Impatient at Dinner Time!

shellpie84

I have recently went back to work (thank you Canada!!!) and am having the hardest time with LO when it comes to supper. We get home at around 5 and I need to start supper right away to have it ready by 6 for her.  As soon as she sees the pots come out, or I start cooking she runs to her chair and starts whining for food. I try to distract her with pots and spoons but that only works for so long.  Shes 16 months so patience doesn't realy work with her! any ideas?

tifdaski84

My LO is like this a lot too.  I'll sometimes give him a snack while I prepare/cook to tide him over and keep him busy. 

One thing you could try doing is not making dishes that take an hour to prepare and cook.  We get in the door at 5:30 and are sitting down to eat by 6 most nights.  I make a lot of quick things - chicken, pork chops, salmon, baked potatoes in the microwave, steamed or roasted veggies, grilled cheese and soup, etc.  If I want to do something that'll take a little longer, I prepare what I can the night before so it's just a matter of throwing it the oven when we get home.  Or I prepare and cook it entirely and just heat it up when we get home.  Save the fancy, time-consuming stuff for the weekends

traveltheworld

DS is the same way. I give him a snack on our way home, get dinner on the table within 30 minutes, and if DH is home, he takes DS out of the house or into another room. If he sees me cooking, he'll whine and try to climb on me.

blu-eyedwife

There is a switch that turns on at 5pm which signals to small children that if they do not eat in the next 3 seconds they will die.  If you can figure out how to turn it off, PLEASE let us know!

In the meantime, some things that I've found work well:

1) All Ready Freddy - On weeknights I make dinner the night before, after my guy goes to bed.  Which means I don't actually have to cook when I get home, I just need to reheat.  So dinner is on the table fairly quickly.

2) Operation Distracto Dad - get DH involved with keeping your little one active and entertained.  If they don't think about food, and are focused on something else, it helps.  Especially now when the weather's so nice, having your daughter outside with dad will keep her out of the kitchen/eating area.

3) The Snack Solution - My son uses a little plant stand as "his table."  When I'm trying to get dinner ready, it helps sometimes if I give him something to work on - he loves frozen peas, corn, blueberries - things that take him a while to eat.  I put a bowl on "his table" in the kitchen so I can keep an eye on him and let him snack while I prepare the main course.

4) Mother's Little Helper - He also seems to be more patient if he can "help" so I pull out a stool and let him stand beside me and add ingredients (shake the basil into the bowl, pour a cup of flour/chicken broth/etc.) and stir.

5) Fancy Kitchen Gadgets - It's no secret that kids LOVE non-toys.  So in a pinch, I'll give him my silicone baking cups, some tupperwear, spatulas, and the like.  The fact that they're not toys and he doesn't usually get to play with them make them high value treats.

shannm

I would give her a snack. I usually give my daughter a graham cracker or some water to keep her occupied during dinner prep.

Ali1b1g+1

My son is like this, too. He loves frozen peas (which actually melt in your mouth, so it isn't dangerous), so while I make dinner he will come and have his serving of vegetables. Which is great because he usually won't eat them where they are on his plate.

 

meglette417

How about saving some of your dinner from the night before and feed that to her the night after.  Then she is fed a good meal and when she wants it.

smc008

Does she like baby dolls at all?  Mine just started loving them and I give her a drawer with bibs, spoons, and bowls in it.  She brings her babies in and sets them down to "feed" while I'm cooking.  It takes all her concentration b/c she tries to put bibs on them and then spoon feeds them.  It is an amazing distraction... I am loving the baby doll phase!

TiffanyBerry

If we're within half an hour of dinner, and she's acting like she's going to die if I don't feed her (even though she had a snack an hour and a half before - she's a grazer), she gets some part of what I'm cooking.  So, she could have some carrots or bell pepper or something else that's going into what I'm cooking.  Otherwise, she can deal.  (She is 3 now, and I don't think I implemented that until 2 or so.)