Baby screaming, kids starving what do you do?

[morphlerana]

So my 6 month old is teething, not well and won't stop screaming, he's tired, and wants to contact nap. When I try put him down, screaming starts.

My 6 yr old and 3 year old are hungry I need to prepare dinner. Do I let him scream?? I had to for 5 minutes while I made the 3 year old lunch today and had the neighbours asking if everything is okay because of the screaming
But what realistically do I do.

Starters (using it loosely!) might help
They usually like dipping stuff so when you have chance chop some cucumber/carrot etc and shove it on the table with something to dip it in
Or a piece of garlic bread or a side part of the lunch (random example but I ate my tortilla chips waiting for my toastie to cook!)
Gives you a bit more time to prepare stuff

Simplest meal possible for the other two and you, but something they'll enjoy.

Snack meal fine. Cereal?

If you have the food in, don't cook - have a picnic. Get six year old to fetch the food they can reach - anything in the fridge like ham, cheese, yoghurt, dips, salad veg. Bread, crackers, crisps. Jam, honey, peanut butter. Toast if they want something hot particularly.

Otherwise, freezer to oven meal if possible.

But okay to put baby down if you must, yes.

Batch cook and freeze when you have an adult to help or in the evening once baby down for the night (if not contact sleeping then). Then get dinner out in morning to defrost and heat in microwave.

Baby in sling. Or baby cries while you put on pasta and cries again while you drain it.

Yet OP, you have time to post on Mumsnet!

Would get 6 year old to hold baby while I throw together some sandwiches or similar.

Anbesol liquid!

Use a sling,

Will he take bikkipegs? They and a sling often did the trick.

Takeaway

You poor thing and poor baby. They are obviously feeling miserable. Freezer food or toasted sandwiches for dinner and then pjs and throw yourself onto the couch with the telly. Alternate with paracetamol and ibuprofen for the baby to take the edge off the pain. Suppositories are great when the baby is cranky and upset there is no trying to get the medicine into them. They might have an ear infection or something like that brewing. Mine always did with teething so I really do empathise.

Why do you have to be so rude? You can hold a baby with one arm and type out a message asking for advice on your phone with your other hand. No need to say anything at all if you have nothing helpful to say.

If you can afford it definitely get a takeaway. Calpol before dinner isn't mad if they're teething which could totally be the case at six months. Imagine having a painful mouth all the time and then being offered food you can't eat so you're increasingly stressed out.

I'd just shove oven food in or get a takeaway.

Oh and for the love of God give the poor baby Calpol!

I did.

Thank you - I gave some calpol. And put him in his high chair with toys, let him get messy with some puree and teething dummys (the ones where you can put fruit in) it gave me 5 minutes while I put some pizza in the air fryer and made a salad. (Found some at the back of my freezer)
Then when he started screaming again, I knew dinner would be ready in minutes

I was able to type out a thread because I was breastfeeding (to the other posters asking)

You know usually I cook from scratch or do indeed get a takeout (more often than I would like to admit) but my budget is tight this month and I had a moment of "takeout is not an option what the hell do people do!"

The six year old cannot hold the baby

Not an option

I haven't ate yet, but currently making a sandwich now everyone is asleep!

Definitely not this habit.

Use the slow cooker so you can put it on when baby is asleep and it will be ready for dinner.

I'd be proactive and get a few easy freezer/assembling cold stuff from fridge type meals in for the teething period. Just to make sure you're covered and don't panic.

Glad they're all asleep! Hopefully you'll have a good night ❤️

@Nursemumma92

I'll say what I want.

The OP needs to put her phone down and get on looking after the kids.

I broke my wrist and had to prepare a lot of meals one-handed - the key is shopping for it with pre prepped veg like carrots etc and easy fruit like bananas and satsumas, microwave rice etc, ham/cocktail
sausages/babybels so you can put the 6 year old in charge of lunch or at least just throw handfuls of stuff onto a plate and still have a balanced meal!

"had the neighbours asking if everything is okay because of the screaming"

Can you be honest and say "No it's not ok. Either hold my baby or cook us dinner?" (depends on the neighbour but...)

As a great philosopher once said "it's ok to not be ok"… or am I misquoting The Shamen now?

I'm glad. I know it's hard but don't forget you! You are doing great