8.5yo regularly waking at 1/2/3am hungry - growth spurt or habit? Should he eat or not eat?

[Anonymous]

Your body actually needs a good chunk of time without food to keep blood sugar under control. I would not allow my child to eat in the middle of the night.

[Anonymous]

What are you feeding him for dinner. Do not impose adult eating habits on your kids. Kids should eat when they are hungry. Their metabolism is much higher.

Also feed him more dinner. What is he full of at dinner time? I could make a hug salad for dinner. My kid would eat that and be full but 2 hours later my kid would be hungry. Ensure your kid is eating protein and fiber.

[Anonymous]

Stop going in circles about what he has for dinner and snacks and when. It isn’t about being hungry. This is a habit he has become accustomed to. No one and I mean no one out of infancy, needs to or should be waking up from sleep to eat in the middle of night. Bad for your body and teeth. Sleep is regulated by the brain, not the stomach

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is he fat?

It's a 100 pound 8 year old... what do you think?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is he fat?

It's a 100 pound 8 year old... what do you think?

Is this necessary or even relevant?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is he fat?

It's a 100 pound 8 year old... what do you think?

Is this necessary or even relevant?

Take a look at the growth charts - OP did say he was tall but didn't mention he's also overweight, possibly obese as well. I'd say it's relevant to the issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hot ovaltine with whole milk before bed. If they want a snack in the middle of the night I give a raw, unsliced carrot. Not anything exciting.

Dafuq

Also just caught that he weighs 93 lbs..my 8 year old boy weighs 53 lbs so I'm more inclined to give food.

[Anonymous]

I would find out what his A1C is. Just to rule out blood sugar issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He’s eating too early. If he’s eating at 4 and then again at 7 and not sleeping till 930pm, it makes sense he’s hungry. My 9 year old DS eats two dinners — one at 6pm when he gets home from after care followed by a snack and another dinner at 745/8pm — plus has a snack just before bedtime. He eats it all. And drinks a ton of water. Very lean and muscular.

Thanks Pp, what time do you start bedtime routine after the 8pm snack is done? This is helpful

His late night snack is usually applesauce or cheerios. Bedtime routine starts around 845pm, which includes shower, brush teeth, he listens to two songs, and lights out. He’s asleep by 930pm. So there’s around 1-1.5 hours that passes between the time he lasts eats and the time he’s lying down.

[Anonymous]

he is actually following biphasic sleep. if he is having large growth spurts I would try to work around it or modify. and then mention to ped to see if he needs a sleep study.
large amounts of liquid will likely lead to MOTN pees which is also sleep disruptive.

[Anonymous]

Definitely do not feed him in the middle of the night. Our body needs to digest and reset, eating at 2am won't allow that.

I would make sure he's getting a good balance of protein/carbs/fat throughout the day and focus on healthy foods, not junk. If he's eating eggos and maple syrup for breakfast, switch to eggs and roasted potatoes. If he's having Mac and cheese for lunch, switch to rice and beans and avocado. No juice/soda.

He can have a water bottle by his bed, but no food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He’s eating too early. If he’s eating at 4 and then again at 7 and not sleeping till 930pm, it makes sense he’s hungry. My 9 year old DS eats two dinners — one at 6pm when he gets home from after care followed by a snack and another dinner at 745/8pm — plus has a snack just before bedtime. He eats it all. And drinks a ton of water. Very lean and muscular.

Thanks Pp, what time do you start bedtime routine after the 8pm snack is done? This is helpful

His late night snack is usually applesauce or cheerios. Bedtime routine starts around 845pm, which includes shower, brush teeth, he listens to two songs, and lights out. He’s asleep by 930pm. So there’s around 1-1.5 hours that passes between the time he lasts eats and the time he’s lying down.

Thank you PP!! This is very helpful!

I’ll reply here again too for the questions on height and weight, he’s standing at 5ft and 93lbs. Not obese but muscular/dense. Height in the family of close male relatives is approx 6’4-6’7.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:he is actually following biphasic sleep. if he is having large growth spurts I would try to work around it or modify. and then mention to ped to see if he needs a sleep study.
large amounts of liquid will likely lead to MOTN pees which is also sleep disruptive.

Op again. I have just looked this up. Thank you. I’d not heard of this type of sleeping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is he fat?

It's a 100 pound 8 year old... what do you think?

Is this necessary or even relevant?

Take a look at the growth charts - OP did say he was tall but didn't mention he's also overweight, possibly obese as well. I'd say it's relevant to the issue.

I stand corrected - OP says that he's 5 feet tall, that's not 99% - that's off the charts, he's a big boy but at 5' and 93lbs, he's in a healthy range for child BMI.

I would be wary of feeding him mostly sugar in the middle of the night but you really you should check with your pediatrician.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is he fat?

It's a 100 pound 8 year old... what do you think?

Is this necessary or even relevant?

Take a look at the growth charts - OP did say he was tall but didn't mention he's also overweight, possibly obese as well. I'd say it's relevant to the issue.

Oh wow, I’m a PP that said to give a snack on the first page. I read too fast and read 93% for weight (and 99% for height, so proportionate like my DC), not 93 pounds. With an overweight or obese child, I would definitely not give a midnight snack. Mine has woken from hunger at times in the past, but they are short periods that are probably related to a growth spurt. This sounds more like habit and not need for calories. So I take back my suggestion and agree with others that he should be given a snack before bed, but then told he needs to wait until breakfast.