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Dinner time

3 replies

QueenGoblin · 10/12/2021 09:09

I'm not really sure if this is the right place to ask this, but I can't think where else to post.

Basically, I have two kids - 18 months and 4 years old. At the moment the 18 month old is home with me and the 4 year old goes to nursery 3 times a week. I have recently had to start doing nursery pick up and dinner time has turned into a disaster.

I walk to collect the 4 year old which means I'm out for around 45 minutes at least, get back around 5.30 and feed them, then it's straight into bath and bedtime. My husband comes home during bath time, maybe eats and then takes over the 4 year old. The 4 year is a pain to get to bed so husband isn't back downstairs until maybe 8.30 if he's lucky.

I need to rethink the whole thing. Dinners that I can prepare before pick up and that are ok to reheat being the main thing. I think I might have to start feeding the 18 month old much earlier... but maybe that's too early. Maybe I need to do pick up earlier, but then I have two feral kids around whilst trying to cook. It doesn't help that husband and kids are fussy eaters.

My kids tend to consistently eat pesto pasta, ham, peanut butter, pizza, sausages, chips, cucumber, carrot, rice, noodles. Things that are a bit more hit and miss are fish, tomato pasta sauces (inc bolognese), chicken, shepherds/cottage pie. They don't like mash at all. One loves plain omelettes, one does not like them at all.

My husband's very helpful suggestion was to just buy ready meals.

Any tips for wrangling everyone and meal suggestions are welcome!

Sorry for the long ramble.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Kbyodjs · 10/12/2021 18:09

I had this earlier in the year and tried a variety of different ways; the best way that worked for me was doing the prep for the meal then collecting DD from nursery to be home by 5 and cook dinner to be ready for 5.30. Sometimes i’d cook the dinner earlier in the day then just reheat once I was home with DD. I’d also focus on those nights being simple meals.
I think both they (and me) needs a bit of time between dinner before it’s bath and bedtime. On nursery nights we sometimes skipped bath time if it’d been a particularly rushed evening.

QueenGoblin · 10/12/2021 18:51

@Kbyodjs I probably should do an earlier pick up and that would probably make a big difference. For some reason the idea of picking him up before 5 feels wrong though?! Not really sure why

OP posts:
PanicBuyingSprouts · 10/12/2021 19:47

Is an earlier pick up from nursery possible? Are they having tea at Nursery?

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