Bedtime snacks?

[Big D]

Okay, so I am really working on getting my 18 mo to eat more calories during the day so we don't end up nursing all. night. long.
This weekend we went to dinner with my parents and my LO ate a ton! It was about an hour before bedtime and he went to bed right on time and slept better than he has in weeks! I'd love to have a repeat performance, but I don't know how to go about including bedtime snacks into his nightly routine. Typically, he gets a bath right after dinner (he gets messy at dinner) and then he still has an hour before bed. MIL suggested rice cereal right before bed, but I do worry he'll get messy again after his bath (LO likes to try to feed himself and looses interest quickly when other people try to feed him.)
So, my questions are...
What should I feed him?
How much is okay close to bedtime?
How close to bedtime should I feed him?
Should I just push dinner later and have an afternoon snack to get him to dinner?
Any other tips, suggestions, and experiences with bedtime snacks?

[MamaPhD]

We've been experimenting with night time snacking here as well with 22 mo DD. We eat dinner around 5:30-6pm, bath around 7, then bed time around 8-8:30pm. We usually do warm milk at bedtime but sometimes I feel DD didn't eat enough during the day, or especially at dinner. Also, if that is the case, DD will usually ask for food at bedtime. So far we tried cheese stick or yogurt and seem to work. Cheese doesn't get that messy & I tell DD mommy has to feed you night time yogurt, so it's been fine (usually she doesn't like my feeding her at all!). We incorporate the snack into our bedtime routine so we actually eat in DD's room rocking chair & lights out (hallway light is on), then she has her milk, floss & brush teeth, then sleep. You just gotta experiment, so good luck!

[Kaimamasan]

I have been doing bedtime snack for DS (now 3yo) since he was about 18 months. We usually do cheese cubes and peeled apple slices. I never found it cut down on his need for nighttime nursing--I think the night nursing is more about comfort that hunger for DS. However, I do find its a nice ritual..he eats his snack while I read him books.
Now that he is three, he really does not need the snack anymore, but uses it as an excuse to stay up late!

[crunchy_mommy]

We try to do a pre-bed snack but DS won't always take it (though DH is often able to 'trick' him by holding food to his mouth while reading to him)... he also likes when DH & I have an evening snack as well (which works great because I'm hypoglycemic & always forgetting to eat...) We eat dinner late (around 7pm) and then he has his snack around 10pm before going to sleep around 11pm. So it COULD help your DS take his snack if you move dinner to an hour earlier but you may not even need to. I'd try to give it to him as close to bedtime as possible but sometimes having at least a half hour or so to digest might be better depending on your kid...

Anyway, as far as what we give him, usually crackers with PB, or a banana with almond butter, or beans & avocado -- we try to get a good amount of protein/fats in him because that lasts longer than just carbs... Mostly DS feeds himself though we do try to control the mess some by holding rather than giving him the bowl and occasionally DH resorts to holding the spoon between bites too because at 10pm who wants to be cleaning PB off the walls????)