14mo waking up at night hungry - what should i feed during the day?

[micah'smom]

hello all,

i never thought my great eater of a ds would get picky or want to stop a meal short. but now that he's walking, of course there are more important things to get done than eating! anyhoo meals are a battle and i end up feeding him while he plays, and i give him tons of snacks.

however he seems to be waking in the middle of the night starving. can anyone suggest how i can change his diet to fill him up more? how much food (in ounces or whichever) is your 14mo taking in?

our routine
7am wake
7:30 breakfast (eggs or oatmeal, fruit, maybe a smoothie)
9:00 yogurt
10:00 nap
11:30-12:00 - wake and snack of cheese, tofu, or fruit
1:00 lunch
2:00 - snack of pancakes, shredded veggies, etc
3:00 - 4 oz milk in sippy
3:30-4:30 nap
5:00 dinner
6:00 bath, etc. sleep by 7

thanks!

[Mum to cool dude]

Selena,

We're currently going through the same issue with our 19 month-old. He isn't interested in eating in the evening any more and waking for milk again in the middle of the night  . I've been experimenting with various things:

- trying to cut the snacks out altogether in order to let him build up an appetite
- trying to offer a snack right before bedtime (In our case, it's a bottle and a half !), or something filling (Ciara's Mummy suggested cereal, which is a  good idea because it's filling)
- dropping the idea of scheduled meal times altogether and following his appetite instead
- trying diluting the night milk progressively with water - see the sleep boards - so that he regains his appetite for solids during the day

I keep reminding myself that this is a phase and that it will pass. I've given up on cooking for DS if he's going to reject the food and prepare simple meals like eggs or baked potatoes. I also keep offering new foods but stick to the old favourites for the moment, like fruit and yoghurt. Staying cool is easier some days than other, especially if I know that a missed meal is going to result in a night feed. Hopefully this will pass soon

[micah'smom]

Sophie, thanks for the response and commiseration just joking. sort of. I like all your suggestions...  isn't it funny how our lo's push away food even though we KNOW they'll wake up in the middle of the night? I've been faithfully following "braised lamb" and "ratatouille" recipes and like you, just resort to yogurt and grilled cheese sandwiches.

So is this really just a phase and will they go back to their happily-sitting-in-the-chair-and-eating selves? Sometimes I worry that eating on the run will become a habit.

Oh well, if I were ds and exploring the world I wouldn't want to sit still either.

Let me know how you are doing!