25 Easy Bedtime Snacks For Toddlers
Trying to figure out what makes a good bedtime snack for your toddler?
You’re not alone. We all want our little ones to sleep soundly (and let’s be honest, we need the rest too!).
Including a nourishing snack as part of the bedtime routine can really help wind things down and set them up for a good night’s sleep.
So, what are some easy and nutritious, toddler-friendly bedtime snacks? Let’s take a look.
Bedtime snack ideas for toddlers
1.Peanut butter on toast
Nothing could be easier than good old peanut butter on toast - and it offers a great balance of low GI carbs, protein and healthy fats too. Go for a wholegrain bread if you can.
2. Sliced apple with almond butter
Fruit + nut butter = the perfect bedtime snack.
You can make it a little fancier if you like by slicing the apples widthwise into rounds, topping slices with peanut butter and then sprinkling with a little coconut or a few sprinkles to make ‘apple donuts’.
3. A small bowl of wholegrain, low-sugar cereal
Breakfast as a bedtime snack is an easy, nutritious win.
4. Veggie sticks with hummus
A great way to get in some extra veggies, and hummus is an excellent source of protein and fiber.
5. Wholegrain crackers with cheese
Low GI carbs, protein and calcium.
6. Cottage cheese with pineapple
A slightly odd but surprisingly delicious combination!
7. A small bowl of oats (raw or made into porridge) with milk and berries
My kids are much more likely to eat nutritious breakfast foods at night than they are at breakfast time so I try to make the most of the opportunity!
8. Banana and peanut butter sandwich
A match made in heaven - go for wholemeal bread if your toddler will eat it!
9. Greek yogurt with fruit
Great if you want a lighter snack - and provides a good source of calcium for strong bones and teeth.
10. Cheese stick with sliced grapes
You can even thread these onto a stick for a bit of fun, just make sure grapes are cut to a size and shape appropriate for your child.
11. Celery sticks with peanut butter
Nothing wrong with veggies at bedtime and this good old-fashioned combo is hard to beat.
12. Oatcakes with ricotta and honey
Oatcakes are full of low GI carbs and fiber, and paired with ricotta and honey you’ve got a great balanced but delicious snack (Mum and Dad might like to try one of these too!)
13. Trail mix made with seeds, chopped nuts and a small amount of dried fruit
Nuts and seeds are incredibly nutritious and full of protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals.
A little dried fruit adds some nice bursts of sweetness - just make sure teeth are well brushed afterwards!
14. Avocado toast
Who doesn’t love avocado on toast?! OK, my son definitely does not, but it’s a great option if you’ve got an avocado lover.
15. Strawberries with ricotta and a drizzle of honey
Sweet, creamy and delicious with a good mix of carbohydrates and protein
16. Wholegrain crackers with almond butter
Easy peasy and full of low GI carbs, protein and healthy fats
17. Hard boiled egg + chopped fruit
A fantastic source of protein and choline, important for healthy brain development, and a source of iron too.
18. Mini pancake with fruit and yogurt
I’m not suggesting you whip up a batch of pancakes just before bedtime, but if you’ve got some leftovers in the freezer they make a great bedtime snack with some fruit and yogurt.
19. Brown rice crackers with cream cheese and low-sugar jam
Easy but fun, these are a good option if you want to offer something light.
20. Mini wholegrain fruit muffin
If you can get your hands on some of these or have time to make them, keep a stash in the freezer for quick and easy bedtime snacks.
Grab my recipe for banana blender muffins.
21. Slice of no-added sugar raisin toast with butter
Raisin toast is an easy win with kids - add some cream cheese for added protein.
22. Small fruit smoothie
Fruit, milk, yogurt - done!
Keep some bananas and/or berries in the freezer so you’ve always got fruit available for quick and easy smoothies.
23. Fruit ‘parfaits’
My kids love these - I layer Greek yogurt, fruit and muesli into a clear cup and they think it’s a fancy dessert!
24. A platter or ‘tasting plate’
Another favorite with my kids, I just pop a few different things on a plate such as fruit, cheese, veggie sticks, wholegrain crackers, some chopped nuts or seeds or squares of toast with peanut butter
Should you offer a bedtime snack….
Often there are a couple of hours between dinner and bedtime, so toddlers may be a little hungry before bed and without a snack may end up hungry through the night, which can affect their sleep.
If your little one has a space of 90 minutes or more between dinner time and bedtime, then a bedtime snack might be a good idea.
Just make sure there’s a decent gap between dinner and snack time so that your child doesn’t refuse dinner knowing that something better is on its way soon.
Hungry or just stalling bedtime?
Toddlers are pros at delaying bedtime — and claiming that they’re ravenously hungry all of a sudden is one of their go-to tactics!
To avoid this, offer a bedtime snack at least 30 minutes before bed at a set time each night and make it part of your bedtime routine (e.g. bath, PJs, snack, teeth, bed, story, sleep…).
If my kids say they’re hungry right before bed, we offer them a banana.
That way, it’s not something they’re really going to be too bothered about unless they’re actually hungry (although it never ceases to amaze me the extent they’ll go to just to stay up another 5 minutes!).
Do bedtime snacks help kids to sleep better?
The answer is maybe, maybe not!
While a bedtime snack is often a good idea, many parents worry unnecessarily about the effects of hunger on their child’s sleep.
For a lot of kids, being a little hungry through the night has no effect on their sleep.
It doesn’t do their growth any harm either, they’ll simply just eat more the next day to make up for it.
What makes a nutritious bedtime snack?
Snacks often get a bad rap, but they can be a great opportunity for extra nutrients your child might otherwise miss out on.
So try to make the most of these opportunities by offering a nutrient-dense snack.
Ideally, a bedtime snack will include a balance of low GI carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats.
This helps to keep little tummies satisfied and blood sugar levels as steady as possible through the night to maximize the chance of a good night’s sleep.
Low GI carbohydrates may come from foods such as:
Wholegrain bread and crackers
Fruit and starchy vegetables
Wholegrain, low-sugar cereals
Protein can come from:
Nut butters
Eggs
Dairy foods
Meat, poultry and fish
There is also a decent amount of protein in wholegrain bread
Healthy fats can be found in:
Nuts
Seeds
Avocado
When to offer a bedtime snack
Offering a bedtime snack at least 30 minutes before bedtime means there is plenty of time to eat slowly and start to digest the snack before your toddler gets into bed.
What about milk?
Milk can be offered at bedtime along with a snack, or instead of a snack if your child isn’t particularly hungry or has recently eaten dinner.
Just make sure that your toddler doesn’t drink more than 500ml of milk across the whole day, as having too much milk can fill up little tummies and displace other nutritious foods, increasing the risk of nutrient deficiencies (such as iron).
If you are offering milk, offer it before your toddler goes to bed (before brushing their teeth), rather than giving them a bottle to take to bed.
Having a bottle in bed can increase the risk of dental caries as the natural sugar in the milk can sit on the teeth for long periods of time.
Foods to avoid at bedtime
Some foods may actually have a negative effect on your toddler’s sleep and are best avoided. These include:
Foods with a lot of added sugar
Such as high-sugar breakfast cereals, biscuits, cakes, ice cream and confectionery.
These may cause significant blood sugar fluctuations through the night which can impact sleep
Highly refined carbohydrate foods with little protein or fat added
Such as white bread with jam or honey, plain crackers and cakes and biscuits - once again, these foods can cause blood sugar fluctuations through the night, which may impact on sleep
Large meals or snacks
these can cause discomfort which can have a negative impact on sleep
Finding the right bedtime snack for your toddler doesn’t have to be complicated.
A simple, balanced snack can help keep little tummies full and allow for a restful night’s sleep (for everyone!).
Every child is different, so try a few different options from the above list to see what works best for your little one.
