Do you eat dinner with your DCs? What time do you eat?

[Cloudminnow]

Just wondering. Since having DS1 we got into the habit of having child free dinner once he was settled. Ever since then we have dinner at 9 ish. The DCs have their's between 5.30 and 6.30.

Our children are 11 and 8. If dh gets home by 7.30 (very rare) we will eat together.

Yes we do. We usually eat around 5- 5.30 ish. DH is rarely home by that time so he tends to warm his up later. If its a day I know DH will be home we tend to have something a bit more special, so the children look forward to us all eating together.

I've never really been keen on eating at different times than the DC, its always reminded me of watching feeding time at the zoo .

no kids eat usually at 5-5.30pm (ages 6 and 4).

We eat at 8pm ish - normally one cooks whilst the other takes the kids to bed. I find we are always faffing when we eat with the kids and i don't get to enjoy it. Plus myself or DH go the gym etc around 6 or 7 some nights.

We eat together between 5 and 6 most days. If OH is not home then he has his reheated later. I'd rather eat earlier and often am in bed by 9pm.

We eat with dc (7yo and 20 months) at 5.30pm-6ish.
Me and dh have struggled with eating that earlier and tbh are better when we have brunch by about 11am in order to have a main meal that early in the evening.

Ds has had really bad eating problems in the past (much better now than he was) and eating together does have a positive effect on him. Plus its easier to cook one meal than 2.

DTs 2 1/2 and we eat together with DH every day ay about 6-6.30pm.

Nice time together plus I am just too knackered to stay up past 9.

I eat with the boys - 5.30-6pm and cook dh later.

DH is away M-F so I eat with the kids btwn 5-6. When he's home on the weekends we eat as a family by abt 6.

I mostly eat with DH during term time, around 7. DCs eat around 5, just something light as have school dinner. In the holidays I eat with them or we all eat later.

I always eat with DCs. Seems odd to do it any other way (plus DD would be very upset if she had to eat alone)
DH eats with us too unless he's very busy with painting or fixing or angry and he's always hungry later but still eats with us.
On school nights we eat around 5.30ish
School holidays around 6.30

We do our best to eat together. DS is a toddler, goes to nursery, DH and I go to work. We all get home by 5:30 during the week and I have to do my best to make something in 30 minutes so we all can eat around 6, and DS can have his bath at 7. The plan is to teach DS proper table manners by eating together and he is a proper pig right now.

I eat at 5.30 whether the dcs are home or not. I can't eat late it gives me heartburn and I don't believe it is good for you.

we have always eaten together, normally about 6.30. except for 1 day a week when my husband eats before everyone else. kids used to have a nanny and both husband and i work - but we liked eating together as a family

I eat with the dcs every day at 5iah. When dh works from home he eats then too, when he is at the office he eats at 6.30 either reheated food or I cook again. I go to bed when you are eating your evening meal op, find it really difficult to eat late, even tend to have a snack when the kids eat their dinner if we are going out for a meal.

No. They're 5 & 3.

They eat at school / nursery. I eat in peace when they are in bed.

We eat together maybe a couple of times a month. It would be nice to do it more often but my uptight IBS stomach can't deal with noisy / rushed / chatty mealtimes.

We all eat about 4:30-5pm because DH works in the evenings. It's easier for us all to eat together.

It depends what we are having and if dp is home from work, if its something ds likes and dp is home we eat between 5.30 and 6.30. If not ds eats at 5.30 and dp and I eat when ds is in bed - around 7.30/8pm.

We all eat together between 5.30 and 6.30 usually.

I know plenty if people who eat seperately to their kids but it seems to me that they spend their whole evening cooking and clearing up and that their children don't get used to eat normal meals as they have "children's" food.

we all eat at 5ish, or have our big meal at lunchtime at the weekends. it's mainly laziness. I do not wish to cook twice, and i like being able to get the kitchen cleaned up properly after the DC have gone to bed.

i am however quite fat now, after a few too many 8.30pm toasties.

Yes anytime between 5 and 7:30. DC are 11, 7 and 16 months. If DH is later than 7:30 he has his reheated.

The only days we don't are when they go to PIL's once a week, and DH and I eat late when they are in bed or if DH and I are having a special meal together then we have it later on.

Not always.

Mon - friday the dc (8,4,3) tend to eat first as they chewing at my ankles by 4.30pm. DH tend to eat when he gets home about 6.30- 7pm.

We try to together at the weekends and when on holiday.

We eat at around 7.00 p.m. (ish). DD has a snack around 4.00 p.m. to keep her going. I don't get back from work until 6.00 p.m. and DH is rarely home before me so there's no way of eating earlier. If DH is going to be late home then it's just me and DD at the table.

Kids eat by about 4.30 otherwise they can start to become tetchy
i eat at 6.30 while dh baths/sorts dc
he will eat at 9.30 when everyone in bed
we make sure we eat together at weekends at least once but usually twice

I usually eat with mine even if DH isn't back - it was about 5pm when they were younger, but now it is more like 6. DH heats his up if he is later.

How do those of you who eat at say 7 /7.30 get your DC to wait? Mine are ravenous by 6 despite an after school snack