When do your kids have their main meal?

Lalaladybird

We always have a smallish lunch (sandwich/soup etc, packed lunch for ds at school and husband) and our main meal at teatime (5pm (husband works early shifts)). We all eat together but the youngest 2 are really tired and moany and not very hungry by then, and then it is the homework/bath/bedtime rush after that!

I was thinking it might be a good idea to feed the children earlier at 4pm so the evening isn't such a rush and they are not so tired and might eat more. However this would mean they don't eat with us (me and husband).

How are mealtimes done in your house?

BitterAndTwisted

Everyone ate together at the table. When we were very young we had a snack after school to tide us over until meal-time.

alwaysonthego_2

My DH doesn't get home until 6pm so I feed my dds at 4.30pm, but we always make a point of sitting down together at the weekends

marisco_2

How old are the two youngest children OP? 5pm doesn't seem that late to have tea and then start a bedtime routine. As my sons have got older our dinner time has got gradually later, as I like to sit down at the table and eat with them. If they are very young then maybe a snack with some protein in it mid afternoon, would give them an extra energy boost so they aren't flaking too early of an evening.

peachyprice

My children are much older now, but when they were younger we all used to eat at around 6pm, now it's more like 7.30.

However, they used to have their main meal at lunchtime and then high tea when me and OH had your dinner. Depending how pushed for time I was and to save cooking twice they sometimes had their portion the next day, so say we had shepherd's pie I would cook it for me and OH and keep theirs for the next day's lunch, or I would cook at lunchtime and save our portions for dinner. It took a lot of pressure off them to eat their dinner knowing they'd already had a good meal earlier, they had sandwiches/cheese on toast/eggs and soldiers and some fruit for tea rather than trying to eat a full meal when too tired.

pukkamum

We all eat together which I think if possible is a great thing, why aren't the kids hungry are they snacking before tea or are they going past hunger, if the former less snacks if the latter than a snack as soon as they finish school may be needed, mine have a piece of cheese or a cracker something that feels substantial without being too filling.
we usually eat at 5 to 5.30 then the bed routine starts at 6.30 giving us chance to eat and tidy away.

Metranil_Vavin

My toddler has lunch around 12ish and then dinner about 5-5.30pm. I'll have lunch with him the days he is not at nursery.

Unfortunately it's too early for us all to eat together (OH doesn't get home till just before 7) and that would be far too late as DS is normally in bed by 7.30pm.

We do try and have lunch together at the weekends though, and hope we will have more meals together as DS gets older.

deva

We tried our daughter on sandwiches at lunch and she was almost unbearably grumpy! Back on school dinners - hot option and all good. She's 9 and still spends much of the hour or so break/lunch running around so I imagine this may be an issue. However when we sent more calorific lunches we were told too unhealthy, its very difficult to balance.

bylromarha

Dinner was at 5pm for mine when they were under 5. Snack time was around 3pm. Bed at 7pm. 7am get up.

Dinner moved to between 5 and 5.30 when the eldest started school. Bed at 7.30. 7am get up.

Dinner has recently moved to 6pm to accomodate new job. Kids are now 9 and 7. Bed at 8pm. 6.30am lights on, get up around 7am. Small snack given after school.

All those meals were the 4 of us sitting down and eating together. OH hated eating so early, but agreed it was a priority for the family. He still puts up with it - he'd much rather eat at 8pm!

GwylimT

Our children have their main meal at 1pm.

sassyblue

Their ages are important OP, l can remember us not having a peaceful tea until little one was probably about 4 years old, he'd be tired, whingy and unable to sit still - nightmare!

We eat about 5.30 and eat together, that's important l feel. Little one has a snack and drink when we come in from school to tide him over.