Getting dinner to the table..

[HejKatt]

Hi everyone,

 

The most trying part of my day is the 30-60 minutes when I'm trying to cook dinner. When DS was small, he was happy to sit in a corner and watch me (or play with some pots).

 

However, DD is different - it's never very long before she wants to be picked up while I usually have my hands full, chopping ingredients or juggling pots on the stove. I do talk loudly all the time, showing her what I'm doing, to keep her interested but I can't keep it up.

 

How do you handle dinner prep? I've seen these suggested:

- Crockpot/slow cooker meals

- Pressure cooker

- 'Make-ahead' (the night before), bake-later casseroles

- Having child on a sling/carrier

- Asking the children to play together, or making it a TV/computer time

 

The first 3 options sound great, but I have only so many recipes for those before everything starts to taste the same. I don't have the strength for #4 and #5 is not quite an option because the DC are so young.

 

So I would love to hear how you all do dinner, especially if your family favors meat-and-potatoes like mine.. DH and DS will not be content if dinner were just salad and soup. :glare:

[CalicoKat]

Hi everyone,

 

The most trying part of my day is the 30-60 minutes when I'm trying to cook dinner. When DS was small, he was happy to sit in a corner and watch me (or play with some pots).

 

However, DD is different - it's never very long before she wants to be picked up while I usually have my hands full, chopping ingredients or juggling pots on the stove. I do talk loudly all the time, showing her what I'm doing, to keep her interested but I can't keep it up.

 

How do you handle dinner prep? I've seen these suggested:

- Crockpot/slow cooker meals

- Pressure cooker

- 'Make-ahead' (the night before), bake-later casseroles

- Having child on a sling/carrier

- Asking the children to play together, or making it a TV/computer time

 

The first 3 options sound great, but I have only so many recipes for those before everything starts to taste the same. I don't have the strength for #4 and #5 is not quite an option because the DC are so young.

 

So I would love to hear how you all do dinner, especially if your family favors meat-and-potatoes like mine.. DH and DS will not be content if dinner were just salad and soup. :glare:

 

I feed mine while I'm chopping. Here try a raw carrot piece, slice of mushroom, piece of onion, suck on that lemon I just squeezed. Or I give them a piece of pie or bread dough when I'm baking that to pat or eat. If I've got nothing to share I'll bring out a finger food for them to eat, raisins, cheerios, cracker, granola bar, etc. Just a little to tide them over.

 

My kids love to cook. And they've all had to learn to sit at the stool on the other side of the island so they're not near the hot or get run over.

 

Try and get her involved with the food in it's raw state--except meats! I count that towards their meal too.

[sunriseiz]

:bigear:

[fairfarmhand]

pre-chop ingredients? Streamline meal prep. I many times cook baked potatoes, to avoid the peeling, cooking, chopping stuff.

 

How old is she? When my kids were over age 2, I could set them in the tub, and they'd play in there with an older sibling while I cooked.

[HejKatt]

She's almost 1 year old..not quite walking, but a great crawler. She'll crawl right up to me, then put her head down on my feet to signal she wants to be picked up.

 

I like the bath idea though.. so you would just fill it up with a little water, put in some water toys, and start dinner?

[fairfarmhand]

She's almost 1 year old..not quite walking, but a great crawler. She'll crawl right up to me, then put her head down on my feet to signal she wants to be picked up.

 

I like the bath idea though.. so you would just fill it up with a little water, put in some water toys, and start dinner?

 

 

yep.

 

If you have a small portable tub you could set it right in the kitchen with you. I'd put a towel on the floor underneath, but it always kept mine busy.

[StephanieZ]

I love, love, love freezer meals and also crockpot meals. If I don't make it mostly ahead of time, dinner often does not get made until everyone is starving, grumpy, and dh is home from work. If you search on food.com or similar sites, you'll find hundreds of meal ideas, plenty of variety.

 

I used the sling as well, and that works fine sometimes, depending on the child and on how much cooking you have to do. . . But, for me, I really prefer to get the bulk of cooking done earlier in the day, even now when my youngest is 8. Back when I had littles, it was so much more vital.

[kchara]

Barney and Diego. It ain't the best idea in the world, but it works. We have 18 month old twins, plus a 3 year old (who's been transitioning more from the TV hour to helping. Sort of. Which is why it's now an hour instead of 1/2 an hour), and an infant. I put the baby in the swing. If he cries, he cries, but I can't wrap him and cook at the same time. The twins go in one of those big XL play yards, and I turn on Barney, Diego, or both on Netflix, and they watch that, with the oldest two finishing up schoolwork/chores and watching the littles for me.

 

Now, I'm not trying for gourmet dishes, either. ;-) I keep everything pretty basic around here.

[herbalgirl]

Do you have a pack and play/playpen that you could set up within eyesight? Give her some toys and then she is safe and not in danger of touching hot things and getting burned or tripping you up.

[lmrich]

Way back when mine were little - I did all the prep work for dinner while they were napping. Then when it was time to cook, it looked like I was on a cooking show, just throwing it all together super fast.

 

I also used a playpen, a johnny jump up and an exersaucer. I also had a bag of toys that were kept just for the busiest times. They were not real special, but because they came out of the bag they were.

[Mejane]

Way back when mine were little - I did all the prep work for dinner while they were napping. Then when it was time to cook, it looked like I was on a cooking show, just throwing it all together super fast.

 

I also used a playpen, a johnny jump up and an exersaucer. I also had a bag of toys that were kept just for the busiest times. They were not real special, but because they came out of the bag they were.

 

This. Also, don't worry about having a big repertoire of meals. Keep it simple for now. You can be a gourmet cook when the kids are old enought to occupy themselves. :)

[Jayne J]

I also used a playpen, a johnny jump up and an exersaucer. I also had a bag of toys that were kept just for the busiest times. They were not real special, but because they came out of the bag they were.

 

Our Exersaucer saved my sanity many times in the kitchen. We kept it in the corner and only pulled it out in the crazy pre-dinner madness and it really worked.

 

 

(Although it did have a musical clown face that creeped me way out. It played Mary had a Little Lamb and the eyes glowed red.:w00t: )

[Susan in KY]

I used to cook with my dd on my back during that time. Oh, I remember being so tired and ready for dh to get home. 5-6pm was the WORST!

[WistfulRidge]

I just have DS cook with me. When he was little and wanted to help (9-15 months) I'd stick him in his high chair with a book or some banana and let him mess around while I prepped, but then I let him help me dump everything that needed to be added etc. Now, at just shy of 21 months, he's completely trust worthy to have standing on a chair next to me. He usually doesn't have a whole lot of interest of helping while I'm chopping stuff up, but he likes to stand there and watch. Around 16 months it really *clicked* for him that putting his hand near the knives/touching hot pans etc was NOT GOOD. It only took twice of trying, and thus losing the privilege of getting to dump stuff into the pots, before it stuck in his brain. Now, meal times are one of his favorite parts of the day. He LOVES to help me make things. Sure, it makes the process a little slower, but it is so much fun and I'm glad I've taken the time to do it with him. He also likes to munch on various things while we're cooking, so even if he doesn't eat as much lunch/dinner as I'd like him too I'm satisfied that he's not hungry.

 

It's also led to me cooking a lot of cookies/brownies/bread (his favorites). It's hard to say no to him when he sweetly assembles all of the ingredients (with the exception of the few things that are out of his reach) and then comes and asks "Please, mama?" :lol:

 

If having her help is absolutely not an option, I'd contain her in a high chair or a playpen with some sort of special toy/treat that only comes out at that time.

[LittleIzumi]

I either have ds in the high chair watching (so he's on my level) or I wear him on my back.

 

Or, on rare occasion, I put him in the Exersaucer & turn on a DVD....

[HejKatt]

I'm not sure I managed to include all the helpful answers, but thank you to all who have responded..

 

I just have DS cook with me. When he was little and wanted to help (9-15 months) I'd stick him in his high chair with a book or some banana and let him mess around while I prepped, but then I let him help me dump everything that needed to be added etc.

..

It's also led to me cooking a lot of cookies/brownies/bread (his favorites). It's hard to say no to him when he sweetly assembles all of the ingredients (with the exception of the few things that are out of his reach) and then comes and asks "Please, mama?" :lol:

.

That is so cute! I'll try letting her dump things in. It's so neat that he's taken this interest in helping out.

 

I used to cook with my dd on my back during that time. Oh, I remember being so tired and ready for dh to get home. 5-6pm was the WORST!

:iagree: 5-6pm is the monster hour for us too, and I don't even carry dd. Kudos to you!

 

 

Our Exersaucer saved my sanity many times in the kitchen. We kept it in the corner and only pulled it out in the crazy pre-dinner madness and it really worked.

(Although it did have a musical clown face that creeped me way out. It played Mary had a Little Lamb and the eyes glowed red.:w00t: )

:lol:

 

Way back when mine were little - I did all the prep work for dinner while they were napping. Then when it was time to cook, it looked like I was on a cooking show, just throwing it all together super fast.

 

I also used a playpen, a johnny jump up and an exersaucer. I also had a bag of toys that were kept just for the busiest times. They were not real special, but because they came out of the bag they were.

 

Did you get your dc to all nap together? Right now, when dd naps, it's my time to cover phonics/math/reading with ds. I hate to say this, but sometimes I look forward to her napping so I can have two hands free.

 

I feed mine while I'm chopping. Here try a raw carrot piece, slice of mushroom, piece of onion, suck on that lemon I just squeezed.

My kids love to cook. And they've all had to learn to sit at the stool on the other side of the island so they're not near the hot or get run over.

That's encouraging. It'll probably help her eat more vegetables too. :)

 

pre-chop ingredients? Streamline meal prep. I many times cook baked potatoes, to avoid the peeling, cooking, chopping stuff..

Yes, I should try and pre-chop the night before (or while they are napping as another poster suggested). Right now, my night-time routine is cleaning the kitchen floor (DD drops lots of food onto the floor) and bringing out tomorrow night's meat to defrost.

 

I love, love, love freezer meals and also crockpot meals. If I don't make it mostly ahead of time, dinner often does not get made until everyone is starving, grumpy, and dh is home from work. If you search on food.com or similar sites, you'll find hundreds of meal ideas, plenty of variety.

I'm going to look into this more. I found a book "Frozen Assets: Cook for a day, eat for a month". I just haven't had the energy to sit down and read it to gain its benefits! :001_huh: Ah, the age of littles..

 

This. Also, don't worry about having a big repertoire of meals. Keep it simple for now. You can be a gourmet cook when the kids are old enought to occupy themselves. :)

Thank you for this reassurance :001_smile:

[redsquirrel]

oh, I remember it well. It will pass so quickly. In fact, it might already be over! :lol:

 

I used the high chair and brought it in the kitchen. I would tape a piece of paper to the tray and give him a crayon

 

I put him in a pack and let him watch.

 

I fed the littles very simple, early dinners and the grownups eat after the kids are in bed. I did this more than anything else. My boys are now 10 and 6 and we still do this most days. My husband and I eat a tiny amount of what they eat and sit with them and talk about the day. Our 'real' dinner is later. With wine.

 

I made dinner the night before when the kids were in bed. Then I just heated stuff up

 

I prepped the night before

 

I prepped during naptime or even when they were eating breakfast.

 

I have done a little bit of everything, as you can see.

 

Now I have older kids, the family rule is that the ONLY screen/movie time is at 4:30 until dinner is done. Gee, I wonder why I picked that?

[annlaura]

I feel your pain too. I have a little old wooden rocking seat in the kitchen with a little tray. Tonight he was willing to sit in it with a few raisins. Some nights I wear him on my back, although I see this isn't an option for you. Sometimes I manage to prep early. It's a merry-go-round here. I hope you find something that works for you.

[Joyful]

I remember it well....

My first one just toughed it through playing and fussing on the other side of the gate (across the entrance to the kitchen). With number two, we had a bigger kitchen, and I got smarter - she played happily in the excersaucer in the kitchen. With number three, he was content in the excersaucer only while being entertained by his older sibs (ages 5 and 3).

 

That's how I made it through those years. But I wish that I had used the crockpot more often like we do now. We do a fair amount of out-of-the-house activities in the late afternoon about 3-4 days a week. And I am so thankful for our crockpot after I found this website:

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

 

The recipes that I have tried have turned out well. (Our kids love the Pineapple Pork Tenderloin.) And there's a great variety of recipes. And no canned soups (at least for the one's I tried so far).

 

But, the slowcooker doesn't work for everyone. So, try different things until you find something that works for your family. I remember those days of trying to get cooking done with a baby/toddler well. They were challenging! Hang in there. :001_smile: