Is it normal for a just-turned four-year-old to wake up ravenously hungry in the middle of almost every night?

He's diagnosed PDD-NOS, very likely has Asperger's. He's normally a very good sleeper (rare for kids on the spectrum) if nothing is bothering him. I can actually hear his stomach growling when he comes in asking for food. Don't know if it's related, but he has also has difficulty with bladder control for the last several months-- not full out accidents, just "leaks" most of the day. It always takes him by surprise, too, and he'll immediately go and change.



He craves starches and sugar and I'm trying my very best to give him lots of good protein and vegetables, which he'll willingly devour if there's nothing else in front of him. His height and weight are both 45th percentile, down a little from 50th. He has a lot of food allergies and a pretty restricted diet.. still has bumpy skin and dark circles under his eyes though.



Not sure if any of this is related but I've never heard of anyone else's preschooler routinely asking for food in the middle of the night.Is it normal for a just-turned four-year-old to wake up ravenously hungry in the middle of almost every night?
If he wakes up, he's legitimately hungry. Just before your son goes to bed, feed him something that is full of protein and will stay with him for awhile - peanut butter, oatmeal, chicken. They will help him stay full for longer. Starches and sugar digest fairly quickly and this may be why he wakes him. Also, sometimes hunger is actually thirst disguised - let him have a sports bottle of water next to his bed.



I def. know about this because I'm an adult and I used to routinely wake up in the middle of the night ravenous until I started grabbing a protein-filled snack just before bed.Is it normal for a just-turned four-year-old to wake up ravenously hungry in the middle of almost every night?
I would speak with your family physician. As you may or may not know, increased hunger is a sign of diabetes (also, increased thirst and urination). If he has other health issues, he may be more at risk for it. I don't have a preschooler so I don't have any experience with this, but the increased hunger symptom just set off the red flag in my mind that it could possibly be diabetes. I most certainly hope it isn't and I wish you and your family the best of luck.Is it normal for a just-turned four-year-old to wake up ravenously hungry in the middle of almost every night?
Absolutely yes!



Whenever my oldest is having a growth spurt, he will wake up starving. We usually give him warm milk, to soothe him back to sleep, fill up his tummy, and give his body a little more protein.



An important thing for us was for him not to get *used* to being fully awake, so we would do as much as possible with the lights low or off and give him his drink right in his bed. That way, once the growth spurt is done, he won't feel like getting up for a fourth meal at 2 am!



Our other son had a similar issue with the small bladder. He would wake up in the night also, but it was usually because he had to go. We have tried to rouse him to go when we are headed to bed -- also with the lights low -- and that has really helped him to be a sounder sleeper.



If you have *both* issues, you could try waking him when you go to bed and giving him a drink or snack (low sugar) before he gets to be so ravenous...



Good luck with it. :)