https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 22 Oct 2026 20:09:20 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-887119 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 19:09:44 +0000 travelgirl1 887119@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Aw that's lovely! We have dinner all together now, we sit A in her highchair and I'll feed her and myself at the same time. My next battle is to get DH to turn off the TV so we can all focus on her :happy: . I have my breakfast with her too now, I love it but OMG is it messy!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-887098 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 18:56:37 +0000 Adira 887098@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@rattles: @plantains: haha, good to know! I hope that's the case for me, but I have no idea since we're not close to starting solids quite yet. Guess I'll find out soon enough! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-887078 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 18:46:49 +0000 IcebergMom 887078@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sweet :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-887012 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 18:10:03 +0000 Dandelion 887012@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Awesome! We didn't have a dinner table in the apartment, so when we moved to this house, we finally got one and have been enjoying sitting down together. It's so nice, isn't it?? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-887004 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 18:04:27 +0000 Kemma 887004@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We / I try to eat all our meals at the table or breakfast bar with Miss A (eight months). I think it's really important that kids learn good table manners and it's a great way for our family to reconnect at the end of the day.</p> <p>I'm also really lazy and A eats whatever food we prepare (within reason) so eating together saves me making special food for her.</p> <p>In terms of scheduling A nurses before her second nap at 1530ish, has a small snack at around 1630-1700, we have dinner at 1800ish and then she nurses before bed at 1930. So far her nursing and solid intake aren't really affected by each other. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886748 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:53:48 +0000 wheres_c 886748@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We all eat as a family around 6:15! I love it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886722 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:43:47 +0000 plantains 886722@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: if he is anything like my DD, that will be the least of your problems. My chica is a boob monster. I have to feed her solids before she nurses if I have a hope of her eating any! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886709 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:36:33 +0000 rattles 886709@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: DD is still a nursing addict whose not sold on solids, so that spacing seems to give her some time to get hungry before supper (which I'm now self-conscious about calling it after that other thread, ha) so that she'll try some table food while still keeping up my supply, since she'll never turn down the bedtime nursing even if she just finished eating solids. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886698 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:30:20 +0000 Adira 886698@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sotofamilia: Mine was too! Xander's 4 months today, born Feb 26th. You should join us on the Feb boards! Or March boards - those are more active, haha.</p> <p>@rattles: Oooh, thanks for your input! That schedule sounds like it might work for us! I'll just have to nurse Xander a little earlier than normal (5:30 instead of 6:00), but I doubt he'll mind, haha. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886691 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:28:05 +0000 rattles 886691@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I love it too! She seems to love the attention and time with us, and we of course love having her there. We started solids with dinner time, and having dinner together is definitely our favorite part.</p> <p>@Adira: I nurse LO (6.5 months) at 5:30, then we eat dinner at 6:30 as a family. Bathtime at 7, then final nursing, prayers, song and bed at 7:30. DH isn't always home in time for 6:30, so those nights we eat just the two of us after she's in bed (somewhere around 8pm). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886687 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:27:10 +0000 sotofamilia 886687@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: yeah, most nights I can time it so he just jumps in the jumperoo while we eat...he's definitely a lot easier to predict now that he's not a newborn! </p> <p>Totally off-topic, but it sounds like our LOs are around the same age - mine was born in February! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886684 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:25:49 +0000 Adira 886684@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@highwire: That might be a possibility! :)</p> <p>ETA: Sorry to thread-jack! I didn't mean to make it all about me. :P It's awesome you've been able to start having family dinners! It's one of the things from my childhood that I always liked and want to incorporate too! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886682 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:24:40 +0000 DillonLion 886682@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: Maybe you can just have him sit there while you two eat? That's what we did at first. Can he just hang out and play until you are done eating and then you can nurse him? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886678 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:23:41 +0000 Adira 886678@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@highwire: @plantains: My only concern with having dinner first is that I still want Xander to receive most of his calories from breast milk, so I don't want him to fill up on solids and then not really nurse - does that make sense?</p> <p>@sotofamilia: Oh, haha, that makes sense! I've actually had to do that before when Xander was less predictable, though we were still eating on the couch then. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886671 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:22:34 +0000 purrpletulips 886671@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Congrats! We have dinner as a family every night. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886663 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:21:21 +0000 Running Elley 886663@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I love having dinner together as a family! We started having dinner all together once E started solids. However, DH's schedule changed and he doesn't get home until about 8pm now. He does start later in the day so now we have family breakfast. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886662 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:21:20 +0000 sotofamilia 886662@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: oh sorry, I think I phrased that wrong! I'm not coordinated enough to nurse and eat at the same time lol. I'll nurse just holding him in my arms at the dinner table while my DH eats and then he'll take the baby and burp/play with him while I eat. We then go directly into our bedtime routine and clean up from dinner after the baby is sleeping.</p> <p>ETA: my DH has been exposed to nursing moms his whole life (he's Peruvian) and thinks it's totally fine for me to feed the baby while we eat...I don't know if this is normal though, maybe most people like to eat dinner and nurse as seperate activities! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886656 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:19:14 +0000 plantains 886656@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: It might be easier for you to wait until he starts eating solids and you can incorporate him into your evening routine better then. I find it easiest to just cook right away when I get home, so 5.30-6 and then we eat when I am done cooking. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886652 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:18:36 +0000 DillonLion 886652@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: What about cooking/eating in the 5:30-6:00 time slot? I pop C into her high chair and dance around the kitchen while talking to her and she plays with a toy and watches me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886646 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:17:02 +0000 Adira 886646@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@highwire: I'd ask my mom what she did to get some advice, but she was a SAHM, so she'll be no help to me! Hubs and I both work full-time so we get home around 5:30. He'll go relax on his computer while I play with Xander. Then I feed Xander at 6:00, then bath time (or just a wipe down), books, and then bed. But maybe I could try feeding him at 5:30 and convince Hubs to make dinner for 6:30. Then we could do dinner, bath, books, bed. That might work. He's only 4 months, so I don't have to do it yet, but I want to get him used to dinners together so I can get an idea of whether he's interested in solids or not! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886623 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:10:22 +0000 photojane 886623@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We always eat on the couch in front of the TV. Our table is crammed into a corner of the kitchen, and I have zero desire to eat there! :sad: I hope that we can move before Sadie can eat with us! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886622 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:10:22 +0000 DillonLion 886622@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: DH has this weird thing where if he doesn't eat dinner as soon as we get home, he just won't eat at all! It is weird. So doing it asap is the only way that it can work for us.</p> <p>ETA: LO also doesn't go to bed until 8/830 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886618 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:07:11 +0000 Adira 886618@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@FutureMrsMcK: A later bedtime would definitely make it easier for us! Right now Xander goes to bed around 7:00/7:30!</p> <p>@sotofamilia: I think that would be my problem too - eating dinner while I had to nurse! I feel like it's just not doable at the moment.</p> <p>@highwire: Ahhh, I see. Yeah, that would make it easier. Currently Xander's last bottle at daycare is at 3:00, so I nurse him at 6:00, and he goes to bed by 7:30, which is when Hubs and I will FINALLY make dinner. Maybe things will change as he gets older though and it will be easier. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886487 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 14:21:12 +0000 plantains 886487@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We just started doing this because DD is one so it is now or never. We have dinner between 6.30 and 7 and then bath is around 7.30-7.45 with bed right after. DH and I have always eaten together, but never at the table so this makes a nice change. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886482 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 14:19:11 +0000 DillonLion 886482@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: The daycare has usually given her her last bottle right before I pick her up and I dropped that 630 PM nursing/pump session this week that I was previously doing as soon as we got home. That's the only way it is possible now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886479 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 14:18:46 +0000 Alivoo01 886479@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hubby and I used to eat dinner while sitting on the couch watching TV. Once we started TTC, we started having dinner at the dinner table to make it a habit. Unless we're having pizza and a big game/tv show/movie is on (we don't have DVR), but those are rare. </p> <p>I can't wait to have LO join us at the dinner table! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886475 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 14:17:23 +0000 sotofamilia 886475@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: I try to time cooking so that we have dinner right before I sit down to nurse him before bedtime at 7:30. Sometimes I get it wrong and I'll actually just nurse him at the dinner table - we just say that the whole family is eating together! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886474 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 14:17:11 +0000 heffalump 886474@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yay! Before LO came along we'd eat in front of the tv. Now we also do family dinners every night :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886469 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 14:15:48 +0000 lovehoneybee 886469@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: I don't know how others do it, but E's bedtime is 9p. I put him in the PnP in the kitchen with me when I make dinner. I have dinner ready for him by 8 (sometimes it's what we'll be eating later, sometimes it's something else). He usually eats between 8-8:30, then a bath, then I top him off, then bed. (He nurses on demand, and has usually "snacked" all day leading up to dinner). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners#post-886466 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 14:15:17 +0000 sotofamilia 886466@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@highwire: we do this every night too now and I LOVE it. He jumps in his jumperoo while we eat and smiles at us. It's really important to us that he grows up with family meals too! </p>