Stupid question - how do you eat your dinner with a baby

[LyndzB]

I have a 3 month old ds who Goes to bed at 8-8.30 each night.

Dh and I have dinner around 7. But one of us ends up with a cold dinner while the other one rushes. Ds is lovely but needs to be entertained constantly!

How do you manage dinner with a v.young baby? Tips much appreciated!

We used to put DD in the bouncer, give her a toy and bounce it with a foot while we ate, or we'd settle her in the Moses basket and leave her to it. However, we quickly decided to put her down to bed before we ate and found that an easier routine.

Put baby to bed at 7 then cook dinner!

We did the same! One and a cold dinner most nights! Sometimes we would time dinner just after a nap so then baby would be content in the bouncer or under floor gym... but those nights were rarely well executed!

My husband would cut my dinner up so I could eat one handed as he can wolf his dinner while I am the slowest eater ever. So he'd speed eat and then I'd pass baby over and finish my dinner. Then from 12 weeks or so we started a bedtime routine that eased baby towards a 7pm bed time. Once that was sorted (6 months with DC1, earlier with DC2) we'd have dinner after 7.

We used to put our baby in his swinging chair in the dining room with us whilst we are or on his play mat. Once he was old enough he would sit in his high chair and eat food with us. On the many, many occasions where he just wouldn’t be put down I became an expert at eating one handed! My partner started cutting my food for me!

Bouncer and bouncing with a foot. Or a sound and light playmat, we had the stargaze one from Mamas and Papas.

Either have something I could eat one handed or husband would eat quickly and get indigestion and then I'd have my cold dinner.

I really liked it when LO decided he wanted to go to bed at 7pm.

One-handed, i.e. something I could eat with just a fork, or DH had cut up!

When ds3 was a baby we bought a high chair that was suitable for babies. As we had ds1 and 2 at the table eating we thought he would feel he was missing out! We all 'entertained' him whilst eating until he was 6 months and could join in with the eating! Of course sometimes he would end up on dh or my lap but it was great!

Baby in stretchy wrap and eat over their head, or eat one handed. At about 5 months put in highchair with a cup of water.

Ds's were in bed by 7. We ate before, normally at 6pm. And I refused to entertain them, when we were eating, I prioritised us. I made sure they were ok, but not pandered to them.

Most of the time we put DS in his Moses basket while ate or he was in his bouncy/vibrating chair. Sometimes he'd be fussy but not often if I remember rightly!

Sling when newborn, Mamaroo next to table when a bit bigger, bouncy chair after that and now (4 months) a highchair with toys on the tray. Baby goes to bed at 6.30, but we both like to eat as soon as OH gets home from work to maximise baby-free time once she’s in bed.

Ours is nearly three months old. He used to join us on his special cushion on the dining room table. Now we bath him and put him to bed around 7 (which I think he could probably have coped with at least a fortnight earlier than we started doing it) and then eat after. I then dream feed him around 10.30. Have you tried that kind of bedtime routine? We have absolutely no routine at all for the rest of the day but this is working well as a start.

You are really lucky if he's already sleeping 12 hours at 3 months. Either eat a bit later or start getting him to sleep a bit earlier. X

Is the baby sleeping 12 hours? Where did she say that?
We have a 12 week old. He stays downstairs with us until we go to bed (older DC go to bed at 7) but will fall asleep around 8ish. We put him down in his sleepy head while we eat (at around 8.30pm), or if he won’t be put down one of us holds him and eats one handed.

If he’s awake when we eat he goes in his swing chair.

usually DD was in the bouncer whilst i ate- i think I even bf whilst eating (only specific types of food i could do that with),

We did the same as you! One had it cold or if he was cluster feeding, everything was cut up & put on a tray next to me on the sofa. He would come up with us around 10-1030.

He started kicking off when he was around 4 months old when wed take him up and realised he didn't want to be disturbed so late so started putting him down earlier and earlier (as his kicking off got earlier & earlier!) & were then able to enjoy a baby free dinner at 7. I don't think you're far off!

I ate one handed while the baby was breastfeeding. I'd quite like another baby now, but I don't miss those days!

Such is life sometimes. Put baby to bed first, then dinner.

I’d recommend using cutlery instead of a baby, to be honest

DS1 (horrendously difficult unput-downable severe reflux baby) - I ate one handed, out of a big pasta bowl, with pre-cut food until DH had wolfed his dinner down and could take baby.

DS2 - totally normally. Baby was in the bouncer and gurgling happily.

When LO was 3 months and cluster feeding all evening I remember thinking I would never eat a hot dinner again! But shortly after that she became much better at entertaining herself for a little while in her bouncy chair so we could eat dinner. So hopefully that is just around the corner for you!

One-handed eating while breastfeeding when very little, or delayed dinner. Then bouncy chair, then high chair. We tried not to put our meal back too late, so ate before DC's bed time usually. However, with 3 DC we just got used to DH quickly eating a very hot meal then me eating a slightly cold one, particularly if eating out as a family. DC all adults now and although we eat together, DH still eats much faster and I like my food to cool a bit!