Best Bedtime Snacks For Toddlers

Do you ever feel uncertain about whether to give your toddler a bedtime snack? What’s the best bedtime snack for toddlers?

Will it help them go to sleep or prevent them from sleeping even more? If you give them a snack, what foods help a toddler sleep?

Let’s talk about it!

In this post, we will cover when a bedtime snack is appropriate to offer, when it might not be a good idea, and the basic structure for a healthy bedtime snack. Hopefully, this brings you some confidence around bedtime and better sleep for your toddler. 🙂

Why is my toddler so hungry at bedtime?

There could be several reasons why your toddler seems especially hungry at bedtime. Growth spurts, irregular eating times, and heightened emotions are the most common reasons toddlers ask for a bedtime snack.

They’re growing and require more calories than they used to

Between the ages of 1 and 2, toddlers have an accelerated growth rate. After the age of 3, this growth rate tends to slow down and become more consistent.

However, this is also when toddlers begin to be more physically active, which means more calories burned, and more calories they need to eat!

Persistent requests for a nighttime snack could be a sign that they are not meeting their calorie needs throughout the day to support growth.

Irregular Meal and Snack Timing

Another factor to consider is meal and snack timing throughout the day. If they haven’t eaten much during dinner or have had a long gap between dinner and bedtime, they may feel hungry again before bed.

Plus, it’s normal for toddlers may have somewhat erratic eating patterns due to their growing independence and ever-changing food preferences. This means appetite changes are very common and normal!

Heightened emotions

Lastly, emotional factors could play a role. Toddlers may seek comfort in food, especially during times of stress, transition, or when feeling tired or anxious, which could manifest as increased hunger at bedtime.

When is a bedtime snack a good idea?

If there’s been a change in your toddler’s schedule

An early dinner, busy travel day, change in their nap schedule, family events/celebrations, transition into daycare, daylight savings, etc! All of these can throw off a toddler’s internal clock.

If there’s more than 2 hours between dinner and bedtime

Toddlers have smaller stomachs and faster metabolisms, meaning they may feel hungry more frequently than adults. If they are physically hungry before bedtime, this might lead to discomfort and difficulty falling asleep.

If something caused a significantly low appetite during the day (sickness, stress, etc)

Offering a bedtime snack during times of illness or stress can provide emotional comfort and reassurance to your toddler, helping them feel cared for and supported during challenging times.

When is a bedtime snack NOT a good idea?

If it’s a daily request

When your toddler asks for a bedtime snack every night, they might start to avoid eating a complete dinner because they know a yummy snack is coming later.

When you know they are only using a snack to stall bedtime

This looks different for every toddler, but you just know when your toddler uses a snack to stall for bedtime. If they ate a complete dinner within 2 hours of going to sleep, realistically they shouldn’t “need” a snack.

If they’ll only accept a favorite food

This is a big red flag! If your toddler won’t accept any bedtime snacks that aren’t their favorite foods, chances are – they’re not hungry! Serving a favorite food for a bedtime snack usually gives them the motive to eat less of their dinner as well.

What to look for in a bedtime snack

It’s not their favorite food

If your toddler knows that one of their favorite foods will be offered before bed, they can intentionally limit their intake during the day. So if you’re looking at the below list of snack examples and think “my toddler doesn’t love these foods” – that might be a good thing!

Plus, serving non-favorite foods as bedtime snacks can help prevent a behavior-reward system with food. If toddlers are “rewarded” for their bedtime routine with food, it could cause them to idolize food as a prize.

Carbs + Protein and/or healthy fats

A healthy snack has two main parts – a carbohydrate and a protein or fat. This combination is great because carbohydrates can cause increased serotonin, which helps regulate mood and sleep (1). The protein or healthy fat helps keep them full for hours and balances their blood sugar and cravings.