I need to change up our evening routine - dinner and toddlers

jcath · March 2014

My twins are 2 and 1/2 and have been good sleepers - going to bed at 7 and so we usually get home from daycare 5:30ish and we play for a while, have dinner, get a bath, change, read books etc and then down at 7. After that I get dinner ready for me, DH and my teenage son - we usually eat around 7:30 or 8. Either I fix something quick, use the crock pot or we buy alot of those Costco preprepared meals that I just have to stick in the oven.

I think the girls are ready to stay up later 7:30 or 8 ish and I'm unwilling to eat dinner at 9 so I'm trying to figure out how we'll get home from daycare, I prepare a meal big enough for our family of 5 and we all eat. To add to the mix my dh doesn't get home until 6:30ish so he's not around to help entertain 2 toddlers while I cook.

ebp913 · March 2014

I "cook" while my DH is still at work almost everyday because I get home before him. Except that I only cook like 2-3 times a week because we eat leftovers the other nights. The key for us is simplicity. I can throw some chicken in a dish, season it and stick it in the oven and then do a roasted veggie, salad, frozen veggies cooked in the microwave with some 90 second Uncle Ben's rice and I'm done. Crockpot meals are great too. I just limit my dinners to things that I can spend 15 mins or less. I'll pick 1 or 2 easy things and then spend 10 mins doing something slightly more involved. I'll get the kids a snack or even use a little TV to keep them occupied while I do dinner. We all eat together around 6:30-7 which is early enough that my kids aren't mad and late enough for us.

I did a really easy taco soup this week with salad. Costco meals are great too if you are already doing those. Can you just throw those in with enough time to eat as a family? I would do some small snacks to hold the twins over if they are getting crabby.

mlee116 · March 2014

Why can't your toddlers just eat the same thing as the rest of you and you all eat earlier, like at 6:30 or 7? If you usually prepare something quick and easy anyways, it shouldn't be that much harder to just prepare it a little earlier I would think.

I've never fed DS dinner separately from us. It just seems like more work to prepare two dinners and two mealtimes. We usually make easy stuff during the week too, like crockpot meals, leftovers, breakfast, etc. so that once we get home, there is little to no prep. If your son is there, maybe he could help entertain the toddlers while you finish up and get it on the table.

jlaOK · March 2014

I agree that it'll probably be easier for everyone if you guys eat all together, probably right after your DH gets home. As far as making cooking easy with twins - crock pot, freezer meals, or prep the night before (which might be easy for you since you are used to making meals after they go to bed). I can always seem to do a meat pretty easily and then I do a lot of steam veggies and steam rice because they are so fast and easy.

I also find that putting on the Disney kids Pandora station helps keep DS out of my hair while I'm cooking dinner.

CarrieB. · March 2014

My oldest is almost 3 and she is content to play by herself or hang out in the kitchen while I make dinner. I don't make anything that takes more than 30 minutes. Sometimes I have her help by setting out silverware or stirring stuff.

I would never make 2 meals. That sounds like way too much work. I meal plan to make it easier when I get home.

jf198400 · March 2014

I have 2 kids ages 2 and 3.5. We get home at 6, DH generally isn't home until 7 or 8. We get home and I put on a tv show for them and they watch and play while I throw dinner together. I basically don't "cook" during the week. I either heat up something I made on the weekend, crockpot, or do something super quick like pasta and veggies. The kids and I eat and DH will reheat whenever he gets home. We play a bit more and then do bath (every other night), books, and bed. My 2yr old is in bed between 8-8:30, and my 3yr old is in bed between 8:30-9.

djm31012 · March 2014

I personally hate to waste time "cooking" when thats precious time with my DS. He is also 13 mos...so not as easy to throw a show on and have him entertain himself. What I do is this. Sundays a ton of prep work during his nap time...cutting veggies for the week...cooking enough to eat leftovers on monday, etc. I also have everything prepped for a crockpot meal that I can throw in Tuesday morning and is ready when we get home tues night. That serves us for Tues and Wed. Thursday I will do something super easy..usually baked chicken nuggets for DS with a veggie that I can prep while holding him...or veggie omelettes, etc. He eats before DH and I....but he eats the same things...so I am only prepping one meal. He usually is ready to eat right when we get home at 6. I like to wait for DH to get home which is btwn 7 and 730 so we eat after the baby goes to bed.

Unknown · March 2014

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jasminelorraine20 · March 2014

Like PP's have said, I plan my meals a day or two ahead, that way when I get home at around 5 ish all I have to do is stick it in the oven and prepare some sides. If you start when you get home, then dinner should be done by the time DH gets home or just slow cook your dinner during the day. DS has his own play kitchen so that keeps him occupied long enough for me to get done what needs to.

CocoGelato · March 2014

My DD is not quite 2 and she "helps" cook most nights so that we spend time together and still eat as a family. I'll give her a plastic toy knife and something soft to cut up (mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli, cheese...), or a bowl of something to mix, or let her arrange food on a cooking tray. She loves it, and it's the only way I can make fresh meals.

dashofreality · March 2014

Apparently this is pimp my blog day. I think it is a struggle for everyone to get dinner on the table, especially when they work. https://www.dashofreality.com/meal-plan-week-3/ this is what I do. I try and capture it in my blog, but basically I meal plan, I prep as much as possible early in the week or at night, try and plan at least 1 super quick or crockpot meal a week. Without resorting to TV (which sometimes has to happen) I can usually get 20 minutes of independent play before hunger and meltdowns ensue so that is what I aim for with my planning.

Divallyn · March 2014

This is what we do as well.

emberlee3 · March 2014

I meal plan and keep things very simple during the week, stuff I can cook or warm up in about 30 minutes. Advance planning is key. I prep at night or on the weekend, batch cook and freeze, and plan a month at a time. I started out with weekly meal planning, but I found that it's more efficient to plan a whole month. When I cook rice or beans, I make a huge batch and freeze in 1-cup portions. Same with pulled chicken and pork. I use those to make fried rice, casseroles, enchiladas, sandwiches, etc. later on. You can do that with ground beef or turkey, too. Speeds things up a lot.

ccam · March 2014

DS is 18 months and he is able to entertain himself while I cook dinner. He has a playmat and a bunch of toys right near the kitchen so I can keep an eye on him. If he's exceptionally whiney, I'll pull up a chair so he can "help" me cook. Worst comes to worst, I let him watch one cartoon. He doesn't watch any other TV during the day, so I don't feel so bad doing that.

We're just now getting back into having dinners together since DS has stretched his bedtime from 6 to 7pm. I try and keep dinners as simple as possible. I also make something on Sundays that will last 2 nights and double up on something I cook during the week so that we'll have at least 2 nights of leftovers.

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