To absolutely hate tea time with small children (3 and 1)?

34 replies

ihateteatime · 08/07/2024 17:29

Worst time of the day by miles. I want to send them away and have them returned after tea.

OP posts:

StarieNight · 08/07/2024 17:59

Again try and re frame the mess, put them on plastic or paint sheets.

If all else fails occasionally giving them TV won't hurt

StarieNight · 08/07/2024 17:56

Get them used to tapas style, little bread little this and little that.
Don't Tell them to sit down.
Try and reframe it all. Them not sitting now doesn't mean they won't as adults.

Original poster

ihateteatime · 08/07/2024 17:52

Mine don’t really go for picnic type food. It just isn’t eaten. I hate inevitably getting covered with food and telling the three year old to sit down, the mess it causes and the stress!

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BippetyBoppetyBooHoo · 08/07/2024 17:51

Yeah never mind a cleaner just someone to come in and feed them and clear up. They are pretty disgusting creatures

FrenchandSaunders · 08/07/2024 17:51

A glass of wine numbed the pain slightly when mine were at this stage.

Original poster

ihateteatime · 08/07/2024 17:50

The idea of bundling them into a car and to a friends and then back again is making me laugh a bit hollowly. Or do you all live on the same street?!

OP posts:

Coffeerum · 08/07/2024 17:44

What specifically do you hate about it?
I do snacky plates for mine of similar ages and it takes a lot of the pressure off. They might have a bit of precooked chicken, a Fromage frais, some fruit and a veg, something easy like frozen peas or something.
Picking at lots of little things seems to help and try not to start dinner too late if it can be helped.

CeciliaMars · 08/07/2024 17:42

Yeah it's a rubbish time of the day with small kids. When my first two were that age, DH worked in London and didn't come home till 7.30-8...at teatime that seemed like an eternity! I agree with PP - see if you can swap tea times with friends, have a picnic every now and again...I used to take them to my mum-in law's, which wasn't particularly fun but gave me a spare pair of hands and an adult to talk to for a couple of hours! Having the radio on helped me too if I was alone. Good luck!

lateatwork · 08/07/2024 17:32

Do supper club.

Join up with a group of other parents and take turns and head there after nursery. Hosting parent does kids dinner. Adults get their own cup of tea. Leave pretty fast after tea.

We did this. It saved our sanity.

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