19 Month Wants More Food After Dinner,bath and Bfeeding :)

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I do not see hardly any vegetables. Cucumbers aren't all that vitamin or calorie filled. Fruit is okay, but not more important than vegetables. I believe that when our bodies are missing important vitamins and nutrients that we will continue to crave food even when full.

How can I be the first person to notice the glaring absense of vegetables?

He may be going through a growth spurt and needs a little extra food. One way I could usually tell if my son was really hungry, or if he was just stalling the bedtime routine was to say "Ok. I'll make you some toast." If he was really hungry, he would eat the toast. If not, he would whine a little bit and then go to bed. The idea is to offer food, preferably one that will stick through part of the night; but not be a sweet or favoured food. My mother used to offer me cheerios...it wasn't my favourite food, but if I was hungry, I'd go for it.

The challenge is not teaching him bad habits of using food for distraction, or eating a lot of snacks just before bed. But, if you are truely hungry, it is miserable going to sleep.

Hope this helps.

I do the same thing that Christina does -- I offer a healthy, filling food that may not be the #1 favorite, but is something I'll feel good about if eaten. (No sweets -- usually things like carrot sticks, leftover green beans from dinner, a piece of cheese, etc.) When my kids are hungry, they eat. And when not...they turn it down. However, if this is happening during his bedtime routine and you really aren't sure if he is truly hungry, I would offer to bring him some milk in a cup -- and do not let him leave his room. Milk is very filling and should offer him comfort if he is actually hungry. But don't break the bedtime routine by bringing him down to the kitchen.

Young kids do not usually overeat. Since your child is only 19 months old, I can't help but think that he is, indeed, hungry most of the time. But there are always exceptions to the rule! :)

Maybe he is just really truly still hungry. They tend to eat a lot more as they get older. But, don't freak out when he goes through a phase of not hardly eating anyting for a couple of days. It' signals a growth spurt. He will make up for it, trust me. I always knew everytime my son was getting ready to take off growing...he wasn't hungry for a few days. Not even his favorites appealed to him. He wasn't sick...just not hungry. The flip side to that is when they want to eat all the time out of the blue.
Maybe after his bath you can offer him a snack like some warm oatmeal with brown sugar or some yogurt with cereal in it. Then brush teeth, do books and breastfeeding before he goes to sleep.

It's just my opinion and worth a try.
Best wishes!

i have a six year old girl and two boys 2 1/2 and 1,the boys eat me out of house and home. my daughter was always a good eater but never needed that much. My boys on the other hand especially right around these years cause they are growing so much eat a lot. Neither of them are overwieght or anything they just are requiring more food to get them by. We do 3 meals a day and three snacks. They eat a healthy snack between meals. At night they eat dinner 5ish, bath by 6, snack after ready for bed. Something like fruit or oatmeal and a glass of milk which for you would be breastfeeding, brush their teeth, story and then bed. I never needed to give my daughter a snack at bed time, but my boys i do....not always though i take my ques from them. If they are hungry they get a snack if not maybe just some milk to make sure they won't wake hungry. It's probably just a growth spurt. Does he go to bed right after he realizes he is going to get to eat? If he goes down with no complants after that and you are just letting him eat and not playing with him or anything then I would say thats a pretty good indacator that he is really just hungry. Is he eating good at dinner time? Also when he wants that last snack how much is he eating....just wondering the amount he is eating for the snack could tell you if it is just cause he is really hungry or not.....This will calm down soon he is probably just getting ready to grow....and I guess the saying is true boys will eat you out of house and home!....Good luck and I wouldnt worry to much about it. Just continue making healthy choices for him like you are and I am sure the snack isn't going to affect him and probably won't last like I said. Good luck hun.

At 1.5 yrs...I would honor requests for more food -- As long as it is the healthiest food in the house. I remember our oldest doing this in the evening at this age and we'd jokingly offer broccoli to which he'd would eagerly agree and scarfed it down.

Our youngest is a little more particular and would prefer many small meals throughout the day (which we do not comply with at age 4.5). If he leaves half his dinner uneaten and says he is hungry before bed, we tell him his dinner plate is in the fridge. = )

You didn't mention if you child is overweight or not, so I will guess not. My kids always picked up their eating just before a growth spurt, hence flexuations in their appetite and diet. Also think about how long it is between dinner (6:00) and breakfast (6:00?). Unless weight is an issue, give him a snack to make it through! My six year old still has a snack just before going to sleep.

When I had a child care center we were required to offer this aqe kiddo food every 3 hours. Their tummies are small and they use it up quickly. It is appropriate for him to want more food if he is eating so early. He is about to have a big growth spurt, at about 20 months kids start growing and then they look like 2 year olds for a long time. Go ahead and give him a evening snack and then do teeth brushing if he is still awake for it.

If you have, like me, lack of ideas about what to feed at this snack then you can go to Taste of Home or Family Fun online sites and get really good ideas for snacks.

He could be going through a growing spurt and really is hungry.

Once he has eaten dinner does he say he is full?

Try to tell him" no snacks after dinner, so make sure you are full".
Then ask him to repeat this to you to make sure he understands.

If he really seems hungry give him a small healthy snack after bath, but before he is in bed. Maybe he is not getting enough off the breast and is using it more for comfort?

What does he want? Try an egg, maybe he needs more protien. yogurt, maybe. Try not to fight about food. That is my take.
best, k

@ Reggie A. Shnitzel is a type of sausage.
Is the baby eating regular cereal or the baby cereal? There's specially formulated crackers and snacks that Gerber makes for different stages of a child's life. I don't see any harm in offering another snack before bedtime. It sounds like a growth spurt to me too.

While I agree with most of the other ladies in that it's probably just a growth spurt your child's fixin to go thru, I also think you should take particular note of how much/often he's eating, drinking, and urinating. If these three things are being done in excess, then I would suggest he be seen by a doctor and checked for diabetes, as excessive eating, drinking and urination are the main symptoms of diabetes.

Hope this helps you and all the moms out there.

My daughter went through the same thing. the doctor said it was a growth spurt and not to worry. She also said to be glad that she was eating because soon enough that would change. She is now 28 months old (2 1/2) and barely eats half the time. Again doc not worried because she is growing well. 27 lbs over 3ft. I say feed him again a healthy sack at night such as yogurt w/ cheese. It will fill him up and add that extra calcium that he needs. Try to avoid fruits because of all that sugar might keep him awake! Good luck.

Are you feeding him any fresh whole grains? any veggies? Sounds like you're giving him hard to digest unhealthy processed stuff (no offense). He should eat fresh whole foods: whole grains (quinoa is very high in protein and all sorts of other minerals), brown rice, oatmeal; lots of different veggies, fresh not frozen, maybe with some bean dip that you throw in a blender (beans, lemon juice, herbs and spices, olive oil). Get him off that shnitzel, what is that? sounds gross and filled with chemicals and carcinogens to me.