Arsenic Hour

Jako · #1 (**permalink**) 03-09-2008, 09:00 PM

Call it what ever you want, witching hour, arsenic hour. How do you deal with it?

Lately DS is having a good sleep in the am and a shorter sleep in the pm and come 4:30 - 5 pm he starts whinging, clinging and is unbearable until bed at 7 - 7:30pm. Feeding him doesn't make any difference, he is just tired, cranky and had enough of the day but not enough to go to bed at 6! If he does nap at 5ish then he is bouncing off the walls still at 9pm. I am also usually alone at these hours with DH not getting in until 7ish. I need two hands to cook dinner. Slinging is OK, but he still whinges.

What works, what doesn't, what should I try?

emd · #2 (**permalink**) 03-09-2008, 10:59 PM

Jools was like this at dinnertime as a baby. Just tired, but couldn't go to sleep for the night in the middle of the madness of toddler dinner-bath-bed. I used to put her on my back in a carrier to cook dinner sometimes. But what worked better was to pre-prepare. I still do it now, even with Mr Happy as the family's baby. Do all the dinner prep around 3pm when they're in a good mood. Slow cookers are even better, you can start it in the morning and just eat at dinnertime. Lay out PJs and clean nappies for bathtime. So you don't have to do as much while they're cranky.

Little bean · #3 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008, 09:57 AM

yep. in the same boat here. its all a bit crazy between 5.30-7pm. I try and have as much done before hand as well. cook in the morning while everyone is happy, i know for awhile now dinners are going to be a lot more simple(one pot wonders!) less dishes, less prep and less fuss. more time to designate to my boys at that time.

emd · #4 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008, 11:48 AM

Having thought a little more, I think the answer is really not to try and stop the whingeing and crying; but to rearrange everything else so that you can spend 4-6pm sitting on the couch with a little one who just needs cuddles and attention. I don't even answer the phone - I screen calls and only pick up if it's mum/MIL (who would only call at that time to offer help or if it's an emergency), or DH (who might be calling to say he'll be home late).

MIL had four boys, with gaps of 18-24 months between babies. She said dinner was usually sandwiches or other no-cook food, and made with baby on front in MT and toddler on back in MT. If she wasn't a full time school teacher, she might have had more luck pre-preparing dinners.

My mum had three girls within four years. She called 4-6pm "hell hour". I remember eating a lot of crockpot dinners, roasts, and casseroles - things she could put in the oven around 3pm.

If it helps at all, it will get easier as he gets older. He'll be better able to cope with tiredness, and will be able to do things in the kitchen (eg playing with magnets on the fridge, playdough "cooking", colouring in) while you prepare dinner.

theycallmemum · #5 (**permalink**) 10-09-2008, 03:52 PM

I'm glad I presumed right that you were talking about the "crazy" hour. This is very rushed, hectic and stressful in my house. It starts at 5pm, bath, dinner, play, reading, then bed. It does get better.

Jako · #6 (**permalink**) 10-09-2008, 09:25 PM

I have just started feeding him a propper dinner at 4:30 -5:00 pm, this seems to help as he is hungry enough to eat but not overtired to be fussy. He then has fruit and yoghurt when we are having our dinner at 6:30 pm before bath, boob and bed. It has made a bit of difference. So we will see how long this lasts for...

Thanks for the tips, I had forgotten about pre-preparing.