2 Year Old Waking up to Eat

Sounds like she may be going through a growth spurt? Try to increase the amount of food she eats throughout the day - whether it be larger meals and/or more snacks - and continue with a small snack before bed. Eating in the middle of the night is an unhealthy habbit to get into. You're not doing any real "damage" by letting her have those few crackers in the middle of the night but you don't want her body to become dependant upon needing food in the middle of the night. Best wishes!

My son did the exact same thing for a month or so around 2yrs (he's 2 1/2 now so not too long ago) i indulged it cause i didn't know what else to do and was afraid he was really hungry and not just making excuses to get up and it blew over after a fe w weeks - 4-6 i think? and now he's sleeping all night again - hope it's just a passing phase for you too :)

Talk to her during the day and before bed about the fact that she eats at the table during meal time. Feed her only at the table (not walking around the house). When she wakes up in the middle of the night, remind her she eats at the table; she'll be okay. Depending on how strong a character she is, it may take a few days. If you are 100% consistent (ie don't give her anything any night at all) she will figure it out. If you let her fuss 10 minutes and give in, the next night she'll know that if she fusses 10 minutes, she'll get a snack. So, it's best to either feed her or set a rule (no food at night) and follow through. My cousin figured out that if he screamed for 45 minutes his parents would let him get pizza although the family was eating lasagna. So he did. Trust me, it has taken him into his 20s to start growing up and stop hollering (in a variety of very damaging ways) when he doesn't get what he wants. It's pay now or pay later with people. Hope that helps.

Maybe she's just waking up hungry and thirsty b/c she's growing and 6 or 8 hours to not eat is a long time for a growing little body who is probably quite active during the day. My son (2.5) wakes and sometimes wants juice or milk, probably b/c his belly is empty. If its not totally disruptive I'd just go with it and see if she eventually stops. Maybe change her snack before bedtime to something more substantial like a whole grain mini bagel with peanut butter (sunflower butter if theres a peanut allergy) or cream cheese. Or whole grain toast with cheese or peanut butter. Something that has more fiber in it...

I don't have all the answers but to me it sounds like your solution of a few crackers and a sip of water and then sleep sounds really good and reasonable. My 2.5 year old just wants to wake at 5 am to play and won't go back to sleep. She has grown about 4 inches this past year so this might be just a phase for your daughter as she's growing alot. Best wishes!