Eating dinner as a family

At what age does it become important for your kids to eat dinner with you and dh as a family? My girls go to bed at 6, and my dh doesn't get home from work until 5:30 or 5:45. So right now it's impossible for us to eat dinner together as a family. But they girls are only 12 months old. Maybe in the next few months we should try getting them to go to bed later?

 

I think just as soon as it's possible for you all to eat together. I mean, they won't remember much before their second birthday but family dinners are a good habit to form as soon as you can. Once they're strictly eating table food, you'll probably be able to push their dinner and bedtime back a bit. All three of my kids (almost 2 and almost 5) go to bed between 7-7:30 and they do just fine with that bedtime. Some days I feed the twins around 5:30 if they're really hungry (hubby gets home at 6 and we eat then) but if they have already eaten they're usually sitting in our laps mooching off of our plates when we eat

After we eat all 5 of us go out to the play room and play until 6:45-7:00 and then we get the kids ready for bed and get them down. Dishes wait until after the kids are in bed.

I think it's great that family dinners are important to you. I wish it were important to ALL families - I think it would make a huge difference in people's lives.

 

We started eating together when the girls were on all table foods (14 months or so). We eat at 5:30 and then they go to bed at 6:45/7. Dh is home between 4 & 5:30 (sometimes later, then I eat with the girls becuase he usually eats on the go if he is late).

I hope it works out for you! It is easier on me to make ONE meal and clean up (DH plays with them) ONE time versus 2. Plus the girls can listen to DH and I talk and watch how to use spoons, forks, etc....


KC

 

Family dinners a very important! We started when Felicia was eating table food - around a year or so. Then same with the boys. Its not a relaxing dining experience with a 7 yr old and two 2 year olds, but its a great time to catch up with our busy lives!

ETA: Dh does work late *8pm 3-4 nights a week. Those nights I sometimes feed the crew first, then eat later. But when everyone is home, is a family dinner time!

 

This question is brought up often on this board and many of the responses I've read is that it can take a long time before family dinners are the norm. My girls are asleep by 6:30 now and I can't imagine both trying to feed them later in the day, or trying to keep them awake much later. I think you'll know when the time is right for you. MY DH doesn't get home until 5:45, too, and so we try and use the weekends as great times to eat all 3 meals together. To me, that is a lot easier. I also try to eat with them during the week.

 

My boys will be 5 in June, and it has only been this past year that we have been able to have even semi-regular family dinners. Mostly it is because until now, they haven't even been able to make it much past 5, and DH is good when he gets home by 6. Now that they can make it longer we do family dinners more often--and they get very excited, and even set the table for me.

 

I agree family dinners are important. We have been eating as a family for about 3 months now. Now Emilie and Trevor just eat what we are eating, but before they were on table food we put them up at the table in their boosters and just gave them baby food. We eat early, around 5:30, so that they can eat with us. As they got older I didn't like them playing in the room while we were all eating dinner. So they have been with us at the table for around 3 months or so. It works great!!

My DH gets home between 5:10-5:30, and I try and have dinner ready no matter what at 5:30. Mine go to bed at 7:30. Maybe you could try and keep them up later until 6:30 and try and have dinner at 5:45-6:00. I think it is very important to eat as a family and it teaches them so much.

 

My dh doesn't get home before 7:00 in the evening, often it's later than that. The boys go to bed at 8, so family dinners haven't ever really worked for us. Sometimes I eat with the boys, other times I wait and eat with my dh when he gets home. As a compromise, we try to do family breakfasts, which is really a great way to start the day. We also eat dinner together as a family on the weekends. I think it's important to be flexible. I'm hoping that by the time the boys are in school my dh will be able to make it home for dinner, but right now this is what we do!

 

We just started as the babies started to eat the same dinner we do. DH gets home at 5:00-ish so that works well. If he is running late, I let the babies start. They go to bed at 6:30 so it works well...eat, bath, bed. I pull their highchairs to the table so they can join us. Even before they actually ate what we do, I would pull them near us and give them a toy or small finger food.
If it intereferes with bed, I am sure it's okay to wait until they start having a later bedtime.

 

We do what we can, eh?

My dh doesn't get home on many nights until closer to 7 PM, but sometimes he's able to join us. The girls and I just go ahead and eat dinner at around 6:15 either way. It would be nice if we could all eat together every night but I don't want to push it too late.

We do have all weekend meals together. Otherwise I sit with them for breakfast (I drink coffee) and eat dinner with them daily.

 

Our family has been eating together for as long as they have been on table foods. My DH gets home in between 5:30 and 6 and we all eat as a family. They go to bed at 8. For at least a year they have been helping to set the table. At first we had them put out their plastic plates and cups and napkins and now they help us with silverware and our plates too.

In your case, if time is an issue than wait to sit as a family. I'm sure in time you'll get to a stage that you can eat dinner as a family. For now, enjoy your dinners for two.

 

I agree that it's important, but we don't do it yet. In theory we could -- DH and I get home from work at 5:45 and the girls go to bed at 6:30/7 -- but they really need to eat immediately when they get home from daycare, and it is so much easier to just feed them, put them to bed, and then have our dinner. But we're going to start doing it at least a couple of times a week when we have leftovers or something for DH and me that doesn't need much time to cook.

I'm not willing (at this point) to try to keep them up later. I think their sleep is more important, at this age at least, than whether we eat together. In the meantime, we usually have breakfast as a family -- I figure that is better than nothing. And we sometimes have extended-family dinners that start at 5:30, so they get some practice there.

 

It's nice to eat as a family sometime's but i wouldnt do it every night, the girls usually eat dinner before us as they go to bed at around 7-7:30, after dinner they have a bath then have their bottles (when they like their cuddle's from mummy) so we dont really have time to sit down and eat together that often.

 

We started as soonas we started Table foods. There are some days that i will feed the babes first but they will play on the floor right next to the table while we eat. My dh gets home at 6pm and so we at about 6:15pm. Bed time is 7pm.

 

We have been eating family dinners for about 3 months now. Before, my DH got home from work too late and the kids went down for bed too early!

My DH gets home around 5:30 and we eat as SOON as he walks through the door. That means the kids are usually watching a DVD so I can put together dinner (much of which I cook or prep during nap time). It has become a wonderful part of the day that my DH and I look forward to sharing. Yes it can be challenging, and we are up and down from the table constantly in order to get them something they need (more milk, more rice, etc.), but it is usually not too bad.

 

We have really only just started it in the last couple of weeks, and we're not doing it consistently yet. I have the same issues several people have posted about -- we both work full time, so I walk in the door with the girls at 6:15, and my husband usually gets home somewhere between 6-6:30. For the longest time that was already pushing them past their limits for their dinner and bedtime, so just did quickie things for them -- veggie burger, chicken fingers, etc., and microwave steamed veggies -- and then put them right to bed. Then prepared and ate our own meal afterward.

They've gotten much more flexible about what time they can go to bed, and are generally happy to come in from daycare and play for a little while, so we are just starting to branch out into serving family dinners. So far it is going well. I've been using a crock pot to have things ready when we walk in the door, so all I have to do is plate it up and serve, maybe make a quick side dish or rice or something. I don't have my husband 100% on board yet -- he seriously won't eat if the girls are eating, he spends all his time paying attention to them. Oh well, his loss!

Anyway, like others have said, for me, their sleep just seemed so much more important to me than sitting down together for family dinners up until now. They really just now seem to be getting to an age where they can appreciate meal times and the shared experience, etc., so I don't feel like we've missed anything developmentally up until now. I know I am looking forward to getting than extra hour of my life back from prepping and cleaning up after two different meals though!

 

We almost always eat as a family, mainly to save time with only preparing one meal. DH picks up the kids and gets home before I do, so he often has dinner ready when I walk in around 6:00 or 6:15. We eat right away and talk about our day, etc. DS and DD eat and we help them while shoveling in our own food (dinner is not leisurely for DH and I usually although we are slowly stretching it out as they get older!) Once dinner is over, we go right up to bath, story, and bed so they are asleep by 7:15-7:30. Then we come down and one cleans up the family room and one cleans up the kitchen. I think it ultimately saves time, although I would love a gourmet meal that I could leisurely savor with a glass of wine one of these days... I also get them up and dressed in the morning, so DS, DD, and I have breakfast together in the morning before we leave (meaning I feed them while drinking my coffee and taking bites of toast in between their yogurt...)