Tips for Cooking Dinner with Little Ones

Late Afternoon- often the most difficult time of the day with little kids. Everyone starts getting tired and hungry and grouchy. For very little ones, they may just cry for an hour or two in the evening- with no explanation.

And right in the middle of all that fun- you as a mom are suppose to put an amazing, delicious, healthy meal on the table. Easy right?!?!?!

Wrong!! The last thing you want to do after watching kids all day, doing laundry, cleaning the house, running errands, etc is cook dinner. And then of course the best part- cleaning up the kitchen afterwards!

There have been many nights where I am running around the kitchen trying to get dinner on the table. Both kids will be crying, I'll be wanting to pull my hair out, something will be burning on the stove or not cooking quickly enough. Those are the days when you want to give up, or call you husband to bring something home after work. 

So, how do you do it? Here are a few steps that might help make dinner:

1)  Plan meals that are doable. Look a recipes before you begin and plan. If there are things you can do ahead of time, like chop up vegetables or cook part of it, do it during nap time. Many casseroles you can put together then put in the fridge until you are ready to bake. I've tried it with chicken spaghetti, and it worked fine. You can also do mashed potatoes early and then just warm them before dinner. A 6 step complicated recipe may result in calling your husband to pick up dinner on his way home :)

2) Put little ones in a high chair while cooking. The last thing you want to do is to have a little one get close to the oven or trip you while you are moving around the kitchen. Giving them snacks, a toy, or sippy cup to keep them busy makes cooking so much easier for mommy. 

3) For kids not sitting in a high hair anymore, let them watch a favorite show or play outside. If cooking something that is going to require some attention- don't be afraid to just let them watch something for 20 minutes.

4) If you can't make a baby happy (because that time of day can be impossible), put them in their crib. They can cry a little- it won't hurt them. Sometimes you need to serve your husband by cooking dinner. Both of my kids have gone through stages where it didn't matter what I did, they just cried during the evenings. Sometimes I just let them cry while I'm cooking, which isn't fun for either of us. But sometimes I just put them in their crib. They might take a little nap or just play, but other times they will continue to cry. But I am able to get dinner on the table and not feel crazy when my husband gets home.

5) Every meal can't be perfect. Sometimes recipes don't work. Or you don't get started on dinner early enough to finish. Or something burns. It happens. Don't let it get you down!

For the first few months after my second child was born, I didn't cook much at all. I was holding a newborn most of the time and trying to play with my almost two year old. I just didn't have enough hands to get it done. Now I am about to have 3 under 3. I'm hoping to get my freezer stocked with meals and things that will be easy to cook, because we know it can only be harder with three than two!

I hope this helps you as you try to take care of your family. Remember, if you are making an effort to cook at all- you are doing a great job! :) If you have other tips, please leave a comment! I'm still trying to find my way through cooking with little ones too!

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