Feel like a new woman!!!

[cockatoos]

I think I've (almost) cracked my evening routines! I've been minding since July and October was my first month of two under 5s for 4 days.

I have been trying to do school run,give snack to big ones, feed little ones tea whilst schoolies run riot, and then not managing to feed my two (one of whom is 4 and just started school so v tired) until 6.30 at the earliest (and sometimes not even managing that and resorting to the chip shop!).

Today someone at a great childminder drop in suggested that I give them all tea at the same time - lightbulb moment!!! I can't believe I didn't think of it before. So at 4.45 ish we all sat down together and ate! Wow what a difference! All cleared up, tidied away and generally sorted by 6.15. Boys now getting ready for bed and I just had to share my 'news'!!!

Its still not quite sorted - got to work out how to do this on the days when one of the LOs gets picked up at 5pm, but I feel great!

Amy

[sarah707]

I would explain to parents that your family meal time is between 445 and 515pm.

If they would like their child to eat with you then those are the times when you will all be sitting round the table.

As you are not able to leave eating children alone because of the risk of choking they need to respect your meal time and arrive either before (with notice so you do not cook their child a meal) or after tea.

If they arrive during tea they are welcome to wait in the porch but it is too disrupting to come in plus you are all busy eating, chatting about your news, playing games round the table etc.

I have one parent who wants her child to eat and tends to come around 510 but she sits and waits in the car. I won't have children galloping from the table with half a plate of food left it upsets everyone.

Your house... your rules. Hth :D

[Maza]

Don't make work for yourself! You have one meal time and that's it. A positive knock on effect is that you then only have one clean-up! It's easier to adapt snack times than meal times if you need to. Well done!

[Roseolivia]

We get in from school just after 3pm(school down the road), the mindees play whilst i cook tea and we usually sit down 4/4.15pm as i find them really hungry. My mindee can go home anytime from 4.30ish.

[miffy]

Its still not quite sorted - got to work out how to do this on the days when one of the LOs gets picked up at 5pm, but I feel great!

Amy

If I've got early pick-ups then I just get tea ready earlier - we still all eat together - and the snack they would have had when they got in from school just becomes another course at teatime!

Miffy xx

[kel1983]

I aim to have the children sitting down and eating at 4.15pm. They are always hungry when they come out of school. I leave out the snack so as they are ready for it this early.

Im lucky I only have 2 that I have to cook for, somedays only 1. The others all sit at the table with these and have either snack or packed lunch supplied by their parents.