My not so tiny baby is turning 6 months tomorrow.
*insert minor freakout/where has the time gone/he’s getting so old comment*
Aside from a brief trial run with rice cereal, Itty Bitty has had nothing to eat besides breast milk. My goal was to keep him clear of regular solids until he was old enough, and was showing the appropriate signs. Now that the time has come, I’m ready to start making his baby food.
The only problem is, aside from frequenting my microwave or eating cereal, I really haven’t seen my kitchen in six months. Colic has kicked my butt, we’ve had too many sleepless nights, and Itty Bitty doesn’t really believe in naps. I’ve had little to no time to spend in the kitchen, so Tall Dad and I have been the king and queen of takeout.
- If Itty Bitty takes a nap, I will take time for myself: shower, eat, clean up a little bit, brush my teeth, or possibly nap myself.
- Why take time for myself you ask? Because if momma isn’t happy, then nobody is happy! I don’t care if there is food on the table if I am stinky or cranky.
- If Itty Bitty takes two naps, I will cook during the second nap.
- Even if you just get the PREP WORK out of the way while the baby sleeps, you are a step ahead! When the baby wakes, bring the baby in the kitchen to finish the cooking (hopefully the baby is happy after the nap.) Or, put the food in bags, place it in the fridge, and finish cooking it tomorrow. This is all about baby steps!
I’ll be posting some of the successful recipes on the blog – and would love to hear some of your favorite recipes. I’m especially looking for ones that are seasonal, and might include an ingredient or two that would be suitable for baby food – that way if I’m already shopping for, say, butternut squash, I can put it to use for both the grownups and our Itty Bitty!
Is it just me, or have you ever taken a hiatus from your kitchen?
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I'm looking forward to reading your recipes:) Cooking does get easier once you're done with breastfeeding (once I stopped at around a year, I felt like I had so much more spare time). As you're putting your recipes together and as your baby moves to pouch food, you might also want to check out the refillable pouches you can buy (I wrote about them here: http://hintmama.com/2013/09/09/todays-hint-make-your-own-food-pouches-like-those-from-plum-organics/ ). I'm working on collecting baby food recipes for them that I hope to try once I actually buy the pouches:)
I love reading recipes! Prep is key. Make lists and go from there.
If I'm not doing anything dangerous (sharp knives and boiling water), I sometimes wear her while I'm cooking or prepping. I also will let her play with tupperware pn the floor while I prep. I'm all about one pot meals. Pasta sauce is really easy to cook in advance, freeze, and then thaw out when you need it. My husband and I also TRY to make big meals on the weekends and then keep it in the fridge or freezer for the week. I'm interested to hear what recipes you come up with!!!
Modeling good and healthy habits is awesome — but, so is self-preservation. So, don't ever kick yourself for getting take out when you need to; you can always make good takeout choices too!
You're incredibly, wonderfully ambitious and with 2 daughters (one with a new babe and one expecting a babe), I am excited to hear your recipes and ideas. I'll be thinking of some of my favorites, too, from when I was a young Mom! Thanks for sharing…
Great advice about nap #1 being for MOM and nap #2 being for cooking and everything else! If you happen to have a day where you have some crazy amount of energy that came out of nowhere + a little extra help at home: do some massive roasting/pureeing/freezing of fall vegetables. Ice cube trays work great for this (1 cube = ~1 oz).
I have a ton of fall recipes coming up this month (incl. using a butternut squash where you'll have enough to make a puree in addition to an adult dinner), so stay tuned!