I should know this by my age but...

amother

Thu, Mar 04 2021, 3:40 pm

How do you make sure dinner is ready on time? Some dinners take 30 minutes to cook, others take 2 hours. Do you literally every day have to calculate how long it will take and work backwards to figure out when to start cooking? Or do you always make it at the same time and then it isn't always hot? Or dinner time varies?

If you don't bathe your kids every day, what do you do during that time on non-bath days? Do you have a whole different routine?

Who watches your baby while you're bathing your toddlers? Talking about a crawling baby who is very unhappy in a playpen.

OK, that was some of the questions that it looks like everyone else figured out a decade ago.

amother

Burgundy

Thu, Mar 04 2021, 3:44 pm

You plan ahead. Make it in the morning. Or the day before. And yes chicken on them one takes longer than boxed Mac and cheese so you have to plan accordingly.

We don’t have baths every day; non bath days mean more play time

Baby bounces in baby Bjorn bouncer (like it or not) during bathtime

motherhoodbH

Thu, Mar 04 2021, 3:45 pm

Menu planning for the week helps me. That way when I wake up on any given morning I know throughout the day that I need to get supper up earlier/or later by remembering that the dish *I already decided upon* takes more or less time. Im not stuck remembering that at 4pm when the protein I defrosted takes 2 hours.

amother

Magenta

Thu, Mar 04 2021, 3:51 pm

Weekly menus, and I never make anything that takes more than 30 min. I work full time. I don’t exactly HAVE more than 30 min to begin with LOL

No bath = more play

I don’t have an experienced answer for your last question because I space my kids so that I don’t have more than 1 preschooler and 1 baby at a time, but I would probably bring a bouncer into the bathroom with me, or id have someone come and help me for bath days.

English3

Thu, Mar 04 2021, 3:56 pm

I cook supper in the morning like that my pots get cleaned straight away. I warm up the supper in the microwave or oven. I have friends that cook suppers every second day so it's easier for them.
Bathing for me is in and out usually if they want to play then my DH has to be home to watch the babies. When I am myself I close the bathroom door and will let my baby crawl around.

tichellady

Thu, Mar 04 2021, 9:32 pm

I try to leave extra time so that if something goes wrong dinner will still be ready on time. And every once in a while dinner is not on time and that’s ok too. At this point I know how long most things take me to make. Although I’m slower when pregnant or tired so I need to leave extra time. I also have a few things in the freezer to pull out for nights when dinner doesn’t work out ( doesn’t happen often but every once in a while the fish I bought is rotten or I never plugged the rice cooker in, etc)

amother

Emerald

Thu, Mar 04 2021, 9:36 pm

I get home with kids at 3 pm. If I’m making chicken on the bone I make it right then and pop it in the oven cuz I know it need a while. For mostly everything else I’ll come in wind down for half hr with kids.. give snacks and drinks and then start...

My baby goes to sleep Early ( 6 pm) I bathe my 4&6 year old once the baby is sleeping.

observer

Thu, Mar 04 2021, 10:19 pm

I start cooking supper based on how long it takes. So a supper that takes longer to cook or prep, I start earlier. Supper is usually ready around the same time every day. Busier days get suppers that require less prep.

tweety1

Thu, Mar 04 2021, 10:23 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I absolutely calculate and work backwards. Supper is always fresh more or less the same time every day within 1/2 hr range give or take.

amother

Babyblue

Mon, Mar 08 2021, 1:24 pm

amother [ Emerald ] wrote:

Same set up hère with a 3.5 yo and new born.
I sighed up to prep and rally and try to do a meal prep a week so it’s easy warm up otherwise super easy dinner. It also takes the headache out of grocery shopping etc