Why Does My Son Get an Upset Stomach After Bedtime Snack?

This is just a general question - what is the deal with bedtime snacks? Aren't 3 meals and 2 snacks a day enough? I thought nighttime eating was bad, as it leads to over eating and obesity.

Honestly, when you said "snack", I thought you meant a banana, or peanut butter & crackers, not a happy meal WITH chocolate milk PLUS half & half, plus something else. That is a full meal, and not a very healthy one at that, right before bed. I'd be sick too.

My guess is that he's over eating & doesn't need the food at night.

Sounds like the milk to me. A lot of people are allergic or just intolerant of dairy products. Try almond milk. More calcium and much healthier.

"hot cocoa...chocolate milk+half-and-half"

Based on your examples, it sounds like either dairy or chocolate that he should avoid, but those things should cause problems regardless of time of day. Does he get sick if he drinks chocolate milk at noon? Does he get sick at bedtime if he has eaten something that does not involve dairy or chocolate?

One of my sons and I both get an upset tummy if we eat too early in the morning. No reason for it, but it exists. He doesn't eat breakfast before school because of it.

Have you worked with an OT for the texture issues? If you haven't, you really should. It could make such a difference for him when he's an adult. Really and truly.

I agree with Jill in that the cocoa is too rich for him. If I drank half-and-half, I'd throw up too. (I've never heard of drinking that all by itself, honestly.)

I know the doc is encouraging him to eat, but don't go overboard with trying to push rich calories. Find an alternative. And don't sacrifice healthy foods for calories - a happy meal isn't a whole lot of nutrition. Get nutritious foods into him now, and you'll have an easier time with him later. Ask the ped to send you to a nutritionist. She will help you with cool kid recipes that will put together nutrition AND calories.

Really, try an OT for those texture issues. You will be glad of it when he's older.

Dawn

EDIT:

You do give him a meal a real meal before bed time. Change the amount of your meals and times for eating. You need to stay on a routine whether it be school or not for things to work with his ADHD. This is not an excuse it has become a habit that is not going to work.

If you feel like we as MMP members have picked on you I am sorry but sometimes you have to use common sense. Do contact your doctor for advice rather than us.

Original: Make the cocoa with skim milk and leave the half and half alone. The half and half is too rich for him to digest.

What time does he have a meal before bed? Perhaps a different time for dinner could eliminate the pre bed snack. Going to bed on a full stomach may cause acid reflux and that is not good.

If your son continues to do this you need to contact his doctor and sort it out.

Good luck to you.

The other S.

Try more frequent but smaller snacks.
He sounds like someone who's had gastric surgery and has over loaded his stomach.
Too much at once = barf it right back out.
My grandmother was born with a congenital fold in her stomach.
She naturally had what people who go for weight reduction surgery are looking for.
She ate CONSTANTLY but in little tiny amounts all the time and she was thin as a rail for most of her life.
In the late 70's, the doctors thought the fold was a problem when they found it, so they went in and unfolded it and her weight ballooned - she never got the hang of changing her eating habits of a lifetime.

Stop giving him snacks before bed.

Be wary of making your son eat when he feels full. That could very well explain the vomiting. Overeating can become traumatic for a person who wants to stop eating but is being forced to eat, especially if the child is throwing up as a possible reaction to an over-full stomach. (I'm not suggesting you are forcing him, by the way...)

If you think about it, our stomach/brain signals are a lovely system, if we respect it. We eat, our stomach says 'enough' and we stop. I think you might want to get a second-opinion, because what your doctor is suggesting (ignoring one's bodily cues) can lead to eating disorders later on.

I would talk to a nutritionist about making sure your son is getting quality, nutritious food at his three daily meals and maybe a couple snacks, but to eat another meal on top of dinner seems a bit extreme. I know you are following your doctor's orders and are concerned about your son's weight; I think there is likely a more balanced, healthier way to go about ensuring his growth.

perhaps its the types of foods he is eating. have you asked him why? is he feeling like a headache and a stomach ache? Is he eating a lot of bread foods durring the day. Hot chocolate seems like a barf to me just because its sooo hot durring the summer. Try some cold ovealtien or some pedia sure. See if he does not respond to those better. Its full of vitimans not just sugars. Also try the bed time snack about three hours after dinner. Espically if he is not eating dinner his blood sugar might be getting so low it makes him sick.

Sounds like a dairy issue, but could also be from drinking all the milk quickly (ever heard of the "chocolate milk challenge" lots of vomit with that one, yuck)

My son is also underweight (but always has been and tall and developing normally or advanced, so not a huge issue). Rather than encourage him to eat past the point of fullness, we just push high calorie foods throughout the day. Bedtime snacks are great, but I am pretty sure I would vomit too if I ate a happy meal, chocolate milk, and half n half right before bed.

We have NEVER been told to have him eat past fullness, but to have him eat even when he doesn't feel hungry. There is a difference. The first is kind of a binge, while the second is just upping intake throughout the day. Perhaps split the bedtime snack into TWO snacks between dinner and bed, and make sure he eats more than a small salad at dinner.

HTH
T.

Lactose intolerant? Or some other dairy issue?

:)

When my kids were about 10, they started telling me they "needed" foods like McDonald's, chocolate milk, etc. because everyone was talking about them being underweight. Make sure you never talk about weight around him and only eating healthy. Help him to look on the Internet for foods that are good for someone with ADHD. Ask him which of those foods he'd like to have in the house for when he's hungry.

Have you tried giving him his meds immediately AFTER his meals?

After reading your "What happened" maybe it is a reaction to coming off his medication. Maybe he hit it at just the right time to make his tummy upset. It may not be the food, it may be a let down from the meds, and no matter what foods he ate, he would have been sick.

Sounds like he might be allergic to milk. I was as a child and milk always made me vomit. I would mention it to your doctor.

Well, a greasy, high-fat snack like a happy meal definitely would make my kid throw up. Especially if it's for a bedtime snack. Those are not meant to be snacks but an entire meal anyways.
You probably chose that because your child is underweight, thinking high in fat foods would help, eh?
There are more healthier foods that are high in fat content to help your child gain weight. Carb diets, such as spaghetti with a little organic sauce on top. All types of beans are excellent source of protein and "stick to the ribs". Potates are great too but don't load them with butter, sour cream, and/or cheese. Try using seasonings instead and perhaps drizzle a little barbecue sauce on top for added flavor.
Also, allow your child to stay up and digest his snack at least 30 minutes prior to actually going to bed. Especially if he has a sensitive stomach.

I'm thinking that he's getting over full and since the milk went in last, it's coming out first. Maybe a larger dinner and smaller snack would help.

He's getting full meals, then another practically full meal (not a snack) with dessert on top of that? No wonder his body is expelling the extra food he's being fed. He ACTUALLY IS FULL not just "feeling full." Therefore, the extra food he's being given gets purged.