Do you get stressed at lunch time? (For SAHMs really)

[Elf]

I am finding that the time between 11.30 and 1pm is really starting to get me down. I've got a three year old (DD)and a 12 month old (DS).

Sometimes I even have a one pot dish that I just have to heat up but getting the lunch ready and dealing with the kids if they don't feel like being self sufficient at that time is hideous. Then feeding DS and usually helping DD, and of course eating something myself isn't exactly easy. Then I have to clear everything up, get one into bed and one into nursery school, having changed both nappies.

I just wondered if it was just me, or is lunchtime a common problem? We eat early, I try to have something quite simple to prepare and that DD can eat mostly by herself but I am still completely done in by the end of it all.

Added to all that I usually have to be Little Red Riding Hood's Grandmother or Piglet or something at the same time! Any tips anyone?! I'll try and look in tomorrow.

I insist on dd 14mths and ss aged 6 doing finger type foods at lunch time, so they can feed themselves and I can feed me at roughly the same time! This involves a variety of sticks of things, fruit, bread, dips, fish, meat and my head in the sand as to the mess to be made by dd! although she's slowly getting better now realising floor'd food doesn't come back! On the odd occasion I'll do soup, in which case I'll assist dd, but she likes to try feeding herself! if your 3 yr old is finding soupey type things hard, why not use a mug? we used to do this with ss until he mastered spooning by himself!

Hi, Been there, done that, now on child no 3 and feeling really smug, I do soup, cheese on toast, jacket potatoe etc etc for lunch and ds (no3) sits like a little angel and scoffs the lot. I'm now a true believer that if you relax,ignore the bits thrown on the floor,(obviously that doesn't include the older 2 , who have to sit quietly until no3 has finished), or let the dog in later to eat them, you're children behave perfectly !
I love being the big bad wolf !

lunchtime? what's that then?

Oh, a time when you sit down and take time to eat

Thank you for the replies. It's not the mess that gets to me I think it is just there is a lot of things to do in a short space of time and if the kids are playing up it is tricky. Anyway, time usually improves things doesn't it? Thanks again.

I thought it was only me! I hate Tuesdays especially as I have to have DS1 (3) lunched by 11.30am in order to have him out the door to playschool by 11.45am, then I get back, get DS2 (13 mths) lunch, clear up and have to race up to get DS1 at the same time keeping an obviously really tired DS2 up from his nap until about 2.30pm when we get back - infact the nap bit happens Mon, Tue and Wed and I feel soooo guilty about it and get really stressed out. No solutions but fingerfood and easy lunches sound like they might help me out a bit.

Hi I have a 2 and 4 year old and mainly give sandwhches for lunch. I have a small wooden table and chairs and just put the food on the table and let them get on with it. Obviously not suitable for a 12 mth old but when ds2 was around 12mths I would lower his high chair to table height and he would mainly feed himself with food chopped into tiny pieces - hes always been very independent and doesn't like help.

Are the children hungry at lunch time? - do they have snacks/milk close to lunch. I find they wont eat much if they have had recent snacks.

Other things that work for me are announcing a picnic lunch today and putting a variety of food on a mat on the floor eg tomatoes cheese breadsticks sausages sandwhiches fruit etc etc (maybe a couple of crisps to entice them). When I do this I am amazed how much they eat.
Or if lunch isn't eaten I put it into a small lunch box and take it in the car/pram and find it seems to get eaten - ds1 is at afternoon nursery so we have to be out by 12.30pm

I realise this is not overly suitable for your 12 mth old but in a few months I think it will be a lot easier.

I have two dds 5 and 3. I make dd1 school lunchbox the night before (used to be mornings but made a new year resolution to be more organised!!!!). Always make one up for dd2 at the same time. Then it's readily available if we decide to stay home or go out for lunch. dd2 thinks it's great fun to have a lunchbox anyway - bit of fun for her as it's different from eating off the plate.

cbeebies?
ds1 is usually stuck infront of the telly while I prepare dinner and then I let him eat in front of the telly, threatening to turn it off if he doesnt keep on eating.
ds2 is given finger foods to mush and eat and I top up with bits on a spoon
clear up later? my table is never cleared til nap time - I'm pretty impressed you manage to do it earlier tbh
for me it's the evening meal I completely fall apart doing - knackered by then and so are the kids
sorry if my tips sound totally rubbish and bad parenting btw - even I am pretty horrified by the remote control blackmailing dinner approach

You could try this and even make up some sandwiches for yourself!!

Sandwiches definitely - DD has been having sandwiches for lunch since she was about 10 mths, she hates being fed so we live on finger food!

She's 14 mths atm and a normal lunch would be a 'half' sandwich cut into 3 fingers filled with something soft - so, dairylea or philly and jam or finely chopped ham or chicken, or egg mayo etc etc,and some fruit - grapes, satumas or banana, maybe a handful of raisins although they tend to go straight through!

It does depend how you are bought up , doesn't it? I never think of doing anything cooked for lunch, unless we're going out for the afternoon and I know dinner will be on the run. Our main cooked meal is always in the evening. When I just had DS1 I worked during the day and my CM would really worry that I'd send him with sarnies, when her other mindees had things like mince. I even ended up ringing my HV to check I wasn't starving him!

I suppose it just pushes my problems up to the evening, in which case I say god bless cbeebies/PS2/X Box as they keep me sane