Family Dinner Routine 2010-10-05 15:00:57

How Many Dinners Do You Make Each Night?

October 5, 2010

Mama never signed up to be a short-order cook, so why does she feel like one every night? There's no question that kids can be picky eaters — munching on pasta one week and then loathing the carb the next. Or throwing a fit at the first sign of something green on their plate. Some parents are willing to give in to their lil ones' "quirks" and make different meals for each tot in order to maintain some peace. Others serve up one dish and kids can take it or leave it. Which category do you fall into?

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8 Comments

Heather Maddan 2 years 32 weeks

I usually make one meal, but a different version of it for each of my three kids. My husband eats anything and I'm a vegetarian. I love cooking and don't mind altering dishes to my children's tastes. They are good helpers in the kitchen and the most important thing is that we get to spend time together.

2 years 32 weeks

One meal most nights but two on the nights we're eating something they can't (I have two with food allergies, three without food allergies). Most nights I plan for a meal we all can eat, but one nights we eat something they can't, I either plan components of the meal that they can eat too, or they have a pantry meal (pizza, cereal, eggs, toast etc). I don't mind making something extra (in addition to our meal) since I'm the one that plans the meals and I don't always pick meals for all 7 of us. I don't however make a new meal if they refuse favourite meals. They can grab a bowl of cereal or have a sandwich etc instead. But if they can't eat the meal, I make sure there's something for them.

stellaRuby 2 years 32 weeks

My husband makes just one.

2 years 32 weeks

I'm with MissSushi, there's only 1 meal in this house and the only way that's changing is dietary restrictions! There are 5 of us and the kids are 7,4, and nearly 2. When they're old enough to start cooking things may change a bit, but I'll only be cooking 1 meal. Even if my husband and I decide to eat after the kids on occasion, I cook our supper and feed the kids and we can reheat or finish the last bit of cooking for ourselves when we're read if it's something like steaks on the bbq. I do always make sure that there's at least 1 thing at every meal that the kids like and will eat lots of so it they choose not to eat all their supper they can eat lots of the thing they like, like baked chicken or rice or their fav veggie.

starbucks 2 years 32 weeks

Just one. Baby girl is now 13 months and eats pretty much everything I serve her. The hubby is usually the one complaining, cause it's too healthy for his taste. He misses his burgers ;)

MissSushi 2 years 32 weeks

Just one, and it will stay at just one unless there are dietary restrictions. Once they get older, they can start cooking like I did, and we can branch out a bit. but until then its as little work as possible to cut down on work on my end.

lickety split 2 years 32 weeks

Now, just one. But my youngest is 9. At the worst I was making 4. One for the daughter with autism who would scream until she got what she wanted, one for husband who was on the Atkins diet one for my youngest daughter and one for my middle who was eating gluten free. All done! Here's dinner: don't like it? Make yourself a pb&j. And clean up the mess :raspberry:

Livvy-P 2 years 32 weeks

Right now, I'm making 2 dinners - one for my husband & I, and one for the kids. My daughter (age 5) will eat what we are having sometimes, but my son (age 3) refuses. The only reason my daughter generally doesn't eat with us is because I wait for my husband to get home from work to eat, which is much later than when the kids eat.

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