My daughter is 5. and she has developed this habit of getting up in the mornings at 3am and getting into things in the fridge and cupboards for late night snacks. I have tried fridge locks and cupboard locks, but she is just too darn smart and figures them all out!

My question is, would it be cruel of me to lock her in her room at night to keep her out of mischief and even possible danger in the wee hours of the morning?

Does she know she isn't supposed to be getting up to get snacks? You can try giving her consequences such as time out.

Never lock them in their rooms for their own safety.

You can put a motion detector in the hall or kitchen to wake you, so you can properly punish her for doing this

What punishments have you been doing, no TV, no computer, no games, time outs, spanking?

I'm a bit concerned that posters are talking about punishments (such as spanking!) for a 5 year old that may just be hungry. Two things I would ask:

1. Is she eating enough during the day and before she goes to sleep?
2. Why is she waking at this time of the morning - is she sleeping poorly, or is she hungry?

I think that the most important thing is to get to the core of WHY she is behaving like this before anything else is done.

In any case, in the meantime, why don't you put locks on the cupboards and fridge that are keyed, and keep the key under your pillow at night.

I think motion detectors are the best idea. Are you sure she is awake when she does this? I ask because there is a sleep eating disorder where people get up and eat in their sleep, which is different from waking up for a mid night snack.

If she is complaining of hunger you might want to have her checked out by the doctor to make sure she is getting all the nutrients she needs during the day. It might help to remind her during the day that she is supposed to eat enough food to last till morning.

I would be afraid to lock her in her room for safety reasons, however you need to explain to her that it is not safe for her to be up alone during the night. Good luck

My mom used to give me snacks by my bed that were easy to eat and healthy such as wheat crackers or something and a glass of water.

I'm a bit concerned that posters are talking about punishments (such as spanking!) for a 5 year old that may just be hungry.

I think 'punishments/consequences' were suggested because the OP stated that she was concerned about the child's safety. I don't think anyone was specifically suggesting a particular brand of punishment, but simply asking the question as to what methods she is currently using.

If the child is hungry, I think Kara made an excellent suggestion of leaving out a healthy snack so the child won't try rummaging in the middle of the night. She'd probably be less likely to scavenger on her own if something was easily available to her.

OP, maybe try giving her dinner a little later or giving her a snack just before bed (then leaving something else out if she still wakes in the middle of the night).
High protein snacks such as cheese, yogurt, and nuts/peanut butter will "last" a little longer would be great right before bed.

And a hand to the rear is still a very good method to convice children to change their way, if other methods fail. It is a true and proven method for years.

It is of course not the first method, but most certainly one of many that can and should be used.

I have tried spankings, and time outs and taking things away. I've tried taking away trips to grandmas house, and no TV and no swimming and things like that.

I give her plenty to eat at dinner time and the rest of the day. She doesn't always eat all the food I give her at meal times, and she gets snacks during the day too

We are in an apartment so I can't put perminant locks on the cupboards or fridge unless someone knows a non perminant way to do it?

I will try the bed time snack. That is a good idea.

Maybe soemtime this week I will stay up all night and watch her do this to see if she is 'asleep' while do it.

Thank you everyoen for the input.

My nephew started doing this and one night my mother caught him at the fridge with juice all over the floor and himself and she knew something wasn't right. She called an ambulance and after all the tests came back he was diabetic. This may be more then just hunger at work. You may want to seek the advice of a doctor.