When you have/had a newborn and a toddler how do you get dinner on the table?

[sedgieloo]

Just struggling some days, any advice welcome.

Stay one meal ahead for your toddler.

Cook in the evening when toddler goes to bed. You and dh eat and put portion aside for toddler tea the next evening and repeat everyday.

Win win as toddler gets earlier tea so less meltdowns and you get to cook and eat in peace.

Agree with the slow cooker. Couldn't live without mine.
We had a hideous Chicco Polly Magic Highchair when DD2 was newborn. I got it v cheap secondhand as is not the sort of highchair I would use for weaning. But newborns can go in it an it has a toy bar and lots of padding. Its like a high up bouncy chair. It bought me lots of time shoving the baby in whilst I was cooking or whilst we were all eating. Would recommend although shortlived so not worth shelling out on.

As everyone else has said batch cooking is the way forward. Also mince is very versatile - fairly plain for shepherds pie, add some tomatoes herbs etc for a spag bol and chilli powder and kidney beans for a chilli. Roast chicken can be used for a pie or soup the following day. Actually veg soups are very easy to do-just bung veg in a pot and add stock, cook then blend. You can serve with cheese on toast or sandwiches, or add pasta/rice to the soup. Cheap and healthy.Curries are brill too, you can make them mild for the kids. They taste better the next day, and you can serve them with rice or naan breads/chapattis. Finally, remember there is nothing wrong with having the same meal two nights in a row if you can't find the time/inclination to cook something different.

Simple cold lunches are a lifesaver too, I've found. DS will often have cut up cubes of cheese, naice ham , whole grain crackers, hummous, veggie sticks, fruit, slices of hardboiled egg...whatever I've got.

I had to get over feeling like I wasn't serving him a "proper" lunch...plenty of nutrients in that and he eats the lot.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the crusts cut off was standard fare here when they were all small, or something that took two minutes to prepare like a scrambled egg on toast with or without grated cheese on top. Yogurt, cubes of cheese and rolled slices of deli ham or turkey with toothpicks to spike them with, plus fruit = lunch. They all loved hummus too, esp roasted red pepper flavour, and whole grain pita bread, a meal unto itself. Microwave baked potato also went down well, with cheese or peas mixed in. French bread pizza was another really easy one that went down well.

I always cool during nap time/ quiet time. Regardless of age I use 1-3pm for naps if small enough or I thu don't nap they are encouraged to look at books quietly on sofa under a blanket, or we play story tapes ( this is until school age).

It means we all have time to get refreshed and reduces 5pm crankiness

I usually cook dinner during this time and then it means by 6pm when everyone's getting tired it just needs heating

Also batch cook. So if I make a lasagne today during Naptime I will make enough for 2, and freeze one, meaning one day next week nothing needs doing

I struggle too!
Things that make my life a bit easier:
A slow cooker- I bung it all in whilst toddler watches Beebies.
Frozen chopped onions
Frozen casserole veg
A meal plan- very easy meals Monday and Fridays
DH cooks at the wkend
I get the toddler to help whilst newborn naps.
I do their main meal at lunchtime-they tend to eat what we had the night before. Or I do mini crumpet pizzas or similar.
When I'm/ their really tired we have a picnic tea.

Prolific what sort of thing do you have your toddler do to help please?

I used to put older dd in her highchair in the kitchen with an empty bowl and spoon while I did dinner.

Toddler helping here usually = 'helping' chop mushrooms/ some else easy with a play knife next to me whilst food prep or just tasting things, sitting at a distance from tumble dryer and throwing socks/ other clothes in from a distance ( takes ages). He also now usually lays the table for dinner ( dinner mats/ baby bib/ cutlery), will find ingredients from the fridge I need, and likes to 'help' wash his brother

Also if I want to make bread/ biscuits/ etc I let them held make dough, then they play with dough for a while with cutters and little rolling pins ( basically needs dough for me), meanwhile il do something else and when they have finished making a mess just roll together ( I do have to warn people the food may have been made by under 3s though!)

OP- my ds1 is slightly odd in his ways! He likes cleaning, so I give him a dry cloth and he wipes the doors etc, likes dusting and sorting washing. Washing is a good one, we sort colours and name the clothes.
He helps me in the kitchen, sits at the table and I'll give him some carrot, or he does me a drawing or I give him a bowl and spoon etc.
He helped me wrap a few presents at the table the other day.
It would be a whole lot easier and quicker if I did it all myself quickly but once I figured that wasn't an option anymore I try to involve him as much as I can. It doesn't always go smoothly but hey!