What to give as a snack before bed to children.

To improve a baby's sleep quality, they need to have a proper eating routine. Some studies find that pre-bed snacks can develop a more peaceful sleep.

How long after dinner can the child have a snack?

If we decide to give our child a dessert it is important to do it immediately after lunch and not before going to bed. Obviously it is advisable to give him foods free of fats and sugars, because they can increase the risk of overweight and obesity, as during the night the metabolism slows down.

What can be given to the baby to promote sleep?

Milk is the pre-bed snack par excellence especially when we talk about warm milk it can have a calming effect and can help the baby to relax thanks to serotonin, the calming chemical that promotes sleep. But alternatively snacks based on dried fruit, whole grains that are not very sugary, a piece of bread are also good.

What to avoid:

• foods that contain a lot of sugar because they cause a spike in blood sugar and its subsequent collapse with the consequence that the child will feel hungry again after an hour or two;

• foods that contain caffeine.

What should the pre-bed snack look like?

It must be light, satiating and soothing. It doesn't have to be too caloric or heavy. The ideal would be a snack based on fiber and proteins or at most whole carbohydrates that do not contain too many sugars.

What should the pre-bed snack look like?

Are milk and cookies recommended?

In view of the fact that cookies are still foods based on complex carbohydrates and rich in sugars, they should be avoided. They also have a high satiating power, at least in the immediate future, so they should not be the basis for a snack before bed unless the child has eaten little for dinner.

If you don't like milk without anything, we can add just one biscuit to give the drink more consistency.