Do you eat dinner with your LO?

14years · July 2009

By the time we get home from daycare (at about 6:15 or 6:30), it's time for DS to eat dinner, and then we have bathtime and bed. After he's in bed, DH and I have dinner alone. I'm curious whether how other people do this.

We originally had wanted to have dinner with DS, but it just takes too long to make our dinner at the same time, and then one of us (usually DH) is often running too late to make it home by the time DS eats. We don't really want to change his bath and bed time routine, because he is finally sleeping pretty well and is settled into it. Plus, we kind of like the chance to talk and hang out. But I do sometimes wonder whether we should make more of an effort for a "family dinner."

What do you do?

mclaugaa · July 2009

Sometimes DS is in his highchair while we are eating. I know I am no help since DS is 4 months. But I think we will have the same problem since your schedule looks like mine.

duchess0727 · July 2009

Probably about 1/2 of each. If I have to cook, we generally end up eating after the kids are asleep so I just sit with my son while he eats. But I try to cook enough for the next night so we can all eat together as soon as my husband gets home. So maybe every other night we eat as a family and then Fridays, we usually take the kids out to dinner.

YellowBride · July 2009

Yes, generally we all eat dinner together. But DD is older, so she is eating the same thing as us for the most part. I get home around 5 and DH picks up DD and they get home around 5:30, so I do have some time to get dinner ready.

If its just DD and I - if DH goes out - then sometimes we just have "couch dinner" and eat snacks in the family room. Shhh... :-)

abpdjs · July 2009

not typically. Carson wants to eat as soon as we hit the door so my mission is to get him fed and while he is eating dh normally gets home, then we bath him get him ready for bed, play around and it is bedtime at 7:30. we normally eat after he goes to bed. it is not ideal and i plan on changing it once he is older but for now it works - he is fed and happy.

corinnesmom · July 2009

My DD basically eats everything (with a few exceptions) we eat, so I just get right to cooking when I get home and then we all eat together. When she was still on baby food, she wanted to eat as soon as we got home from daycare so I would feed her first, then make food for me and DH. If she is hungry as soon as we get home now, I just give her a little snack to tide her over while I cook.

flyer23 · July 2009

Yes, having a family dinner is super important to us, so as soon as DD was able to feed herself (about 8 months of age), we made family dinners a priority.

When she was younger, she would nurse as soon as we got home, so that would tide her over while we cooked dinner.

Nowadays, DD and DH usually get home around 6 PM. We play a bit as a family, and then one of us starts working on dinner around 6:30ish while the other keeps playing with DD. We eat around 7 PM and then take DD right up for her bedtime routine. Bedtime is 8 PMish.

We've started noticing that some nights she's coming home starving and is a total grump until she eats dinner, so we've talked about moving up dinnertime to 6 or 6:30. So we can still eat as a family, either I'll prep dinner while DH is picking up DD, or he'll do it as soon as they get home.

EastCoastBride · July 2009

Right now, no. As I have to feed him, it's pointless for me to try and eat at the same time. As he gets older, though, and can eat what I eat - I want to make mroe of a point to eat together. And this obviously includes my DH when he'll be home at dinner time.

tosababy · July 2009

We very rarely eat together. We will, however, sit down with DS while he's eating.

E C · July 2009

flyer23:

Yes, having a family dinner is super important to us, so as soon as DD was able to feed herself (about 8 months of age), we made family dinners a priority.

This. I get home first, so I try to start dinner before they get home. We usually eat around 6-6:15, although DD often has a snack when she gets home to hold her over a bit.

azuremama · July 2009

We do eat together and it's important to me that we do so (although I think it'd be easier/more peaceful sometimes to feed him first and eat after he goes to bed). We get home earlier than you do, though, so that helps. We get home around 5 and we used to eat about 6, but I try to get stuff on the table around 5:30 if I can because DS is hungry and grouchy. I sometimes give him a snack while I'm making dinner, partly because he's starving and partly because otherwise he wants me to pick him up every 2 seconds. I try to do really fast things for dinner and make enough for leftovers the second night. It's not easy.

jlw2505 · July 2009

We do a family the majpority of time. It takes planning though. The girls and I get home at around 5 and my DH gets home around that time (all depends on traffice - sometimes sooner and sometimes later). My girls are always hungry and they go to sleep by 7 or 7:30 so we have dinner at around 5:30. We meal plan on the weekend and try to prep dinner the night before after the girls are in bed so all we need to do is heat it up or toss the already prepared meal in the oven to bake and we play while its cooking. It works out great and we all love having the time to connect as a family every night. Dinner is sometimes fast and sometimes we spend a long time at the table - all depends on the girls moods. DH and I do spend time together after the girls are in bed.

spinach · July 2009

We eat dinner together because as he got older he wanted what we had or he wouldn't eat what i offer him. I have to have dinner made in 5-10 min when i get home to make this happen.

beckys96 · July 2009

Yes - everynight. Its just the two of use since DH works nights. At this point she can eat the same thing I do, so I don't have to do seperate dinners. But I also get off and am home a lot earlier than you. If you really want to do dinner as a fam you could try and do...the cooking in advance then freeze the meals, crockpot meals, or try to slowy push your DS's bath time back...

BoxTer · July 2009

Exactly the same thing you do. There just isn't time to do a family meal when we don't get home until close to 6 and we have to feed DD immediately , then we're busy with bathtime and story time. She goes to bed at 7:30 so we eat once she's asleep. I plan to do family dinners when she's a little older and staying up later. Right now our schedule is pretty rigid, unfortunately.

jenuine · July 2009

We eat together as a family every night. Talk about our days and what tomorrow will bring. Our evening loks like this:

5:00 DD an I arrives home from daycare, I pull a simple dinner together
6:00 DH arrives, dinner shortly after that
7:00 DD I start DD's bedtime routine, DH cleans kitchen and makes lunches
7:45 DD asleep, DH and I relax on the couch or do our own thing

It's not a gormet meal and it didn't start until she was about 1, but it was important to us to have some time as a family every day as I leave for work before she gets up every morning. Now that she is talking more, I am really glad we do it.

14years · July 2009

Thanks, everyone, for your responses.

I may try to work it out so DH and I come home a little earlier than normal one or two nights a week to have dinner all together. (I don't think we could swing it nightly, with our current schedules.)

It's also nice to know there are a few you in my same boat with your work schedules, too.

2more2go · July 2009

Yes, we eat together as much as possible. My family always ate together, DH's family always ate together so it's very imp to us to keep this tradition going. Also, I find that DD eats better by watching and mimicking us. I cut corners by cooking very simple meals that I can put together in 15-30 mins.

May524 · July 2009

Yes, we always eat together. DS eats what we eat 90% of the time. So, it just works out.

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