? for those whos dh comes home at 6 or later

I am sure you are wondering where this question is going. We have tried several times to have supper together (the whole family), but trying to keep the kids (ds and 18 month old twins) content until dh gets home and we can sit down at 6:15/30 ish is very difficult. I am just curious what others so. Basically I feed the kids anywhere from 5 - 5:30 and then we (my dh and myself) usually eat once they go to to bed. There is bascially two issues with our current schedule. 1. We would really like to eat supper together. 2. My dh and I really need to eat supper before 9:00. I can make it, but my dh really needs to eat more than every 9 hours. Anyway, what do others with children in the 18 month old range do if their husband doesn't get home until later? I don't want to mess with them too much, but it would be nice to get to eat together eventually. My dh really can't get home any earlier. He leaves his office at 5, but due to traffic it takes forever to get home. I give them a snack after their nap, but don't want to feed them all afternoon and then take the chance they will not eat supper. I don't want their snacks to overpower their meals. My oldest ds isn't an issue, he could wait, but it like it for the kids to at least eat together. Any advice on what you do or what has worked for you would be appreciated. Thanks

 

I am sure you are wondering where this question is going. We have tried several times to have supper together (the whole family), but trying to keep the kids (ds and 18 month old twins) content until dh gets home and we can sit down at 6:15/30 ish is very difficult. I am just curious what others so. Basically I feed the kids anywhere from 5 - 5:30 and then we (my dh and myself) usually eat once they go to to bed. There is bascially two issues with our current schedule. 1. We would really like to eat supper together. 2. My dh and I really need to eat supper before 9:00. I can make it, but my dh really needs to eat more than every 9 hours. Anyway, what do others with children in the 18 month old range do if their husband doesn't get home until later? I don't want to mess with them too much, but it would be nice to get to eat together eventually. My dh really can't get home any earlier. He leaves his office at 5, but due to traffic it takes forever to get home. I give them a snack after their nap, but don't want to feed them all afternoon and then take the chance they will not eat supper. I don't want their snacks to overpower their meals. My oldest ds isn't an issue, he could wait, but it like it for the kids to at least eat together. Any advice on what you do or what has worked for you would be appreciated. Thanks

 

I have a 4yo, 20-month old twins and my DH gets home at 6. The kids go to bed between 7-730. I usually feed the twins their dinner between 5-5:30 and then the rest of us eat at 6 when my husband gets home, including the twins usually "mooching" more dinner from our plates. It isn't an ideal situation but while they're young it'll just have to work. I know once they're 3 or so they'll be able to wait until 6:00. Our 4yo eats with DH and me at 6.

You could TRY giving them a snack before their nap, then lunch after their nap and maybe a light snack around 4:30 (cheese stick or an apple) to try to fend them off until your husband is home.

 

Hmmm. That's a tough one. My DH gets home around 6 or 6:15 and usually I have dinner ready. Sometimes he is later than that and we go on without him. But they don't have a problem waiting until 6 for dinner. They get their lunch around 11 or 11:30, take a nap, get a snack around 3pm. It is usually something like crackers and cheese so the protein/carb combination helps them make it to dinner. If they get hungry before then, I let them have a handful of cheerios. Not enough to ruin their appetite but enough to make them feel like they are eating something while they wait. Also, I don't know if you allow them any TV, but I let them watch their Baby Einstein video between 5:30 and 6 and that helps get them to dinner if they are hungry. They usually forget about all their troubles when I let them watch a favorite video.

Karen

 

My DH usually gets home at 7pm...sometimes 6:30pm...but sometimes later than 7pm. We never eat dinner together during the week. The boys and I eat around 6pm and DH eats shortly after he gets home. Even though, the boys are on a later schedule and don't go to bed until 9pm, they can't wait until 7pm+ to eat.

DH gets home around 5pm on Fridays. So we eat a "family" dinner together Fri,Sat,Sun. Mon-Thurs...it is what it is. Not much we can do about it.

 

My DH and I both work FT, but we have a similar problem in that I would really like for us all to eat together, but there just isn't time to make dinner and eat it between when we get home (5:45) and when the girls go to bed (6:45-7). For now, we get home, feed the girls, put them to bed, then cook for ourselves and have dinner around 8 (or earlier if we are having leftovers). I think family dinners will just have to wait until the girls are old enough to stay up longer. DH and I do try to sit with them and have some cheese & crackers or something while they have dinner.

 

My DH is active duty and doesn't get home until usually 6:30, sometimes later. I've always kept the kids on a tight schedule. They are in bed at 7pm. They usually eat around 4:30 or 5pm. They can't go any later than that, because they have lunch at 11. Having said that, DH and I eat after they go to bed. We do make a point to eat together on weekends though. I would like to push them to a later dinner, but I don't think eating that close to bedtime is a good idea. It does a number on my stomach if I eat close to going to bed. I usually just have a salad for dinner or something light because of that. I don't like to make DH eat alone.

Angela

 

We eat as a family around 7pm when DH get home. I usually give them a snack in the last afternoon if they seem hungry.

 

We don't get to eat as a family either.

In our case DH is the SAHP and I work FT. I get home around 6 but he feeds the boys around 5. Even on the weekends we don't eat at the same time. In our case it will just have to wait until the boys are older.

 

We go out to eat on the weekend, and enjoy this time together. This is really our only family dinner time that we get.

 

My DH is home anywhere from 7pm-10, and he is a chef, so I'm lucky that he eats his meal at work. The kids ususally eat around 6:30-7 (their choice) and depending on what they want I eat with them sometimes. Like tonight they wanted Kraft Dinner, and I had soup and a ham sandwich.

 

The boys and I usually eat around 5 or 5:30. Then when DH gets home (usually just before 7) we have dinner and they have a snack with us, so that way we eat together. Granted this doesn't happen every night, there are quite a few times we don't eat dinner till after they go to bed too. I figure it will get easier when they get older.

 

We never eat dinner together either because my husband gets home anywhere between 7 and 10. I feed the 4 kids together at around 6 and while they eat in the kitchen, I am preparing mine and my husbands dinner which we eat around 8:30, after all the kids are in bed. It's the best we can do. However, in order to get the family mealtime, my husband cooks a big breakfast most weekend mornings. That's the best time to all eat together because the kids are refreshed and we aren't in a hurry to get them off to bed.

 

We don't eat together during the week. DH is usually home around 8pm (sometimes later) and that's not going to change anytime soon. Gabe and Natalie eat at 5pm. If I try to push them past 5pm, they get super hungry and cranky. They are usually in bed by 6:15/6:30 and then I eat with DH when he gets home. DH and I are only awake for a few hours together during the week, so I really cherish that little bit of time that we get to spend having dinner together. I always wanted to do regular family dinners... since we never did when I was a kid. But now I understand why. My dad worked late almost every night too, so I ate with my mom. I have a feeling that that is what it will be like during the week for awhile. It's definitely not ideal... but like Debbi said... it is what it is.

-rosie

 

quote:
Originally posted by Whoa Mama!:
The kids go to bed between 7-730. I usually feed the twins their dinner between 5-5:30 and then the rest of us eat at 6 when my husband gets home, including the twins usually "mooching" more dinner from our plates. It isn't an ideal situation but while they're young it'll just have to work. I know once they're 3 or so they'll be able to wait until 6:00.


Ditto here!

 

I try try try to have dinner ready when DH gets home. To keep the girls busy while they wait, I let them snack on raw veggies in the 1/2 hour before dinner is served: favorites are cucumbers, raw pepper strips, frozen carrots or peas just thawed, occasionally even "white trees" or "green trees" (cauliflower/broccoli). They won't eat veggies on their plates, but they will eat them when they're on the run and veggies are the only game in town. HTH!

 

When the girls were that young, we didn't eat together. But as they get older we can have meals ready. I find though that my DH gets home some nights at 7. So we have breakfast together instead. My girls even at 3 cannot wait till 7. I usually prepare a salad or something for my DH to nibble on while I get bath and bed ready. We usually eat after the girls are down around 8 or I just leave something for him to eat as I have eaten with the girls.
When my DH comes home, the girls want to play not sit down and eat. So they goof off.
Don't put too much pressure on yourself right now. If you can get a couple of times at the table, it doesn't matter if you are eating or not. It is just about being together. Hey, what about dessert? Maybe certain days of the week a special dessert-could be fruit?

 

We just started recently to eat family dinners during the week, and this is because DH is making an effort to be home earlier and the boys can make it to around 6. Up until now I would feed the boys and then DH and I would eat after they went to bed at 8.

 

This is an issue we struggle with in our house too, and I'm sensative about it because when I was growing up we ate dinner together as a family almost every night. I know times have changed...my DH gets home after 8:00 three nights a week and on the other two nights, my oldest son has swim practice at our usual dinner time.

So, I've worked out this loose schedule. On the nights DH works late, I feed the 4 kids at 5:30 but I try to make a point to sit with them (even though I'm usually not eating) and talk about their day, etc. On the other 2 nights, I hold the younger kids off with a later afternoon snack so we can eat as a family when my oldest son gets home from swim. On the weekends, we usually end up going out to dinner one night, which is also great quality family time.

Times have changed & family dinners are harder to manage, but that's how I've managed to try to schedule in some quality time. Good luck!

 

I make a point on my DH's days off to sit down at the dining table and eat dinners as a family!

 

Both DH and I work full-time. He picks the babies up from daycare, and takes them home and feeds them. They eat at the counter, while he talks to them. My 8yo is a competitive gymnast, and she has practice 4 nights a week until 7:30, so her and I & don't get home until 8. I come home with her, all of us put the babies to bed together, and my DH & I eat with the older girls. I hate not having the babies included, but it's the way it is right now.

We do try to do at least one meal all together on the weekends.

 

My DH doesn't get home until 7:30 ish- way too late for all of us to eat together. So- I eat with the girls and he eats when he gets home. Sometimes they sit with him and share it if he isn't home too late.

I, too, wish we could all sit down and eat together but it is not possible during the week. We make the effort to eat together on Saturdays and Sundays.

 

Hi!
I just got advice on this from a child psychologist. I am pretty much a SAHM (I teach one course while the boys are at preschool). I actually talked to the psych about sleep issues, and this came up. One of my boys wakes several times a night to pee. Her feeling was that (with a 7:30/8pm bedtime) the kids should be done with eating and drinking by 6pm so they have time to digest, etc.

She recommended having the boys eat earlier, but having a dessert, or healthy snack for them, while my DH and I have dinner.

I hope this helps!

 

Since Dh started recruiting duty I gave up. I never know when he will be home. I fix one dinner, and the kids and I eat usually around 5:30 and then he just heats his up when he gets home. We have family dinners together on the weekends, at least Sundays. There are many Sat. he works as well.

 

My husband gets home one week about 6:00, the next about 7:00-he has an alternating schedule. The kids have a small snack about 4:00, then dinner about 6:15-6:30. Bedtime is 7:30. One week we eat with Dad, the next week we don't.