https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 17 Jul 2026 05:12:03 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2128351 Tue, 31 Mar 2015 14:30:23 +0000 abbydabbydoodlebug 2128351@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks for all the suggestions! Hubby hasn't been late lately, so I haven't had to deal with the clingy girl. But I'll probably go with the TV route and hope it keeps her occupied. Lol. It's only once in a while that he's late, but it drives me CRAZY when I'm trying to cook and she's flipping out. I'm also planning on putting up a lot of her toys so I can grab one she hasn't seen in a while and hope that she'll be occupied. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2128269 Tue, 31 Mar 2015 13:57:39 +0000 travelgirl1 2128269@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I sometimes have her play on the kitchen floor with playdoh or tuppawear or something like that. Mostly I turn on the TV and give her a snack. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2128253 Tue, 31 Mar 2015 13:51:52 +0000 Tanjowen 2128253@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@abbydabbydoodlebug: My LO is 15 months and does this. It's like he smells food cooking and realizes he's starving. I've taken to putting him in his high chair, pulling him into the kitchen near me and giving him bits and pieces of dinner as I cook (such as, if we are having tacos, some cheese or black beans). A few times a week, DH and I will sit and have an appetizer while LO eats his meal, and then we eat after he goes to bed, so don't know if that's a possibility also. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2128242 Tue, 31 Mar 2015 13:47:01 +0000 NurseDMB 2128242@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sashaskog: I'm really thinking I need to get one of these learning towers! DS loves helping me cook, so I think it would help a lot </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2128238 Tue, 31 Mar 2015 13:45:18 +0000 NurseDMB 2128238@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No advice because I go through the same with my 20 month old every night, and unfortunately most nights DH isn't even home for dinner. Even TV doesn't help, he has to be in the same room as me. Sometimes I let him play with the spice rack and that keeps him entertained for about 5 minutes. But when I'm cutting up vegetables, etc. I sit on the floor with the cutting board and have him "help" me with a butter knife. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2128212 Tue, 31 Mar 2015 13:32:12 +0000 Smurfette 2128212@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I always turn the TV on. Lately it doesn't work. So she whines and cries. But I can't pick her up and cook over a hot stove or be chopping up stuff. We have a learning tower but some nights that doesn't work. It is hard and I always cook super easy easy stuff during the week cause I am solo. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2128203 Tue, 31 Mar 2015 13:26:02 +0000 littlebug 2128203@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I got a learning tower at a local consignment sale, and D LOVES to help me cook. He's limited in what he can do, and I have to watch him like a hawk (he kind of burned himself last night), but it definitely helps. Because, yeah, that time from getting home from daycare to eating dinner (5-6pm) can be a bitch. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2128189 Tue, 31 Mar 2015 13:18:05 +0000 lovehoneybee 2128189@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The earliest D gets home is 9 (and it can be as late as 1-2am), so I always have E with me. Sometimes I can get him to watch an episode of Thomas or Blue's Clues, or play with his trains, but normally he is standing next to me on a stool helping me (he's 2.5, though, and it's limited to "stirring" or dumping pre-measured ingredients). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2128181 Tue, 31 Mar 2015 13:13:28 +0000 hellobeeboston 2128181@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Carried LO around in a baby hiking backpack at this age to make dinner!! He was up high enough to see what was going on and thought it was fun bouncing around! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2128161 Tue, 31 Mar 2015 12:53:51 +0000 Tidybee 2128161@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When DD was that age, I tried to do a lot of the prep during her nap, and then I'd let her watch one or two 15 minute episodes of Elmo's world when it was time to cook closer to dinner time. I also would put her in her highchair with a book or toy but that wasn't always successful. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2128158 Tue, 31 Mar 2015 12:51:55 +0000 sashaskog 2128158@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We had the exact same issue so we built her a learning tower (the Ikea hack one) and since then it has been awesome. She can climb up and down whenever she wants and she can watch everything I do. She also loves to help measure, pour and stir so I make sure to include her when I can. It changed our life! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2123215 Thu, 26 Mar 2015 18:17:46 +0000 caitlanc 2123215@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've pulled LO's highchair into the kitchen so that he's tall enough to see what I'm doing and that keeps him happy on occasion. If she really just wants to be held, would putting her in a backpack work? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2123213 Thu, 26 Mar 2015 18:17:04 +0000 Jess1483 2123213@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I try to have a relatively novel and interactive toy available. At that age, I used his sensory bin a lot (large plastic bin with rice, beans, or pasta as well as measuring cups and other tools). He also has a drawer with rarely-used kitchen tools that he can play with. Or I'll make a new kind of play dough. Now at 28 months he is obsessed with helping (and actually pretty decent), so I let him help unless it's dangerous (or dump random things in a bowl and let him stir.)</p> <p>And then sometimes there's cartoons. Can't win 'em all. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2123206 Thu, 26 Mar 2015 18:13:01 +0000 avivoca 2123206@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>H had a blast when I moved her kitchen into the big kitchen. She liked being able to "cook" too. I usually feed her snacks though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2123196 Thu, 26 Mar 2015 18:07:40 +0000 Mrs. Sunshine 2123196@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My 18 month old still has those days (today is one of them). I just tell her that I'm cooking dinner right now and I can't hold her/help her/whatever. She usually gets cartoons during this time and I just try to ignore her </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2123171 Thu, 26 Mar 2015 17:49:28 +0000 Anagram 2123171@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My husband doesn't get home till 7-8 pm and LO is also clingy during that time. When my morning sickness started, I started letting her watch Sprout while I cook. :wink: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2123168 Thu, 26 Mar 2015 17:46:31 +0000 illumina 2123168@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@abbydabbydoodlebug: I think it's a combo of being tired &amp; hungry and also it's probably the only part of the day where I'm occupied almost constantly for a decent amount of time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2123164 Thu, 26 Mar 2015 17:45:01 +0000 abbydabbydoodlebug 2123164@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@illumina: hmm maybe I'll try bringing some toys in the kitchen. She is not really into toys except books and stuffed animals. What is it about this time of day! ? Fine all day until dinner. Ugh! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2123156 Thu, 26 Mar 2015 17:40:05 +0000 illumina 2123156@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is us most nights! When Dh WOH he gets home slightly before 6, which is when I aim to have dinner on the table and from about 5:30pm LO is a real PITA! She's fine all day by herself and then super clingy right before dinner. Sometimes it helps to let her raid the tupperware cupboard or bring lots of her toys in to keep her busy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cooking-dinner-with-a-toddler#post-2123151 Thu, 26 Mar 2015 17:35:55 +0000 abbydabbydoodlebug 2123151@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>How do you do this!? I'm so frustrated and have no idea how to keep my almost 14 month old happy while I attempt to cook dinner. My husband tries to get home by 5 so I can cook dinner and have it ready by 6. But some days, like today, he runs late. I feel bad because I basically was a total B to him on the phone. But I was already super frustrated with DD and just tried (again) to stress to him how important it is to me that he's home around 5.</p> <p>Anyway, she just walks around and whines/cries every 5 seconds the entire time I'm cooking. Start to finish. She hangs on my legs and claws at me and wanders around crying. She is like 25lbs and super heavy So I can't carry her the whole time, nor does she want to be. I'd give her snacks but then she wouldn't eat dinner. </p> <p>Plus its AF time and my moods are ragey. Ugh </p>