Cooking meals with a toddler around - help!

Raj, if I were you, I'd cut myself some slack when it comes to cleaning. As long as your house is not FILTHY, let it go. Don't make things hard for yourself. A young child is a LOT of work and you need to be easy on yourself when it comes to some chores.

The way I manage my day is to start it REALLY early. Not sure if it will work for you. I find that even an hour to myself gives me some valuable time before she is up and running around, demanding my full attention. I shower, make a light breakfast, have coffee and do some cleaning during this time. Then I get ready for her. Hubby gets her teeth brushed, dressed, fed and dropped off at school. But a year ago (when she wasn't at school), I'd turn on the TV and let her watch Super Y! and Sesame Street while I got all the work done. I made simple lunches for us and hubby took the previous day's dinner for lunch.

1) How do you guys decide what you're going to cook that week? And how many meals do you plan on?

I really cannot plan because she is a picky eater at dinner. Breakfast is usually sandwiches or banana with plenty of milk. Lunch is ALWAYS Mac-n-Cheese with some fresh vegetable and fruit juice to go with it. If it's anything else, I'll have a mutiny on my hands, so in a way, this is a blessing. Even though I have time to finish dinner when she's in preschool, I cannot because dinner is always what she craves or demands. I cook rice and dal and then wait for Madame Royale to issue her commands. I cook this when hubby takes her out to the park or library or YMCA or wherever in the evening. Cooking three meals a day only happens during the weekend. I also do some major grocery shopping, food prep (mainly veggie cutting etc) and cleaning during this time to pick up any slack from the week.

2) Is it okay to keep cut veggies in the fridge for a couple days? What other prepping do you do?

I am no nutritional expert but I cut veggies during the weekend, and keep them frozen fresh.

3) Do you always stick to your plans?

NOPE. I have no plans. What Mademoiselle craves, Mademoiselle wants, so there's no "advance planning" involved.

4) How many times a week do you do grocery shopping?

One time. Saturday mornings or Wednesday mornings.

Take it easy. This too will pass. Before you know it, she'll be off to school and you'll have good chunks of time to yourself. Until then, hang in there.

 

Raj,

Kudos to you for the meal planning. You remember you mentioned this in another thread? I tried that for a week and then failed! I plan to do that again during the holidays. DH will be away in India for around 20 days in Jan and if i'm not well planned i'm dead! Ananya doesn't sleep so much like before and is busy rolling over, crying and all that... i go nuts.

Latha

 

Preeti. That's the story of every mom... Hang in there. I am working and now have 2 kids. When my DD was one year old I had same issues. I used to cook in the morning at 5 and keep evening free to spend time with her as she goes to school. This is still my routine except I wake up at 4 now due to little one... You should try to cook and do chores when she sleeps. I know it's not lot of time. If your sahm then you should take time off for you and your chores when your DH is around in this way father daughter can bond too...

 

my help list though i dont have a kid... have seen my sis do this

Cook when kid is sleeping
Keep the kid busy in an activity
give kid target to achieve in activity and you do your cooking...

hop it helps

others have gvn better ideas too... just my 2 cents