Feeding troubles

[Dizzyloubell]

I currently mind 3 children - 6 months, 18 months & 3.5 years.

I currently prepare the food and give to the 2 older children along with drinks as they can both feed themselves and concentrate on the baby.

The problem I have is that once the eldest races through her and when she has finished eating she pushes away her plate and starts asking for yogurt or alternative, at which point the 18 month old pushes away his plate and starts copying arhh.

Any suggestions of a better way of doing it?

suggust a meal routine, they all sit together and then when finished they need to put cutley on plate in front of them and wait for the others before pudding and then again make them all wait till little one finishes and then they can get down

the 3.5yr is eating her meal up and therefore why should she have to wait for a pudding

saying that it wouldnt hurt for the 3.5yr to wait a few mins to let food go down and then have pudding

but the 18mth will have to learn

i have the same ages 20mths and 4yr and often 4yr will eat quickly and get fruit and then yogurt etc

20mths will also squark,scream, but she also knows that she wont get it till she has finished, and both mb and i say to her, it is not a nice noise, you can have a yogurt etc when you have finished

she understands and yes she eats up what she has then has whatever the older one has

other times, toddler eats fast and has her pudding first and 4yr waits

I have this. If there is a big gap between finishing times, I sometimes let the older children down from the table and give them a 'job', or activity to do before pudding. I find if I put the pudding for one child on the table, the others just stop eating their dinner. Also, I sometimes do a cooked pudding, so they know they have to all eat together. The children are all used to this and generally they just sit at the table and chat while they wait for the others. I currently look after a little one who would do anything for yoghurt and we try to get everyone not to mention it until dinner is over .