Anyone else have children that seem to do a jeckle and hyde in the last 30-45 minutes before tea at the end of the day?

[IlanaK]

My kids seem to get so whiney and aweful at this time of day. I know they are tired and hungry, but it is so hard to cope with them and get the dinner on! Anyone else have this problem and how do you cope with it?

I put the tv or computer on for them when they are like that. No point even attempting anything else.

open door and let them run it off in the garden

No garden - I live in a flat in central lonon. Though openening the window (4th floor) is sometimes tempting !

The tv works for my 4 year old, but not my 15 month old. The only thing that works with him is snacks and I really hate to do that right before a meal. And sometime that doesn't work either - he just wants to be held. Not really easy to cook dinner that way!

if you can stand the noise put some pots, wooden spoons and bowls on floor or table by you and ask them to make tea with you.
{Pretend}
Used to keep mine occupied whilst I knocked up the real thing!

Can you try and eat half an hour earlier? my dd often has her tea at 4.30 pm!

Soooo yes, it's called 'the witching hour' isn't it. Have combated it by early tea (4.30) then bath then they can watch a video before bed.

I'll let my dd have fruit (it's just like having the desert first and I don't mind how much fruit she has.

Not sure if its the kids or me but definate split personality moments.

We call it the witching hour in our house too! Eating a bit earlier (as others have said) can help - small children often get whingy when they are hungry. I try to do stuff like freezing big batches of pasta sauce so all I have to do is heat sauce and add to pasta, or shoving chicken, potatoes and veg all into the oven to roast together - anything that requires as little last minute preparation as possible.

I echo everything else - we don't get home until after 6 p.m. so eating early is not an option - but what I have done at various times is:
put TV on
bring paper & crayons into the kitchen
let toddler "wash dishes" at the sink
If I'm preparing eg stir fry, they get a bowl of raw veg to keep them going (prefer this to cooked anyway)
Ignore them completely! (my dd (3) is very whiney - but it is amazing how if she realises she is not going to get any attention she will amuse herself for a while)

Mine too. My dd1 (just 4)is v.v. whingy when hungrey and quite often bahaves very badly, yet when you say 'are you hungrey?' she says no. Most of her bad behaviour can be linked to hunger. Although when I say tis to friends/family they think I am making excuses for her. She quite often needs snacks while I am cooking dinner, not great but I usually give crackers or bread. I think an earlier dinner would help.....I'll try 4.30. An earlier dinner used to be very difficult when she was at nursery as we often didn't get home until 5.30, much easier now she is at school.

Ahhhh... the Witching Hour (she says knowingly)

gobbles ds's seem to go ape after a bath

Ah yes! The infamous witching hour. I'm glad it's not just me.
Agree it can be eased by letting them 'help' if you can bare it.

Yes, called 'the witching hour' here too.

Thanks everyone. Eating earlier is not an option as we all eat together as a family so has to be when dh gets home from work. But today, ds2 had a late afternoon snack and that seemed to help. I will take on board some of the suggestions of things for him to play with too.