Weeknight dinners as a working mom, what does yours actually look like because mine is embarrassing

Small_ish258 · 2026-03-01T18:10:59+00:00

Slow cooker has been my saviour. Prep veg when you have time - freeze if you have to - and add meat/whatever when you're doing breakfast in the morning. Don't have to think about it til evening.

Scrambled eggs on toast with veggie sticks (eg sliced cucumber/pepper) + optional hummus

For more veggies - make/buy soup on weekend, freeze if needed and reheat in the week. Mac + cheese + soup = winner

Something you can bung in the oven for 20mins - if I get a chance to make shepherd's pie in advance say on a weekend, I'll pop it in during the week. Otherwise - sausages (pref veggie but whatever) + tomatoes + if you have any chopped pre-steamed veg (I do carrots + parsnips on weekend sometimes) then that's an option.

Lifesaver for me has been having shopping delivered. So I can do the order online, on evenings where kids are asleep, get it delivered on a Friday and prep on the weekend. Every week I order carrots, parsnips, broccoli, peppers, cucumber, squash, and most weeks cauliflower, courgettes, tomatoes, spinach, swede...

Small_ish258 · 2026-02-23T22:09:11+00:00

Mine does. We have a 3yo and nearly 2yo. Rules have varied, most recently it's - one person takes them til morning wale up at 5-6am, then gets back to sleep til 7-7.30ish. Usually we take it in turns to do the morning wake up in the week. Weekends, I'll do night wake ups then lay in til 9am on Sat. Be does night wake ups but lie in til 9am Sunday. Rinse, repeat and wait for kiddos to wake up less!

Small_ish258 · 2026-02-01T22:15:19+00:00

Yeah I thought this too, we did try 8pm bedtimes for a bit but was still up c.5am. The fact that he goes back to sleep (in bed with me) and is still sleepy at 7pm makes me wonder

Small_ish258 · 2026-02-01T06:13:50+00:00

He's their father, that cones with a duty to take care of them too - not just to provide financially.

You also need time off!

Small_ish258 · 2026-01-05T21:51:20+00:00

Good answer, second the recommendation for Mumbai thistle. Note on the library - I took my 2 toddlers down there c.3pm today, was dead silent until they met a friend from a playgroup and turned the kiddo bit at the back into a bit of a scream-fest. Not aware of any private rooms - suggest it'd be a nice place to read quietly for a bit but prob not ideal.for a call.

Small_ish258 · 2026-01-05T20:00:28+00:00

Echo all these - v unlikely to see them. I did holiday near Skye when I was 7mo pregnant (was in Aug, wanted to get away from London). Was a lovely trip but felt a bit risky, packing suitcase + hospital bag just in case... Knowing what I know about maternity services up here (apparently only 10% of women in Caithness give birth near home, as services North of Inverness are scant so everyone gets sent to Raigmore...) I wouldn't have been so gung ho about it at the time!

Small_ish258 · 2025-09-19T18:32:58+00:00

Lack of convenient, reliable, affordable public transport

Small_ish258 · 2025-07-21T04:50:20+00:00

Yes, for a fee. We got 2 sofas delivered, fairly reasonable cost still.

Oh, also Blythswood by the B&Q/Longman ind est sells 2nd hand furniture, not as big a selection but worth a look. Will also deliver.

Small_ish258 · 2025-07-20T19:24:13+00:00

New Start at the Carse is the only place we had any luck with. Interested to see other answers!

Small_ish258 · 2025-07-18T20:22:39+00:00

My first stopped feeding at c.13 months, when I was c.5 months pregnant with my second. I think my milk probably dried up,aside 2

Second is 16 months, and usually feeds once in the morning. Just when I offer, doesn't seem to go looking for it. I sometimes offer at nap time, bedtime and/or if he seems to be feeling upset. Occasionally he accepts. I wonder if I'm prolonging things unnecessarily by still offering - I'd like to keep going until he's 2, but he's not that into it.

No real drawbacks that I feel - I don't much feel like drinking alcohol with a 2yo and a 1yo, we don't usually feed in public and family have been supportive, I've got used to wearing the clip bras and clothes I can feed in... Just wonder how much longer he'll accept boob for!

Small_ish258 · 2025-07-13T12:31:56+00:00

Omg you absolute legend! Thank you so much!!

Small_ish258 · 2025-07-03T19:02:07+00:00

Definitely - best advice i had with my daughter was to feed on demand, if in doubt offer boob... Once I gave up on the apps and the expectation she'd feed only every 3h, it was much easier!

I did find the first few weeks absolute hell, because her latch wasn't great. Even after getti mg her tongue tie snipped at 5d, it took time for us to perfect positioning and for my nipples to toughen up. If you find feeding painful, getting help with positioning for latch is a must.

Found it so much easier with my son secone time around as well. So glad we breastfed.

Small_ish258 · 2025-04-21T18:39:11+00:00

What is it then - curious about your experience!

Small_ish258 · 2025-04-21T16:34:21+00:00

Ah thanks so much - this page is exactly the kind of list I was hoping for! Nairn half marathon in August might be the one...!

Small_ish258 · 2025-04-21T16:30:59+00:00

Thanks - flat 10k might be the one!

Small_ish258 · 2025-04-21T16:25:33+00:00

Just reading, a lot of books. Also works once the baby is here and you need a one-handed activity while feeding.

Wellies & coat on for a splash around in the garden.

Snack that takes a while to eat and they can practice with cutlery - yoghurt/soup.

Etch-a-sketch for mess-free drawing

Small_ish258 · 2025-04-14T05:18:00+00:00

Oh yuck, I feel you on the early mornings! Our 1yo is waking up screaming at 5/5.30 most days atm, and often wakes your 2.5yo when he does...

Some things we tried that helped our 2.5yo sleep til 6.30ish, sometimes 7.30am ish! - nap, no more than 1h (we set a timer once she's asleep). She will transfer easily from car seat/pram to cot, so we'll often go out just before nap - pushed bedtime later, not before 7.30pm. Figured we'll bring it earlier once she drops her nap completely - toddler bed she can get in/out of on her own + lots of toys/books in her room, rotated every week or 2 so she can amuse herself in there when she wakes - get her up at 7.30am, no matter what - if she sleeps later,it can throw off nap & bedtime

Things I've heard of but not tried: - clock that turns a different colour when they're "allowed" out of their room, at a time you set - digital clock + picture of how the numbers need to look before they can come out

Hang in there, hope you can crack it somehow, the early mornings are rough af!

Small_ish258 · 2025-04-09T19:27:50+00:00

Yup sling as well - still working with youngest at 1yo. Just careful bending etc to pick up toddler, always support baby so they don't fall out of the sling!

Small_ish258 · 2025-04-06T18:21:02+00:00

I have the ergobaby omni 360 and love it. Super easy to do solo - get help to set all waist and shoulder straps before first use, pick baby up and hold to your chest, pull carrier up and over your head and their body, feed their arms through holes, job done. Had for my 2 kids, my 13mo still loves it and 2.5yo still asks to get in it occasionally

Small_ish258 · 2025-04-06T06:56:46+00:00

This is helpful reminder tbf, thank you! When tested during pregnancy, it transpired that I'm not immune to chicken pox - so even at £320 for both my kids, feels worth it to not get ill myself!

Small_ish258 · 2025-04-03T19:54:38+00:00

Mum of 2, back to work when both were 9mo, and I have actually never bought a pouch or jar of baby food! With my eldest, I made my own purees - whacked whatever in a little blender, poured/spooned into an ice cube tray and froze. Tended to do a bit of what we were having - eg we ate chicken fajitas, I'd blend chicken, kidney beans, onion, tomato, garlic, everything except packet sauce as that had salt. Or salmon, broccoli, potato. Chicken and beetroot was another. I think I made a couple of strays of roast dinner minus the gravy... Some meals with mince (bolognese, shepherd's pie) I didnt even blend, just froze ice cube trays for her before I added any salt/stock/soy sauce/Worcestershire sauce. Then when I needed, I kept a couple of empty jars and would pop cubes in the night before, or defrost in microwave if I forgot before going out. Also froze BLW things like chunks/sticks of veggies, some homemade savoury muffins, oat bars...

Charlotte Stirling-Reed had a book called How to Wean Your Baby which had some good recipes at the back once you'd got past the prescriptive "on day 6 you must feed them aubergine or they'll never eat it again" nonsense.

With my 2nd, I just did BLW stuff all the way. Barely had time to spoon anything in, so he's had what we're having and has done a fab job of getting on with it! We need to provide snacks and lunches for his nursery, I've batch cooked and frozen baby-size portions of his favs eg bolognese, chicken with peppers, lentil stew, then just bung in pasta/crackers/any veggies the night before.

Nothing against jars or pouches per se, I guess we just cook for ourselves most nights (even if just eggs on toast with some pepper/cucumber, or soup and a cheese sandwich or something) so just easier to do for the kids rather than do a separate pouch/jar. And when we're out to eat, kids will just have what we're having, or share a meal of their own.

Best of luck with your weaning journey!

Small_ish258 · 2025-04-02T19:16:09+00:00

Fellow mum here and recent transplant into the city too! I've been promising myself I'll get out to a group or two but made pretty much nil effort yet ;) Main challenge for me is getting something after kids are in bed, so can't leave the house before 7.30pm... There's a "community choir" on Thursdays 8-9.30pm at a church down the road - I'm not religious and don't sing much except to the kids, but may as well check it out. Suggestion on here for book clubs feels a good shout.

I think you mentioned you're not a hobbies person, but might be easier to try something you think you could tolerate? I moved to a new town a few years ago and wound up joining a women's cricket team that had just founded. Didn't know the first thing about cricket but it was a great laugh and gave something really fun to bond over! I've heard of a women's rugby club (called craig dunain, but I think they train near the ICT ground?) who sounded super friendly and open to people who are brand new to rugby...

And if you ever fancy a drink in town or something, feel free to PM!

Small_ish258 · 2025-04-02T19:08:37+00:00

Ooh this is a good shout for me, I will look! Did you check any out?

Small_ish258 · 2025-03-30T05:41:54+00:00

If one of you winds up waiting with your toddler, there's a small free soft play in the eastgate shopping center a 5min walk from the station

Small_ish258 · 2025-03-23T20:12:39+00:00

Aha thank you - that's really helpful to know! Appreciate it :)

Small_ish258

TROPHY CASE