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thread: Why don't you eat with your kids?

  1. #1
    2013 BellyBelly RAK Recipient.

    May 2007
    Brisbane
    5,310

    Question Why don't you eat with your kids?

    Firstly - I'm not juding in the slightest... I hope this doesn't come across that way...
    I'm also not interested in why people DO eat with their kids as there is another post around here somewhere, so if you want to post about why you do then I'll find that post for you to reply to...


    I'm genuinely interested in why people don't eat dinner with their kids? The thought honestly never occured to me not to eat dinner when Jazz eats...?

    So why do you do it? When did you start? Is it only dinner?

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Feb 2007
    In the jungle.
    4,809

    DD needs to have dinner about 5.30-6pm. If she eats any later she starts to have a total meltdown. DH is rarely home by then, so i eat with DD and he eats alone. Or she eats alone and we eat later. Not ideal but just the way it is.

  3. #3
    Registered User
    Add *TripleJ* on Facebook

    Jan 2009
    Diggers Rest VIC
    2,945

    the only reason we dont is coz he eats a lot earlier than we do he is a very routine baby if he doesnt get things at the same time everyday he gets cranky and i dont really like eating at 5:30pm but that probably will change though as he gets older

  4. #4
    Registered User

    Jun 2008
    in the eye of a toddler tornado
    2,450

    DD needs to have dinner about 5.30-6pm. If she eats any later she starts to have a total meltdown. DH is rarely home by then, so i eat with DD and he eats alone. Or she eats alone and we eat later. Not ideal but just the way it is.
    :yeahthat:
    DD & I eat lunch and breakfast together, but on weeknights the Bear gets home too late for us to eat together. Obviously if we go out or if the meal happens at a convenient time then we eat together.

  5. #5
    BellyBelly Life Subscriber

    Feb 2006
    melbourne
    11,462

    my girls both eat at 5.30 because they go to bed at 6.30 and DH isnt always home from work in time, we he is home we eat at 5.30 with the girls

    ETA we all eat brekky together every morning!

  6. #6
    BellyBelly Member

    Oct 2007
    Ever so slowly going crazy...
    2,268

    Harmony is the only one I dont eat with at dinner.

    I b/f her about 5.30, dinner about 6.15. She is then happy to play while I feed the rest of the brood, without her crying or being hungry....

    She has discovered she can in fact still roll on tiles, so often rolls out to the table and plays near us anyway...

    The other kids dont get a choice, eat with us or dont eat!!!

  7. #7
    Lucy in the sky with diamonds.

    Jan 2005
    Funky Town, Vic
    7,070

    Because I used to use that time to tidy the kitchen and get their bath/jarmies ready.
    Then I noticed that DD doesn't eat much either and I'm sure it's because she sees me "skipping" a meal - but I don't cos I eat when they are in bed.

    It's best if I do eat with them - even if at 5.30!

  8. #8
    Registered User

    Feb 2007
    In the jungle.
    4,809

    DD1 definitely eats more if we manage to eat together. That's why i eat with her and leave DH to eat on his own! I am guessing as she gets older and is able to hold out for dinner a little longer she will definitely benefit from us all eating together. But for now it is just not worth making her wait!

  9. #9
    Registered User

    Dec 2006
    In my own private paradise
    15,272

    DH and I have always eaten later as we're night owls - so we probably won't have our dinner with her - but we do tend to have a light snack around 5, so we'll probably sit down with her and eat then. at the moment, we don't have her with us for brekki half the time as she is still asleep! as she grows up and is on solids, we will definitely be eating as many meals together as possible...

  10. #10
    Registered User

    Feb 2004
    Melbourne
    11,171

    my girls both eat at 5.30 because they go to bed at 6.30 and DH isnt always home from work in time, we he is home we eat at 5.30 with the girls
    Same here!

  11. #11
    Registered User

    Jul 2005
    Rural NSW
    6,975

    I have always noticed that my kids eat much better if an adult is sitting down with them eating too....especially when it comes to trying new foods. Now that DD is nearly 15 I think my younger boys consider her almost an adult so often she will sit down with them and eat while I get the baths ready and clean the kitchen which is really handy. I also will often eat two small meals at dinner time... one with the kids at 6pm and then one with DH at 7pm when he gets home from work. I'm a grazer anyhow... I can't fit much in my tummy at one sitting... so this works really well.

    If my younger two kids were to eat by themselves they would just be silly, get distracted and want to leave the table to seek out adult company and they would be a lot less likely to try new foods. That's just how my kids are though. One of the first things DH does when he gets home is to sit down with the kids at the table to keep them focussed while i heat up his dinner.... if he gets home in time.

  12. #12
    Registered User

    Mar 2006
    7,046

    The only time we don't eat dinner with DD is if we're not at home. i.e. if I'm still at work, her Daddy feeds her (and eats with her) and I eat when I get home. If I have breakfast duties (eg am taking her to creche) we have breaky together (if she is up) but her Daddy doesn't eat breakfast. DD and I eat breakfast together on weekends and always have lunch together when we're at home together.

  13. #13
    Registered User

    Nov 2008
    163

    The only times DF and I dont eat dinner with DD is if we are having take away or something she shouldn't be eating. So we will feed her something that we made especially for her, then put her to sleep when its time to, and then we will have dinner.

  14. #14
    Registered User

    Aug 2006
    On the other side of this screen!!!
    11,129

    We try to eat together, if dinner is going to be late or DD2 isn't really coping we'll give her a quick tea (we have small portions of pre-cooked dinners in the freezer for such emergencies) then she sits down with us and has 2nd dinner when we do (doesn't matter then if she eats or not, it's the sitting together bit that counts). This probably means that our kids eat later than in some families, but they also go to bed later and sleep later in the mornings and this suits our way of doing things. We're not afraid of a late-afternoon snack, either.

  15. #15
    Registered User

    Dec 2007
    Adelaide, SA
    896

    because they pinch all my food...........lol Just kidding.
    We do aim to eat at the same time but i find i am constantly getting up to get some one a drink or mop up a spill or the drink bottle that the toddler athelete has thrown at one of his siblings....Oh and then there is always getting the sauce. So why we all do sit down at the same time i rarely actually eat till after they have all finished.
    Except of course when we have sports commitments which is 3 out of 5 week days then i am afraid its heat and serve while we can and when they can

  16. #16
    BellyBelly Member

    Feb 2007
    3,734

    Same as Ange here!! he does eat better when i eat with him..

  17. #17
    BellyBelly Member
    Add Party-of-five on Facebook

    Sep 2008
    bunbury WA
    2,114

    we dont eat with DD because she eat at around 5.30 when she is hungry and then we eat after she is in bed...if we eat at the same time i dont enjoy my dinner because she wants mine or mine is cold by the time im finished worring about her.
    and we have only in the last few years started eating with DS because he has only just learnt to eat with his mouth closed

  18. #18
    Registered User

    Jun 2007
    ...not far enough away :)
    1,413

    Ours is all over the place & I just go with the flow!!! DH is often away, on those nights I don't eat with DS as for some reason he seems to just muck around & not want to eat if it's not all of us or he eats early (due to missed arvo nap) & is in bed before I want to eat. I do sit with him, help him etc...but I eat in front of the telly after he's gone to bed.

    When DH is home if he's eating early again or it's something we've just not prepared on time & easier to do when he's in bed we eat when he's sleeping. Sad to say but we get to enjoy the meal & have a conversation also.......so I often value that time.

    If he's still up when we eat he gets offered a plate, but often refuses & will sit & eat a bananna or go off & play quietly.

    It doesn't bother me either way. He'll get to an age where he will eat at a different time & more etc & we will all sit together, but for now it's whatever works for us on each particular night.

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