quesadilla or whatever we're eating. We live where people commonly have later dinners, so maybe it doesn't seem so strange to me. I used to live where dinner for most folks was 5 or 6 pm so eating at 9 would definitely seem more odd.

Personally, I think people adapt for the most part. Eat at 5 or 9 or whatever gets your body the fuel it needs. Especially kids - very adaptable. Worldwide, dinner times and spacing vary and people do just fine.

 

[notthatmom]

From what I can gather @Faith they are Ritz crackers ! But obviously shaped like fish ????

I always take food for Pink to eat in the car if its a late one. Wraps, pasta, sandwiches, she eats a full meal in the car quite easily.

They're like cheez it's, but shaped like fish. Taste nothing like it, nor are they made with fish...they are scrumptious however, and relatively healthy.

 

[notthatmom]

Goldfish

I know fish is good for you but why not stick to good old salmon or mackerel?*




*only teasing . I assume this is another US/UK language barrier and you don't keep fishtanks fully stocked for a quick snack...?

It saddens me that y'all don't have this in the U.K....I love them! So do my girls....and my cats

 

[Faith]

They're like cheez it's, but shaped like fish. .

Now if I knew what cheez it's are, I might know what you mean .

They sound like those diamond/square/circle little biscuits beloved of 70's buffets. Found next to the bombay mix and coronation chicken vol au vents....

 

[l.c.o]

Can y'all over the pond access this:



Figured you may like a glimpse into the amazingness that is American capitalism.

 

[notthatmom]

These are cheez it's, would be seriously weird to have them at a buffet, but I haven't been to a buffet in quite some time so who knows

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheez-It