There are specific criteria I look for in a good bedtime snack as a Registered Dietitian. First I’ll share my top 10 snack picks with you, then I’ll answer the most common questions I get about bedtime snacks, like whether kids actually need one, and what to avoid eating at bedtime!

10 best bedtime snacks for kids and toddlers

1. Peanut butter on whole wheat toast or whole wheat tortilla
2. Banana and a glass of milk
3. String cheese and a handful of pretzels
4. A cup of dry cereal (low sugar) with a glass of milk (I find this deconstructed version easier than a whole cereal event at bedtime) 
5. Yogurt pouch (I like the Stonyfield ones with no added sugar)
6. Some grapes and a handful of mixed nuts (for 4+)
7. Whole grain crackers and a few slices of cheese
8. Turkey and cheese roll-up
9. English muffin with avocado
10. Sliced apple with almond butter or peanut butter

Do kids need a bedtime snack?

Not necessarily. A bedtime snack isn’t a must, but in some circumstances, it is a good option.

We usually say that a day of eating for toddlers and kids should roughly consist of about 3 meals and 2 snacks. This usually gives them enough eating occasions to get all the nutrients they need in a day, but it’s not a perfect science. Sometimes kids eat more on one day or at one occasion, and less at others. So depending on your child’s eating habits, you may need an additional snack on any given day. 

I don’t usually default to offering a bedtime snack unless it’s “needed”- aka my kids are hungry by bedtime and/or our schedule necessitates it. We’ll get into the specifics on that in a minute. 

But bedtime snacks are not bad! They’re not a crutch and they’re not a bad habit. In fact, they can be a super helpful way for them to get what they need across an entire day. Kids aren’t robots when it comes to eating (or when it comes to anything-ha!) so sometimes we need to be flexible with them to help them meet their nutritional needs. 

When would I want to offer a bedtime snack? 

There are a couple tell tale signs that a bedtime snack might be a good idea for your kid/s.

Number one is that your kids are asking for a snack at bedtime/saying they’re hungry.  

Now I know, I know- that sounds like the oldest trick in the “delay bedtime” book. But there are some other clues that can help you figure out if they’re actually hungry or if they just want to keep you in their room all night.

When might it be a good idea to do bedtime snack?

• If dinner was 2 or more hours before bedtime
• If they tend to front-load their calories during the day (aka eat a big breakfast, but less at lunch and dinner), then they may be truly hungry at bedtime
• You’re never sure if they ate enough at dinner, and offering a bedtime snack to the daily routine eases your worries about them going to bed hungry
• They are often waking up early in the morning because they are so hungry, or even waking at night hungry

What I don’t want to see when it comes to bedtime snacks is kids purposely not eating their dinner and holding out for a bedtime snack because they know it’s coming, and they rather eat what’s for snack than what’s for dinner. I’ll touch on what to offer and what not to offer next to help this issue.

What if it’s not bedtime? Try these snacks!

What to look for in a bedtime snack?

When I offer a bedtime snack, I’m aiming for these things: boring, nutritious, and predictable. 

Since bedtime isn’t a typical eating occasion, I’m not trying to save the best for last and offer them something exciting they’ve been waiting for all day. If they know they can get a dessert type food or their very favorite snack food at bedtime, that’s when they’ll consider holding out on dinner just to get to the good stuff later. 

I’m not saying a bedtime snack should be collard greens and broccoli or their least favorite food, either. But it should be something relatively simple and boring– not exciting and highly desirable. 

I also want it to be nutritious. What that means to me is that I want the snack to ideally contain some combination of the macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and/or fats). 

We want a bedtime snack to actually fill them up and ‘“feed them” all night while they sleep. We also don’t want to go too carbohydrate-heavy without the other macros because that can cause higher circulating blood sugar overnight. 

And finally, I want it to be predictable. Bedtime snack is not the time for a choose-your-own-adventure moment in the pantry. I usually give 2-3 options that can ALWAYS be available for a bedtime snack, and they’re welcome to choose from those options. 

What to avoid in a bedtime snack? 

So on the flip side of the coin, what do we want to avoid at a bedtime snack? 

I want to avoid anything:

• too exciting
• sugary/dessert-y
• something they only get at bedtime
• something they will hold out for because it’s more desirable
• snack-y foods like fruit snacks/bars (too simple and not filling enough)

It doesn’t necessarily need to have anything to do with the dinner they likely didn’t eat, but it can if it’s easily savable. But please hear me that it doesn’t need to be a vindictive thing about them not eating the dinner we worked so hard on (even if our parents did that to us-ha!). 

And this doesn’t mean that you can’t ever offer dessert! That’s not what I’m saying. I’m just saying that if your kid is the type to skip dinner because they know they can just have dessert instead, then this is not working the way we want it to.

For those kids, I recommend serving a small portion of dessert along with dinner so they can go ahead and enjoy their treat, but then still fill up on other foods.

Need easy snacks for school or on-the-go?

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