Why is feeding kids all day so exhausting?

What the numbers show

Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count

• The most recent one is from October 2026.
• This comes up 16.1× more often in r/Parenting than across the site as a whole.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

1. 1
   Dividing the weekly budget into daily amounts and shopping daily or every few days
2. 2
   Budgeting by meal instead of by total days
3. 3
   Looking at the grocery budget on a monthly basis rather than weekly
4. 4
   Feeding toddlers whatever the adults are eating
5. 5
   Repeating weekly meal plans and serving the same snacks or lunches every day
6. 6
   Using ready-made meals, frozen portions, or convenience items like chicken nuggets and toaster waffles
7. 7
   Setting up grazing plates or snack trays for easy access throughout the day
8. 8
   Saving dinner leftovers for the next day's lunch

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.