Those with babies/young children with one SAHP and one working pareny

[FlowTeeBowTee]

How do you manage your dinners and bedtime ?
I am SAHM and DH comes home at 6pm, children are fed and playing before bathtime which is around 6.45. Partner tries to fit in eating dinner, having a quick wash and doing the dishwasher all before bath time. He helps with bath time as we have 2 and then is back downstairs by 7.15 while I put little ones to bed.
He says it’s too stressful when he comes in but doesn’t want to eat later as he’s hungry when he gets in.
What would you say to him and how does your home manage this time?

If you make his tea for him he should sit down and eat at around 6 pm when he comes in. You and children should eat with him and then play for short time then bath then bed. What age are the children?

I work from home, kids eat at five, dp gets in at six and I eat with him and the teen dc while the little ones sit with us and eat pudding.

Then bath time at 6:30 and in bed asleep by seven. We both do bath and bed time together unless one of us if going out.

Teens clean up the kitchen and wash up while we do this.

It's nice to all eat together, but the little ones can't wait till six so this way of doing it works well.

The children eat at 5ish and we eat after they’re in bed. Not ideal and I’d prefer family mealtimes but we just can’t work it on weekdays at the moment.
Children in bed for 7 then we eat at 7.30-8ish.

Partner tries to fit in eating dinner, having a quick wash and doing the dishwasher all before bath time
Assuming dinner is on the table for 6.15 could he come in, have a quick wash, eat then do baths. He can load dishwasher and tidy up whilst you do bed times

Eat at 6 or ASAP after he arrives home. One of us clears up the meal, other bathes the DC (latest in bathroom is 7) Whoever has finished first helps the other. Then one Dc each to put to bed (730), alternate nights.

I think dishwasher could be later, and tbh I'd suggest he have some fruit to keep him going until you can eat together (or shift his lunch later). I SAH (though maybe a bit different as I also work during naps/evenings), DH WOH. DD (toddler) has dinner around 5.30, at 7pm she watches a bit of Peppa, DH arrives as it starts, he then gives her her bottle, reads her a story, does her bath while I prep our supper/work, I then dress her and put her down, then we eat together.

I'd be telling him to have a slice of toast before he goes for his 'quick wash' to see him through until you can have a more relaxed meal after bedtime has been done.

What kind of job does he do though that means he has to have a wash as soon as he gets in? My DP does a really really grubby manual labour job and also gets in about 6.

He tends to grab a cold drink and then takes over bathing the two children while I start getting food ready. He gets them into pyjamas and we either eat whilst they are watching in the night garden or we put them to bed and then eat - usually no later that about 7.15

Because an adult who understands that the bedtime hour is hectic he waits to have a wash until later in the evening and has a snack at about 5pm to keep him going.

I do bathtime (well, shower time) in the morning. Never understood the logic of getting washed to go to bed, unless you’re absolutely filthy. Small DC don’t need washing every day anyway. DH gets home at 7pm and we all have dinner together before bedtime at 8pm.

He needs to retrain his hunger cues and eat later. Grabbing a snack (which gets smaller over time) will tide him over.

He can do the dishwasher at 7:15 whilst you finish bedtime.

I eat with children (4 and 1) at 5.30/6. I start the bath at 7. Downstairs and having milk at 7.30. If DH isn’t working late he comes home between 7.30-8 and will either quickly eat the dinner I’ve left for him or will read the eldest a story and have his dinner after DC are in bed (8). There isn’t much clearing up to do as I’ve cleared most of it up after me and DC have eaten.

Ours vary but I tend to cook same meal for us all and have it on the table for when dh comes in at 5.30. Then it is bath, story and bed. Dh does dishwasher whilst I put kids to bed.

We rarely eat as a family. It depends what shift my husband is on (early shift 6/7/8 until 5, late shift 3 until 10-10.30ish, or an all day shift from 8 until close with a break if he chooses to take it, but he often works through).
If he's on an early shift I cook for ds, bath him and put him to bed, then dh and I eat when ds is in bed.
If he's on a late or an all day shift, it's the same, only I eat on my own when ds is in bed, and dh gets something at work (We used to wait but it meant we weren't eating until 11.30 some nights, as he doesn't get home until 11pm usually, sometimes later if it's been a busy night).
The only time we sometimes eat all together is on his days off, but again sometimes we will wait and eat when ds is in bed. He likes to bath him on his days off though as it's the only chance he gets.

I eat with the kids at 5pm. DH arrives home anytime between 6 and 6.30pm. The kids have telly time 6.15pm to 6.45pm. If DH has time he'll snaffle down dinner. At 6.45pm we do teeth, he'll then read the book. He's back down, both DC in bed, around 7.15pm at which point he'll have dinner if he's not already had it. Some nights we have dinner together, which I'll prepare whilst he's doing book & bed.

DH is home at 6.25. He eats with us (we start a bit earlier as DD is slow eating). All go upstairs at 7 to shower. One of us showers with the children and the other during the bedtime story. The dishwasher is variable. It's hectic but allows all to be done by 7.45ish and we have an evening.

So jealous of all of the DP’s who come home by 6pm!! I’m a SAHM with a DH who leaves the house at 6am and comes home anytime from 8-11pm... I mostly eat with the DC at 5:30pm, then they’re in the bath by 6:15pm and hopefully asleep by 7pm... and then I go downstairs to tidy the kitchen and playroom and cook DH’s dinner, so it’s ready by 9pm and then I do the dishes, hang up laundry and mop the floor.

Yup, this is my pity party for one lol. Probably explains why I drink so much gin 😂

I’m starving when I finish work and get home by 6. Have a piece of toast to retrain hunger? ... no way

Dp is a SAHP and I work.
I get home anytime between 6-7.
Dp feeds kids at 5. Has them ready for bed for when I get in.
When I get home I play a little with kids and then read stories to them.
When they go to bed I get washed and changed and eat tea when all are asleep.
I make sure that weekends we all sit down as a family.

I hate that I don't eat with the kids, but their bedtime would be to late if I did that.

At 2.30/3pm I tend to have a small snack eg banana or I will only eat half of my lunch at lunch time and eat other half in afternoon.

I’m not a SAHP, but my dh and I routinely get home from work anywhere between 4:30-7:30pm. This was the same when I have been at home during mat leaves. We have a 6 year old and a 15 month old.

Whoever is home for dinner, which is at 6:30, sits down and has dinner as a family. Several times a week I am not home in time (get home 7-7:30), so I eat on the train and jump right into bathtime when I walk in the door. We have always done bathtime and bedtime together if we are both home. No one sits on their bum while the other struggles to put two children to bed.

It sounds like he needs to get stuck in with family meals and bedtime. I don’t always want to eat when I do but I have to. I also manage 3 hours of travel home on the days I’m away (very long commute) and still do bath and bedtime. My dh and I both do any further work we need to do after 8:30pm when both dc are asleep. This sometimes means we work til 10-11pm, but family time is family time and we both share the load.

Dinner all together at 6
Quick tidy up of kitchen and dishwasher loaded
I deal with the baby, he deals with the toddler. On nights he’s not here it’s a little more stressful juggling the two, getting easier as the baby is getting a bit older and more happy to be put down sometimes.
We do also have older children who help tidy up from dinner especially on nights when it all goes to shit and we have two screaming little ones

I would say one do bath time and one do dishwasher etc. It doesn't take two adults to wash kids.

Id push bedtime back. Say 7. My oh is home at 5. Dinner 530. Play and chill time then bath n bed at 6.30

I get in about 5.20, we all eat at 5.30 then bath/pjs on with a view to them being in bed by 6.30. He tends to have the DW ready to be loaded with dinner stuff so we just put plates in when we're finished.

Dh gets home at 6.45. We do bath, getting the babies ready for bed together. I feed small one his last bottle while he takes the big one up. Then takes small one up. I make dinner, we eat, he washes up. Both of us are happy with this arrangement. If either of us are hungry we just eat a small snack.

As someone who gets home at 6pm most nights and is ravenous, I don't agree with pushing back tea. When do you eat, with the kids or him?

Looking at bath time, do you really need to do bath every night? What about every other night or a quick wash in the shower if your kids are old enough?

Could you have tea earlier with the kids and do bath time while he eats and then does the dishwasher?

Can you just bath both kids in the tub at the same time and then he can get one out to help dry?

Only one DC but DH gets home from work at 4:30 (work hours 8-4), either one of us will give DS dinner between 5-5:30 and then if it's bath night DH does it and I'll prep dinner and DH nearly always puts DS to bed at around 7pm. We eat after.