Cooking dinner with children around!

This is a more practical post from me. Recently I have been finding the end of the day reeeeally stressful. The children are tired and getting hungry, I've been on my feet most of the day, my patience is wearing a little thin and the girls are more easily irritated with each other. We have been trying to get Livia to drop her afternoon bottle in time for a holiday we have planned in May but she is very reluctant! It means she is extra sensitive and can have complete meltdowns (I usually give in!). And then we come to cooking a dinner from scratch. This requires detaching myself from the children and getting them to occupy themselves!! 

Here are a few tips for coping with cooking dinner with little ones around. Is love to hear your ideas too if you'd like to post below...

1) Start a new activity off for them. I will choose an activity for Chloe where I know she will be engaged for a good amount of time but where she doesn't need too much help or supervision. This will usually be cutting and sticking craft, drawing or play dough. She will come in and show me what she's made and I can set her another task: 'that's a great dog, can you make a puppy to go with it?' You get the idea.

Below this post is a photo of this tactic in action. I made a den and Chloe had to put things inside it (including Livia!).

2) An excess of toys and mess! My top tip for one year olds is to get lots of toys out which they haven't played with yet today. We have a big basket of odds and ends which rarely all get played with. I will drag this into the kitchen with me (because Livia insists on being in with me) and she will happily empty the whole box and spend ages examining forgotten toys. I don't worry about mess at all when I'm cooking. Priorities! 

3) Get them to help. If it's an older child who is seeking attention then you can get them to help you cook. Give them jobs like crumbling stock cubes or stirring. Obviously you have to watch them closely with the hob but I've not had any accidents so it can be done.

4) Baby bouncers. If you have a baby up to the age of one (or whatever the weight limit is) then a baby door bouncer can be really useful when you're cooking. Unfortunately I can't use this with Livia anymore but it was so helpful when she was smaller. It meant she was entertained but also immobilised! I had her in the doorway to the kitchen so she could watch me. A baby walker could also work in the same way.

5) TV time. It is maybe a bit deceptive of me to put this one last, as this is usually my first port of call. Cooking time is usually TV time for the children. I am quite strict about when the TV is allowed on but this is definitely a key time when it is on. The children are tired and need to wind down and you need to get on with providing food for them. Give yourself a break and use the TV! Of course sometimes they decide they'd rather cling round your legs and this is when I'd use the other options.

I hope these are useful. Most of them are quite obvious but it's sometimes good to have them all collated in a 'toolbox' ready for when you are feeling stressed. Happy cooking!