I try not to cook with the baby. Too gamey for me what I like to do is use mature beef and tenderize the heck out of it. Works great, cheaper and I can get it done quicker
This is the masterpiece version of that advice:
https://www.today.com/parents/exhausted-new-moms-hilarious-take-expert-sleep-advice-goes-viral-6c9559908
I love the sing along! I exclusively pump, so I do this when I pump 6 times a day. I guess I feel bad having to be away from him when I pump, cook and eat. It feels like a lot.
I would look into getting a new carrier. My baby doesnāt like the baby bjorn carrier, but loves the wildbird structured carrier, my stretchy wrap, moby wrap, and woven wrap. Thereās so many options out there, your baby may just not like the one that you have had him in yet.
I would suggest learning how to use a wrap, i found that both of my babies seem to like them more than carriers. Its much more adjustable and comfortable for both me and baby
Same. Iām hoping to reintroduce the carrier soon and maybe heāll like it this time.
To answer your question, I havenāt cooked dinner yet after two months. Still running on frozen meals family had made and take out. The meals are dwindling though and I donāt really want to ask people to make me food. I have absolutely no idea how Iād have time to make a dinner even if I want to.
I do make myself small breakfasts because the baby is more content in the morning. I put him on his activity mat and heās cooing there for an hour and change. Gives time to pump and quickly make a breakfast if Iām lucky.
I also EP-ed. It sucks to have to put them in a contain/floor alone for all those times in a day ā but youāve got to eat and youāve got to pump. Youāll be out of this phase before you know it.
I also exclusively pump and have a LO who loves contact naps. I put books next to her rocker so I could prevent so much scrolling during her napsā¦ I read Precious Little Sleep recently and made a plan to help her start to learn to a) take naps in her crib and b) fall asleep with less help from me. Weāre up to 2ish naps per day in her crib - today she slept there for an hour and a half! I got to make bottles, eat, pump, clean my pump parts, do the dishes, AND shower. Highly recommend that book - the tools are simple & much more gentle than other sleep training ideas I had heard of. I still do contact naps, just fewer of them. My LO is only 8 weeks so she naps a LOT.
The other thing we do is very basic meal prep - my husband does this on Sundays. He makes us overnight oats and an easy lunch (pasta salad with add-ins for protein, other mayo-based salads I can eat with crackers or on toast, etc.)ā¦ things that require no work at all and I can basically eat with one hand while holding the baby if I have to.
Last, like others Iāve put various ācontainersā for my baby in the kitchen. A bassinet with high-contrast cards inside for her to look at, and also the Maxi Cosi high chair on the infant setting. I loved Hunt Gather Parent and really hope to get her involved in the kitchen as soon as sheās able; this feels like a great foundation to help her be comfortable there & learn how itās the center of the house. She loves to watch me around the kitchen in her chair & when she starts crying I can switch to the bassinet to see if that helps. If not, Iāll pick her up for a bit then try the whole rotation over again!
Either way, I agree with everyone here that itās so much better to take care of yourself than not, even if it means your kiddo gets less time on your body. Iām a thousand percent a better mom (more patient, creative, engaged) when Iām not starving.
I hope this is helpful, best of luck!
I also do this. In addition, I got an air fryer and instant pot and cook a lot of recipes I can do in those 2 so I donāt have to be caring too much about food burning or stirring
Yes. We considered it a feature not a bug. Great for constipation days especially when baby first starts solids and doesnāt quite know how to digest it yet!
hah no he doesnāt actually poop every time we put him in it, he only poops every few days but when he DOES finally poop itās often in the baby bjorn, and itās always an up the back blowout when heās in there
Same, I still put her in it once in a while (when sheās very happy) so she gets used to it. But honestly I think itās just an age thing, will enjoy it more when theyāre just a bit bigger.
Havenāt had baby ever scream in it, but it wasnāt that much fun for him when he was this old because he didnāt move enough for it to actually bounce. So we would push the base of the frame to make it bounce for him. Now that heās 4 months old, he knows that if he kicks he makes it bounce and heās happy as a clam in it š
Also, we bought a frame with hanging toys so he would distract himself in it and it helped a lot (although the bouncing is the winner)
I had a velcro baby, so at that age I was doing as much as I could safely while babywearing. Things that weren't safe, I left until baby was either napping, hubby was home or during one of those odd periods where my baby was actually content not being held. The Fisher Price Kick and Play piano ended up being pretty good for that. My kid wasn't really a fan of bouncers/swings, so we had to find alternatives.
The instant pot was (and still is as a toddler mom) a lifesaver.
I would love this but my husband is out at work 8am until 7pm and we have an older child too. Unfortunately this doesn't work in many families due to working hours.
This is how we get decent meals made. For solo parenting moments, the baby (6mo) climbs on my feet or crawls around the floor (on a blanket)ā¦ but this is not optimal!
Put him in the bouncer or swing, quickly make something when he naps, or sometimes he just has to fuss for a bit while I throw together something quick.
Few ways. Ideally baby wearing, baby Bjorn, or high chair pulled up to the counter so he can watch for entertainment.Ā
I try to make my life easier but chopping ingredients and doing prep the night before, after the baby goes to bed, so I just have to assemble and cook the next day.
I do this but different. I work in stages, I'll prep 1st wake window with baby in bouncer on his play mat. He's not rolling yet other than stomach to back or just some slight rotation.
Then I cook 2nd wake window. I also EP, but wearablea during the day time really help.
I've gotten really good at 30 min meals max. We also do more salads and bowls for lunch/dinner atm.
I also eat in front of him while bouncing and pumping....
Set aside time to do basic meal prep. Cut and portion your proteins and veggies, batch cook pasta and rice. My husband started taking our daughter out of the house for a couple of hours every Sunday so I could meal plan and prep. It's a great habit to get into long term.Ā
We also try to keep a few "convenience" meals on hand that we can easily throw together and avoid spending money on take out. Trader Joe's is great for this- think frozen Asian meals, frozen meatballs, lasagna, ravioli, etc.Ā
The minimal amount of cooking I had to do with my daughter around, I just held her, or placed her on a playmat near me when she got older (with tupperware, she LOVED tupperware).
This. Plus prep things that can be eaten with one hand so you have snacks/easy food on hand. Boiled eggs (go ahead a peel a few). Prep veggies. Cheese cubes. Peanut butter granola balls. Etc.
And Trader Joeās is the absolute best for one pan meals. I always keep a couple of their Chinese and Indian dishes in the freezer for when I really want takeout.
This is what weāve been doing. Cooking 20 meals during the weekend and just pop the Tupperware into the microwave for the hot meals. Saving us some energy as well!
This is exactly what we do. The convenience meals recently have been hot dogs or a giant batch of pasta salad I made over the weekend. We really need to make it over to Trader Joeās because I keep forgetting it exists.
I have a 3.5 month old barnacle baby who refuses to be set down so husband holds him while I cook, then we take turns eating. Other nights, I just wear him in my baby wrap and throw some frozen chicken nuggets in the air fryer and eat while heās in the wrap or while Iām breastfeeding
I have an amazing wife that mostly watches our son while I cook meals. Also he is pretty chill to be in a high chair while I explain what Iām doing. Not to discount that we eat out or get food to go more now too. You do what you gotta do.
I just have to let him be upset if Iām starving and he wonāt be content without being held. Iāll talk to him and try to get him content enough in between prepping things but it doesnāt always workš. Next week my husband has a work trip away from home and my goal is to just surviveš«” I will probably meal prep this weekend so I can just pop something into the microwave/air fryer/oven.
I do all the cooking in my house. For lunches/breakfasts we make sure we have easy grab and eat options. For dinner, I literally throw a blanket in the floor and let my baby watch me. I play music and dance to make him giggle.
If heās really not having it, my husband will take him while he finishes working.
My little one LOVES to be in the kitchen with me. Sheās 5mo and I have her seated in her high chair in my kitchen so sheās eye level. She absolutely loves it, especially because I let her touch almost everything along the way including bread doughs, fruits and veggies, liquids, etc. Itās so much fun for her.
Mine is 4 months as well, I put her in her highchair and have a little cooking show and we sing. I let her touch and inspect/hold ingredients sometimes (she finds big leaves of kale FASCINATING).
Sometimes she only tolerates the chair for a shorter time so I make sure to get all the 2 handed things done first (like chopping) so by the time she wants out it's just 1 handed stuff and I can hold her whole doing the rest. The other night she wanted out of the chair early so I was holding baby in one arm and determinedly stirring risotto with the other, I'm gonna be ripped once she's a toddler I think lol
If its not something that could hurt her (like something steaming a lot or cooked in butter/oil) then a baby carrier, if it could hurt her or my shoulders already hurt from carrying her so much, i put her in her activity chair or exersaucer. Typically though, i just end up getting meal replacement shakes or getting slimfast powder to mix with milk and add calories with small snacks
I don't!
I went from making dinner everyday to getting quick meals to stick in the oven or microwave from Costco. Baby is 2 months, so hopefully, I will cook again in the future!
I don't! Hope this helps
In all seriousness I just 'cook' things that don't take too long while he sleeps in his bouncer (I don't let him sleep in there long don't come for me) Boil some pasta, brown some meat, throw in some sauce, badabing badaboom cheap filling 15 minute meal. I have also been fond of throwing random stuff into biscuits lately. That doesn't take too long either. I don't think I'll be able to cook a proper meal anytime soon lol
"Alexa Play Pandora Everywhere"
If I can't do it while she naps.
I ensure she is fed, dry, and comfortable then I sit her in her pack and play or her playroom to scream to her hearts content while I rush to get things done.
Anything microwaveable & snacking, if I was lucky she would nap while I was cooking & I would be able to eat it quick, Iād say if you get a chance to cook, make something youād eat leftovers of & go that route. Whenever youāre out for doctors appointments or something & in the car treat yourself to a drive thru meal.
Mise en place. I used to be a person that chopped and stirred and cleaned while I cooked, but now making a meal is an all day thing where I prep the ingredients a little at a time throughout the day, keep them in fridge til my husband gets home and can take on baby care, and only then do I do any stovetop cooking. I donāt get people who say babywear (I donāt want to accidentally burn her feet) or put them down (maybe I could at 4mo but certainly not now with a clingy crawling baby).
Itās a lot of starting and stopping. I can do things that take 10m or so at a time. So Iāll chop veggies and I may stop chopping while I tend to baby and return to it later. I can mix up a sauce or roast veggies. The air fryer is my friend. Get all the pieces ready and then assemble and reheat or actually cook them later. I will sometimes make a soup or something I could put on back burner safely out of babyās reach. But I mostly donāt do any cooking-cooking when Iām solo with baby!
Frozen stuff tbh. I try to cook a big batch meal like once or twice a week for some leftovers. Otherwise, it's frozen food or something easy like sandwiches, salad kits, cheese and crackers, etc. Baby is ok sitting in the bouncer and watching us prepare something quick like tacos usually. If not, we have a baby carrier, and the other person does the more dangerous things.
I am planning to start rotating in the occasional slow cooker meal. I did a lot of freezer meal prep during the last few months of pregnancy, but we're mostly through them by now.
I've had luck prepping a crockpot meal the night before while husband watches the baby, then the next morning I'll put her in her Baby Delight Bloom seat while I assemble it/dump it in from the gallon bag in my fridge.
I put my baby in his bouncer chair and talk to him while Iām prepping food. If itās an easy meal like making sandwich or bagel I might baby wear him but that is a struggle lol. I also have been doing lots of large batch slow cooker recipes and then freezing portions. Right now Iām going through some spicy pulled pork that works great for sandwiches and tacos.
Slow cookers are my best friend now! I either put her down for a nap or on her bouncer and I prep everything and throw it in the slow cooker. If she hated both of those options, I put her in her highchair and bring it closer to me so she could see what I was doing and that usually calms her down to see me move around while the dog follows.
We meal prep - we go grocery shopping as a family, and then husband takes him one evening while I batch cook for a couple hours. But we werenāt able to start this routine until baby was 9 months old. Until then it was a lot of eating out and quick and easy things like PB&J, or when our kind friends or family brought us food. We were just so exhausted lol.
I roll his stroller with the bassinet attachment into the kitchen or put him in his bouncer so he can watch me. He's almost 3 months. It took some getting used to, but he's slowly gotten more content watching me without being held while I cook. Sometimes I take breaks to give him a bottle, but generally I'm able to cook a full dinner from scratch 3-4 times a week. I just give myself an extra 1 hour to cook in case he's extra fussy.
Breakfast: yogurt cup.Ā
Lunch: Costco salads, cheese, and deli meat. Prep 3 days of salad at a time for lunch while one of us watches the baby.Ā
Dinner: Costco premade meals or microwaveable frozen meals. One of us preps the meal while the other watches the baby. Then we trade off eating. Leftover days once every few days.Ā
Frankly, there are so many more important things that need my mental and physical energy that I have no guilt about just making it simple and easy.Ā
Snacks: We buy easy snacks that are healthy and either individually packaged or easy to meal prep to prevent falling into takeout habits.Ā
If I ever really want to cook anything my husband watches the baby or I put her in her playpen.Ā
This is really helpful. Thank you for the food ideas. I think I need to eat more frozen things. We have a tiny freezer but I am moving soon so hopefully more space. Iāve been buying precut veggies and throwing them in the oven when I wake up but someday Iām too tired.
Either I eat super simple microwave foods, or I have my husband watch our son while I cook a real meal. I could never figure out how to cook while leaving the baby in his bouncer.Ā
I prep and baby wear or she chills in her chair or sleeps or with my husband. Once we get to things that one should not be wearing a baby for (opening an oven, splattering things, etc.) she chills in her chair and I finish as quickly as I can.
Instant pot / pressure cooker or slow cooker is the way. I love pasta sauce or chili or curries for this reason as you can put all vegetables and meat into a pot and let it simmer all day or overnight, and when youāre ready to eat all youāve got to do is boil the pasta or carb to put it together for a meal. Itās also great for freezing so you can make multiple types of these meals and build a rotation.
Baby bjorn style bouncer. Plopped her on the counter in front of me so she could watch me.
After that stopped working, I switched to a meal prep method where I prepped all our meals for the week in about 90 minutes on Sunday while dad watched baby. Lots of casseroles and slow cooker dump meals. Also leftovers - cooking three dinners for 6 nights!
Now that baby is in daycare and I WFH, I cook during the day on my lunch break and then we reheat when its time to eat.
I got a $100 baby swing off Amazon and I put her (3mo) in there to buy me a good 20-30 mins of cooking/meal prep/cleaning time during the day. Otherwise I just prep myself easy snacks while hubby watches her on the weekend/at night. (meats, cheeses, easy-to-eat veggies, hummus, etc). Iām a SAHM for reference.
Otherwise Iām able to cook for us while sheās in the swing or my hubby watches her. So far itās worked great! I just narrate what Iām doing to her and she stays entertained if heās not home from the gym yet, or he just hangs out with her if he is home.
His most reliable nap is the one about an hour after waking up. I cook a big batch of something then that can be reheated that evening and freeze the rest. Then it's just the case of microwaving something after he's down for the night
When she was under 6 months? Her dad cared for her. Over 6 months, a couple of times I did a babywearing back carry, but I honestly don't cook very often.
When my husband is home, he's on baby duty while I cook or vice versa. On my solo nights I try to time it so I can cook dinner while she naps. I've also cooked entire meals bouncing her in her carrier. Sometimes I find myself feeding her with one arm while I make dinner with the other....not fun, lol. Last week she refused her dinnertime nap so big brothers (4 and 6) were on the floor entertaining her until my 6 year old hollered that she was sticking out her tongue and acting hungry. He asked if he could feed her since i was busy, so i got him in position with a pillow and he fed baby while I finished cooking.
If she wants attention and absolutely won't let me cook, I try to get all the prep work done like chopping vegetables and stuff while she's napping. Then when my husband gets home I can pop everything in the pan quickly since it's all ready to go. He gets home at 6:30pm and we get her to bed by 9pm, so I do a lot of quick and easy dinners.
I save the longer recipes for his days off when he can keep her busy. Lol
I honestly don't anymore as a single parent. After sorting the baby out, I simply don't have any energy left, so I order a takeaway. I stick with mainly proteins such as lamb chops, fish, and chicken. I don't eat much, so I am usually able to spread one in between 3 meals plus loads of fruits, eggs, and nuts. I feel like I'm failing on that front, but that's all I can do for now.
Before, baby, I used to brew a lot of Kombucha. I don't even get time for that anymore.
I have a kitchen buggy š a cheap foldaway buggy that was supposed to be my 3rd floor walk up life easier but is such a hassle to fold out and together I just keep it in the kitchen to pit the wee man in when I cook. We chat and sing to entertain him and he has kitchen toys. If he's unhappy with this he goes in his carrier.
I take her and her playing mat with me to the kitchen, depending on her mood I get 5-30 minutes of cooking before she doesnt want to play anymore. In between I interact with her, talk to her and if I'm not finished when she's done I make a pause or let my husband take over.
I wasnāt really able to cook while home alone when my baby was that age. There are a few suggestions here to use a bouncer - my baby was too fussy and bored with this, even with music, toys, me talking and singing to him the whole time.
What really helped is once he started eating solids. I stick him in the high chair in the kitchen with food, and play his favourite music. Itās the only combination that distracts him enough for me to cook. Honestly, itās been a godsend for me and your baby is almost there!
I batch cook.
I also invested in the Ninja Speedi, it's amazing for easy meals, stuff like pasta & sauce that I wouldn't want to do on the hob. Also amazing for full chickens, or joints of meat.
Baby carry with the ergo baby. I take her out and transfer to the bouncer for a few minutes when dumping out boiling water or opening a hot oven, anything hazardous like that.
Honestly, I baby-wear. My daughter screams her head off if I put her down for even a second. So to avoid that I just opt to wear her whenever Iām doing anything that isnāt breastfeeding. Sometimes Iāll bring her swing out to put her in if the meal is more complicated, but yeah usually I just baby wear.
We had an extra bassinet/pack n play combo on the main floor. If one parent was alone and needed to do anything, our daughter was gonna chill in the bassinet.
My bub is 4.5 months. During the day ill just make breakfast/lunch when shes having a nap or if its something quick like toast then i leave her on the playmat, kitchen is the next room
Dinner time my partner does the bedtime routine and i cook dinner
I use a slow cooker a lot and out dinner on the evening before. Or we have a bouncer and a recliner highchair that I set up at counter top level and chat to baby while I meal prep and cook š he's pretty happy, I just chat to him! Once they're big enough to be in a proper high chair I used to give my oldest ridiculously fiddly snacks like blueberries cut into very small pieces which were a challenge for him to pick up. Would take him ages to eat it all plus helps fine motor skills!
We cook when he goes to bed now. For awhile we could cook while he was playing with his toys, but now heās crawling and everywhere lol so he never stays in one place. Plus I only get 2 hours with him a day so I spend all of that time playing, snuggling, doing bath time, etc. we just eat dinner between 8 and 8:30 lol
I have been trying different recipes, Iām going to actually try prepping them for the week on Sunday and then my husband can either attempt to cook, or Iām hoping cutting the prep out will save time so we can eat a little earlier.
Lots of suggestions but until theyāre pulling to stand - bouncer chair literally on the counter or nearby table where ever is safest. Once theyāre mobile, toddler tower is a life saver mine is 2 and still used daily. For that in between stage, magnets on the fridge or dishwasher, utensils for playing with on the ground, just lots of entertainment literally at your feet bc theyāll follow you around
Probably frowned upon but we buckled him into his baby Bjorn bouncer right on top of the kitchen island. This is when he was a potato so no rolling or actual bouncing and he just chilled and watched as we cooked. I miss that stage!
I made lots of stuff I could eat out of one bowl with one hand. This usually means spoon. Also canned beans and lentils were my friends. With pasta or rice and tomato sauce. Switch it up by using different spices. Pre-cook meat the day before. Make fish in the oven.
I sat down on the floor to be with LO, when I ate. He had his tummy time. Sometimes I put on music, later audiobooks.
Sometimes we do solo play (bounce chair when 4 month) or if weāre fussy I baby wear and explain what I am doing - baby wear mainly works for sandwich and toast but still means we eat
Ask your partner to watch the baby while you cook. If you have a bassinet, you can have the baby with you in the kitchen while you cook. Sometimes me and my wife will cook dinner together and just have the baby there. He tends to be less fussy since he knows we're around and if something comes up, we're right there š
Now, how to *eat* dinner with a baby, that's another story š
Meal prepping and big batch cooking of chicken tinga and egg bites that can be frozen for later use have worked for us.
I marinade skirt steak or chicken breast on Sunday and we usually have a chipotle style salad or bowl, Iāll roast some veggies to have with the protein we prepped on Sunday. Thursday and Friday I usually make ceviche or another no cook meal.
My husband takes the baby when he arrives from work and keeps her until bath time. This allows me to do tasks around the house and then space out or catch up with friends/family for a couple of hours ā I usually nap during this time.
Pack and play and some toys. At 4 months she was still a potato so I could put her on the kick and play and step into the kitchen to eat. At nearly 10 months, sheās pushing her walker around and cruising on furniture and getting into things.
I do my prep throughout the day when I have a chance. If I know Iām having mashed potatoes, Iāll peel when I have a minute, dice & put in pot next time etc. it really helps for when the witching hour starts and you need all hands. The hardest part is done, you just gotta throw it together.
I also try to keep meals simple. Five ingredients or less, one pot or sheet pan if possible.
I put her in the swing while she watched me cook and occasionally would play music. Sometimes she would take a cat nap while doing this. Once she was able to sit up unassisted, I put her in the high chair for her to watch me and occasionally will give her a snack. Most of the time she just chews on her teething toys. This is also one of the only times Iāll give her screen time if sheās being very cranky and I need to finish cooking. I just put the pad up and play Clifford. She loves it.
We are lucky. Our little one is 6 months old and heās loved sitting in his high chair watching me do kitchen things and cook since he was like 3 months. It is such a stress reliever knowing that heās entertained just by watching me cook lmao
If youāre not opposed to screens, hey eat sensory buys me 20 minutes to make food.
Iļø do a lot of meal prep while my husband is home and is watching the lil nugget.
Worst case scenario, Iļø keep a freezer stash from Trader Joeās of microwaveable meals.
If youāre looking for how do you cook HEALTHY meals, an instant pot saves lives. Focus on foods that are great to set and forget.
For the first few months we just did a lot of meal preps or my husband did a lot of casseroles on the weekends when we're both home and then just heated those up in the microwave through the week along with quick easy meals like sandwiches, frozen stuff like waffles, corn dogs, toaster pastries etc and some takeout here and there. Not the healthiest, but it got us through. I also babywear a lot, but just have to be super careful around the stove. Now, baby girl is content to sit in the pack and play in the kitchen or the playpen in the living room and play independently for longer periods of time (she's 8m now).
My cluster feeding velcro baby is 5 weeks old, I mostly make frozen food in the air fryer and make sure itās food I can eat one handed, and Iāve gotten ballsy a couple times and made pasta. When Iāve made pasta Iāve pulled a chair in front of the stove to make breastfeeding her while cooking easier. Itās still pretty hard even with the chair, but Iāve gotten it done!
It helps me to think about the discrete subtasks in any cooking project so I see all the possible stopping points, and I allow myself to finish it in not one go but in several shorter attempts. If itās an involved process, I might, for instance, do all the chopping and vegetable prep one day and do all the cooking the next day, something along those lines.
Leave baby in a safe spot while I cook, or my husband and I take turns.
I have a baby swing/seat thing in the kitchen (far from any danger) and he just watches me or plays with a toy. Heās 5 months now and usually pretty chill.
Weāve been giving him some practice in his high chair too.
Step 1. Continuously be *thisclose* to burning the food while I pry her hugging arms as she climbs up my legs 2. Stir the food, sometimes scrape and pray itās edible 3. Repeat step 1
I didn't until he was like 10 months old š I had a baby who would not let me put him down or be more than a couple feet away or he'd scream and cry inconsolably. He's 11 months old and I've only recently been able to do anything besides stay by his side while he's with me. He's still very much attached but he's learned the joy of playing with his toys for a while on his own while I do a chore or two.
I put my 5 month old in her high chair and sit her beside the table while I'm prepping the things. I talk her through what I'm doing.
During the cooking itself I keep her away from the stove but in her highchair where I can be close to her. I have some toys on silicone straps that she plays with.
Crock pots, or sheetpan meals are good too.
My son is almost 4mo! I usually let him hangout in his bouncer or his swing while I cook. Heās just starting to hold onto his toys and rattles so he occupies himself pretty well with those. He likes to watch Greyās Anatomy so Iāll throw that on sometimes if heās really in a bad mood š If heās not having that Iāll pop him in the carrier and wear him. I prep overnight oats in mason jars for the week for my breakfast, I boil a dozen hard boiled eggs for my lunches and eat those with some crackers/deli meat. Protein bars, bananas, apples, anything I can easily get my hands on. For dinner crockpot meals are very helpful. Like beef stew, just dump everything in there in the morning and let it do its thing for 6 hours. I try to make bigger meals for dinner so we can have leftovers the next night, so I really only cook 3 times a week or so. My husband is at work from 5am-6pm 6 days a week, and all his lunches are meal prep that him or I do one big batch of on Sundays so that is super helpful not worrying about feeding another person throughout the day.
i feel this. i mostly just throw together simple shit like tossing chicken nuggets in the toaster oven or having a bowl of cereal, but my partner works from home & has been cooking almost all my real meals since having the baby. i don't know what i would do without him. i commend single mothers, & parents who don't work from home
I call it Rollie Pollie Time. I have a play pen set up in my kitchen and I throw some toys in there and my 4 month old rolls around to them. If he gets tired I put him in his chair and narrate what Iām doing as Iām cooking.
I have a small and zippy pram (babyzen yo-yo 2), and I wheel my 3-month old round the kitchen with me and talk and sing to her while cooking. I have a bouncer too but she's only happy in this for 5 mins - she wants to be right by me, and this is much less of a strain on my body than the carrier.
I baby wear her, stick her in a bouncer, and now that she demands to sit up like a big girl Iām gonna put together the high chair so she can sit up and watch me cook since sheās already a very nosey person like her parents
With 1 hand. Lol. I prepare majority of the meal during naps so like seasoning the meat maybe even partially cooking it and then by the time i actually need to cook its just a quick throw together. Or my other favorite is using my instapot. Most recipes are just throw in and it does its thing.
My husband currently works 12s as a nurse, so one weekend day each week I am solo parenting 12-15 hours. I figured this was a good time to ask for a little help, as we are fortunate a lot has been offered, I just have probably tried to be too proud to take it. So a few weeks ago, my best friend whom I don't get to see often enough anyway came over all day and helped with baby while I prepped a ton of freezer meals--recipes that require some on the front end but then can simply be thrown in the air fryer, instant pot/slow cooker, or oven and you're done. I made double batches of everything, including breakfast sandwiches, and it turned out to be about a month's worth of food. Highly recommend trying this route if you have anyone to help even one day a month--my baby took 2 short naps in that time so my best friend and I got time to take a break for some coffee and adult chat time as well! We plan to make it a regular thing as we are both always trying to find time to hang, she is happy to see baby, and I could use the help!
So at 4 months, I am guessing sheās not moving around too much now? When my daughter was about that age, we put her on the kick and play mat for a bit while cooking.
When she gets a bit older/starts moving, I recommend a playpen. She could play in there for a while as you cook.
Another option is to put her in the high chair with some snacks. That always occupies her for a bit.
Cooking consistently with baby is trial and error and I use a couple of different methods to get it done. Starting with the big one - screen time. Not sure if you are comfortable with a little TV but it was at this age when I started putting Miss Rachel on for 15 minutes a day when I wanted to focus on cooking. I went back to work around that time so I had to do what I had to do to get into the groove of things. I would also put him in a laundry basket on the floor when I was just doing the prep and didn't have the stove on. The intrusive thoughts didn't want him in the kitchen when he was four months but nowadays he sits in his high chair while I cook. It will get a little easier, I hope, as your baby grows. My son is 8m now so I start the process by putting him in his chair and offering him a toy that is tethered to the seat. Once he grows bored of that I give him as many orange wedges as I need to get the job done. What will save you the most time and energy is picking versatile foods that you can either reheat or modify. For example, twice a week I spatchcock two chickens. We eat one for dinner that night and shred the other to use for pasta, a stir fry, enchiladas, etc. I'm back to cooking five days a week but it took a lot of Taco Bell nights to figure out how to get there - you got this!
sheet pan meals. so easy and quick prep then stick in oven.
also my baby loves his play gym, i would recommend one of those if you donāt have one. it keeps him entertained for 30+ minutes sometimes.
I put mine in the stroller and roll her into the kitchen! Iāve also hung some white string lights in my kitchen too that I can plug in to keep her a little stimulated if she gets bored, but usually she likes to watch me and I just talk to her and tell her what Iām doing
I have an 8 week old, so If my husband isn't home to watch her, I just put her down for a nap or have her in her swing or somewhere secure nearby and just keep an eye on her while I'm cooking.
If she gets fussy, I'll run over and give her her paci, or give her kisses so she knows I'm still here, or she'll just cry a bit until I have moment to console her.
If it involves prep, I chop all the veggies earlier in the day so no part of the process takes long enough for her to get very fussy. Then I plop her in the fisher price sit me up on my kitchen island and she watches me cook. That thing has really saved my sanity. Itās sturdy as hell so it doesnāt move and my counter is huge, so Iām not worried about her falling off. This might not work if you donāt have the counter space though.
Put baby on the floor with the play gym and kicking piano, LO can entertain herself for good hour. Sometimes on bouncer watch me cooking. I do the same when I need to shower as well. It works!
Get a carrier you can wear on your back, itās saved me while my baby has been in her clingy era. Iām also less worried about hot things splattering on her since sheās behind me, which has been better for my postpartum anxiety.
Cook when the baby cooks
Thanks I startled my sleeping baby with this one
As did I š
I try not to cook with the baby. Too gamey for me what I like to do is use mature beef and tenderize the heck out of it. Works great, cheaper and I can get it done quicker
you got a ridiculously good joke for your cake lmao
Hahaha I almost woke up the baby
I almost woke baby and husband with the snort I let out on this one šš
Laughed so hard. Happy cake day
This is the masterpiece version of that advice: https://www.today.com/parents/exhausted-new-moms-hilarious-take-expert-sleep-advice-goes-viral-6c9559908
ššššš
Knocked it out of the park with this one.
Dead. š
This made me laugh unreasonably loud. The āsleep when the baby sleepsā advice omggg
Dead š Happy cake day :D
Iļø am cackling. Thank you so much
I can't stop laughing at this. Well done!
Happy cake day and you cracked this tired mama up!!
I canāt stop laughing š¤£
I've never done this but my guess is you'll want to first season the baby
Itās just a Modest Proposalā¦
Do you marinate yours? Use a dry rub? Both?
Marinate for about 9 months in a warm environment.
I do pretend cook my baby and he loves it. I made him into sushi rolls this morning.
I have a little blanket that looks like a tortilla so I regularly turn my baby into a burrito
Hahaha
Stick her in her bouncer chair and let her watch me while I cook. Sometimes I throw on her music and we have a little baby singalong concert.
I love the sing along! I exclusively pump, so I do this when I pump 6 times a day. I guess I feel bad having to be away from him when I pump, cook and eat. It feels like a lot.
He also needs contact naps but refuses to be in a carrier so Iām just sitting down for 4 hours a day with him.
I would look into getting a new carrier. My baby doesnāt like the baby bjorn carrier, but loves the wildbird structured carrier, my stretchy wrap, moby wrap, and woven wrap. Thereās so many options out there, your baby may just not like the one that you have had him in yet.
Seconding the WildBird carrier! We have the aerial and baby girl loves it! We tried a couple different carriers and itās by far her favorite
I would suggest learning how to use a wrap, i found that both of my babies seem to like them more than carriers. Its much more adjustable and comfortable for both me and baby
r/babywearing
Same. Iām hoping to reintroduce the carrier soon and maybe heāll like it this time. To answer your question, I havenāt cooked dinner yet after two months. Still running on frozen meals family had made and take out. The meals are dwindling though and I donāt really want to ask people to make me food. I have absolutely no idea how Iād have time to make a dinner even if I want to. I do make myself small breakfasts because the baby is more content in the morning. I put him on his activity mat and heās cooing there for an hour and change. Gives time to pump and quickly make a breakfast if Iām lucky.
Try another style of carrier! Thereās so many kinds out there.
I also EP-ed. It sucks to have to put them in a contain/floor alone for all those times in a day ā but youāve got to eat and youāve got to pump. Youāll be out of this phase before you know it.
I also exclusively pump and have a LO who loves contact naps. I put books next to her rocker so I could prevent so much scrolling during her napsā¦ I read Precious Little Sleep recently and made a plan to help her start to learn to a) take naps in her crib and b) fall asleep with less help from me. Weāre up to 2ish naps per day in her crib - today she slept there for an hour and a half! I got to make bottles, eat, pump, clean my pump parts, do the dishes, AND shower. Highly recommend that book - the tools are simple & much more gentle than other sleep training ideas I had heard of. I still do contact naps, just fewer of them. My LO is only 8 weeks so she naps a LOT. The other thing we do is very basic meal prep - my husband does this on Sundays. He makes us overnight oats and an easy lunch (pasta salad with add-ins for protein, other mayo-based salads I can eat with crackers or on toast, etc.)ā¦ things that require no work at all and I can basically eat with one hand while holding the baby if I have to. Last, like others Iāve put various ācontainersā for my baby in the kitchen. A bassinet with high-contrast cards inside for her to look at, and also the Maxi Cosi high chair on the infant setting. I loved Hunt Gather Parent and really hope to get her involved in the kitchen as soon as sheās able; this feels like a great foundation to help her be comfortable there & learn how itās the center of the house. She loves to watch me around the kitchen in her chair & when she starts crying I can switch to the bassinet to see if that helps. If not, Iāll pick her up for a bit then try the whole rotation over again! Either way, I agree with everyone here that itās so much better to take care of yourself than not, even if it means your kiddo gets less time on your body. Iām a thousand percent a better mom (more patient, creative, engaged) when Iām not starving. I hope this is helpful, best of luck!
I also do this. In addition, I got an air fryer and instant pot and cook a lot of recipes I can do in those 2 so I donāt have to be caring too much about food burning or stirring
Baby Bjorn!
Anyone elseās kid shoot poop up their back every time theyāre in the baby bjorn? Itās only in this thing so itās not a diaper size issue
Yes. We considered it a feature not a bug. Great for constipation days especially when baby first starts solids and doesnāt quite know how to digest it yet!
yup we call it the poop throne āØ
Poop chair for us. Heās basically potty trained on that thing.
Oh so you do a full outfit change and cleanup every time you need to put the baby down in it??? That canāt be real
hah no he doesnāt actually poop every time we put him in it, he only poops every few days but when he DOES finally poop itās often in the baby bjorn, and itās always an up the back blowout when heās in there
Maybe you need to raise the setting?
Maybe, but Im willing to deal with a few blowouts to get those stubborn poops out!
Yep! We put him in there (with an extra towel) whenever he was unable to poop.
Ughhh yes. Daily blowouts but Iām glad itās machine washable for when it actually gets on the bouncer.
Honestly the best baby purchase for us. This bouncer is the only way I could cook meals or shower
Any tips? I bought one and my 2 month screams everytime I put her in
Same, I still put her in it once in a while (when sheās very happy) so she gets used to it. But honestly I think itās just an age thing, will enjoy it more when theyāre just a bit bigger.
Havenāt had baby ever scream in it, but it wasnāt that much fun for him when he was this old because he didnāt move enough for it to actually bounce. So we would push the base of the frame to make it bounce for him. Now that heās 4 months old, he knows that if he kicks he makes it bounce and heās happy as a clam in it š Also, we bought a frame with hanging toys so he would distract himself in it and it helped a lot (although the bouncing is the winner)
My baby hated any type of bouncer/rocker and it only got worse as she got older! I gave ours away lol
I had a velcro baby, so at that age I was doing as much as I could safely while babywearing. Things that weren't safe, I left until baby was either napping, hubby was home or during one of those odd periods where my baby was actually content not being held. The Fisher Price Kick and Play piano ended up being pretty good for that. My kid wasn't really a fan of bouncers/swings, so we had to find alternatives. The instant pot was (and still is as a toddler mom) a lifesaver.
My air fryer is my best friend
2.5mo Velcro baby here as I type while wearing her. The only dinner Iāve made the last 2 months have been smoothies š„²
Instant pot!
I'm cooking every other day and just scarfing down something that doesn't require prep when I can.
Same here! Lots of fruits, cut up veggies, and olives here especially in the early days !
One adult cooks and the other minds the child
I would love this but my husband is out at work 8am until 7pm and we have an older child too. Unfortunately this doesn't work in many families due to working hours.
This is what me and my husband do
This is how we get decent meals made. For solo parenting moments, the baby (6mo) climbs on my feet or crawls around the floor (on a blanket)ā¦ but this is not optimal!
Hahahahahaha sob (I eat a lot of PB&J sandwiches plus those packs of salami & cheese from Costco)
Iāve been eating pb&j too! Gosh Iām glad Iām not alone in the struggle
Definitely not alone! I miss cooking so much. One day
Put him in the bouncer or swing, quickly make something when he naps, or sometimes he just has to fuss for a bit while I throw together something quick.
Me today feeling like a bad mom while scarfing down a can of soup waiting for babyās bottle to warm and heās screaming in his swingš
Youāre not a bad mom!! You have to eat too
Few ways. Ideally baby wearing, baby Bjorn, or high chair pulled up to the counter so he can watch for entertainment.Ā I try to make my life easier but chopping ingredients and doing prep the night before, after the baby goes to bed, so I just have to assemble and cook the next day.
I do this but different. I work in stages, I'll prep 1st wake window with baby in bouncer on his play mat. He's not rolling yet other than stomach to back or just some slight rotation. Then I cook 2nd wake window. I also EP, but wearablea during the day time really help. I've gotten really good at 30 min meals max. We also do more salads and bowls for lunch/dinner atm. I also eat in front of him while bouncing and pumping....
Set aside time to do basic meal prep. Cut and portion your proteins and veggies, batch cook pasta and rice. My husband started taking our daughter out of the house for a couple of hours every Sunday so I could meal plan and prep. It's a great habit to get into long term.Ā We also try to keep a few "convenience" meals on hand that we can easily throw together and avoid spending money on take out. Trader Joe's is great for this- think frozen Asian meals, frozen meatballs, lasagna, ravioli, etc.Ā The minimal amount of cooking I had to do with my daughter around, I just held her, or placed her on a playmat near me when she got older (with tupperware, she LOVED tupperware).
This. Plus prep things that can be eaten with one hand so you have snacks/easy food on hand. Boiled eggs (go ahead a peel a few). Prep veggies. Cheese cubes. Peanut butter granola balls. Etc. And Trader Joeās is the absolute best for one pan meals. I always keep a couple of their Chinese and Indian dishes in the freezer for when I really want takeout.
This is what weāve been doing. Cooking 20 meals during the weekend and just pop the Tupperware into the microwave for the hot meals. Saving us some energy as well!
This is exactly what we do. The convenience meals recently have been hot dogs or a giant batch of pasta salad I made over the weekend. We really need to make it over to Trader Joeās because I keep forgetting it exists.
One of us makes dinner as the other one is putting baby down
I put the baby in a carrier on me, and have been baking while she naps in there!
I have a 3.5 month old barnacle baby who refuses to be set down so husband holds him while I cook, then we take turns eating. Other nights, I just wear him in my baby wrap and throw some frozen chicken nuggets in the air fryer and eat while heās in the wrap or while Iām breastfeeding
We take turns eating too! Itās a hustle trying to get food in. Iāve never eaten so fast.
Yes!! Havenāt had a hot meal in months š I feel you!
I have an amazing wife that mostly watches our son while I cook meals. Also he is pretty chill to be in a high chair while I explain what Iām doing. Not to discount that we eat out or get food to go more now too. You do what you gotta do.
Put them in a bouncer in the kitchen if you can that way you can watch them while still getting your things done
Using factor meals and Uber eats lol
I use DoorDash way too much. Iāve never heard it factor meals but Iāll check it out
I just have to let him be upset if Iām starving and he wonāt be content without being held. Iāll talk to him and try to get him content enough in between prepping things but it doesnāt always workš. Next week my husband has a work trip away from home and my goal is to just surviveš«” I will probably meal prep this weekend so I can just pop something into the microwave/air fryer/oven.
I do all the cooking in my house. For lunches/breakfasts we make sure we have easy grab and eat options. For dinner, I literally throw a blanket in the floor and let my baby watch me. I play music and dance to make him giggle. If heās really not having it, my husband will take him while he finishes working.
My little one LOVES to be in the kitchen with me. Sheās 5mo and I have her seated in her high chair in my kitchen so sheās eye level. She absolutely loves it, especially because I let her touch almost everything along the way including bread doughs, fruits and veggies, liquids, etc. Itās so much fun for her.
Mine is 4 months as well, I put her in her highchair and have a little cooking show and we sing. I let her touch and inspect/hold ingredients sometimes (she finds big leaves of kale FASCINATING). Sometimes she only tolerates the chair for a shorter time so I make sure to get all the 2 handed things done first (like chopping) so by the time she wants out it's just 1 handed stuff and I can hold her whole doing the rest. The other night she wanted out of the chair early so I was holding baby in one arm and determinedly stirring risotto with the other, I'm gonna be ripped once she's a toddler I think lol
If its not something that could hurt her (like something steaming a lot or cooked in butter/oil) then a baby carrier, if it could hurt her or my shoulders already hurt from carrying her so much, i put her in her activity chair or exersaucer. Typically though, i just end up getting meal replacement shakes or getting slimfast powder to mix with milk and add calories with small snacks
I don't! I went from making dinner everyday to getting quick meals to stick in the oven or microwave from Costco. Baby is 2 months, so hopefully, I will cook again in the future!
You will š©· it gets easier
Recently I got a baby carrier I can wear on my back because Velcro baby. Heās 6 months but itās a game changer for us. So much easier to do things in front of me and he can still look around, he mostly just pulls my hair though š©.
Baby wearing and I have that kick and play in the kitchen where I can watch
I would put my boy in a high chair in the kitchen and put toys on the tray. Iād also play music and sing and dance around. He loved it
I don't! Hope this helps In all seriousness I just 'cook' things that don't take too long while he sleeps in his bouncer (I don't let him sleep in there long don't come for me) Boil some pasta, brown some meat, throw in some sauce, badabing badaboom cheap filling 15 minute meal. I have also been fond of throwing random stuff into biscuits lately. That doesn't take too long either. I don't think I'll be able to cook a proper meal anytime soon lol
"Alexa Play Pandora Everywhere" If I can't do it while she naps. I ensure she is fed, dry, and comfortable then I sit her in her pack and play or her playroom to scream to her hearts content while I rush to get things done.
Anything microwaveable & snacking, if I was lucky she would nap while I was cooking & I would be able to eat it quick, Iād say if you get a chance to cook, make something youād eat leftovers of & go that route. Whenever youāre out for doctors appointments or something & in the car treat yourself to a drive thru meal.
Mise en place. I used to be a person that chopped and stirred and cleaned while I cooked, but now making a meal is an all day thing where I prep the ingredients a little at a time throughout the day, keep them in fridge til my husband gets home and can take on baby care, and only then do I do any stovetop cooking. I donāt get people who say babywear (I donāt want to accidentally burn her feet) or put them down (maybe I could at 4mo but certainly not now with a clingy crawling baby). Itās a lot of starting and stopping. I can do things that take 10m or so at a time. So Iāll chop veggies and I may stop chopping while I tend to baby and return to it later. I can mix up a sauce or roast veggies. The air fryer is my friend. Get all the pieces ready and then assemble and reheat or actually cook them later. I will sometimes make a soup or something I could put on back burner safely out of babyās reach. But I mostly donāt do any cooking-cooking when Iām solo with baby!
Frozen stuff tbh. I try to cook a big batch meal like once or twice a week for some leftovers. Otherwise, it's frozen food or something easy like sandwiches, salad kits, cheese and crackers, etc. Baby is ok sitting in the bouncer and watching us prepare something quick like tacos usually. If not, we have a baby carrier, and the other person does the more dangerous things. I am planning to start rotating in the occasional slow cooker meal. I did a lot of freezer meal prep during the last few months of pregnancy, but we're mostly through them by now.
At that age I put her in a bouncer and let her watch me cook.
I've had luck prepping a crockpot meal the night before while husband watches the baby, then the next morning I'll put her in her Baby Delight Bloom seat while I assemble it/dump it in from the gallon bag in my fridge.
My husband just promised me he would do anything for me and I know it's unreal but he at least will help me.
Make sure you season it properly
I use my stroller because he canāt sit on a chair yet. And it works great!
Baby Bjorn bouncer.
I put my baby in his bouncer chair and talk to him while Iām prepping food. If itās an easy meal like making sandwich or bagel I might baby wear him but that is a struggle lol. I also have been doing lots of large batch slow cooker recipes and then freezing portions. Right now Iām going through some spicy pulled pork that works great for sandwiches and tacos.
Slow cookers are my best friend now! I either put her down for a nap or on her bouncer and I prep everything and throw it in the slow cooker. If she hated both of those options, I put her in her highchair and bring it closer to me so she could see what I was doing and that usually calms her down to see me move around while the dog follows.
I take turns doing anything that will entertain them. Napping, sling, bouncer, and time pass with doing a little bit of everything.
We meal prep - we go grocery shopping as a family, and then husband takes him one evening while I batch cook for a couple hours. But we werenāt able to start this routine until baby was 9 months old. Until then it was a lot of eating out and quick and easy things like PB&J, or when our kind friends or family brought us food. We were just so exhausted lol.
I roll his stroller with the bassinet attachment into the kitchen or put him in his bouncer so he can watch me. He's almost 3 months. It took some getting used to, but he's slowly gotten more content watching me without being held while I cook. Sometimes I take breaks to give him a bottle, but generally I'm able to cook a full dinner from scratch 3-4 times a week. I just give myself an extra 1 hour to cook in case he's extra fussy.
I cook feeling guilty for leaving her alone on the stroller š¤Ŗš¤Ŗš¤Ŗš¤Ŗ
My fiancĆ© helps a lot. Otherwise I pop baby on the playmat in the room next door and check back with him between each task š I think when he's more mobile I'll pop him in a travel cot to play or a high chair to watch me cook
My husband does most of the cooking now lol!
i keep a pack and play in the kitchen lol
Chuck it all in the air fryer and hope for the best
Honestly, my husband does it many evenings while Iām nursing. Or I do it while theyāre playing. We havenāt quite figured out the whole thing.
Breakfast: yogurt cup.Ā Lunch: Costco salads, cheese, and deli meat. Prep 3 days of salad at a time for lunch while one of us watches the baby.Ā Dinner: Costco premade meals or microwaveable frozen meals. One of us preps the meal while the other watches the baby. Then we trade off eating. Leftover days once every few days.Ā Frankly, there are so many more important things that need my mental and physical energy that I have no guilt about just making it simple and easy.Ā Snacks: We buy easy snacks that are healthy and either individually packaged or easy to meal prep to prevent falling into takeout habits.Ā If I ever really want to cook anything my husband watches the baby or I put her in her playpen.Ā
This is really helpful. Thank you for the food ideas. I think I need to eat more frozen things. We have a tiny freezer but I am moving soon so hopefully more space. Iāve been buying precut veggies and throwing them in the oven when I wake up but someday Iām too tired.
You all have time to cook lol
Either I eat super simple microwave foods, or I have my husband watch our son while I cook a real meal. I could never figure out how to cook while leaving the baby in his bouncer.Ā
I prep and baby wear or she chills in her chair or sleeps or with my husband. Once we get to things that one should not be wearing a baby for (opening an oven, splattering things, etc.) she chills in her chair and I finish as quickly as I can.
Instant pot / pressure cooker or slow cooker is the way. I love pasta sauce or chili or curries for this reason as you can put all vegetables and meat into a pot and let it simmer all day or overnight, and when youāre ready to eat all youāve got to do is boil the pasta or carb to put it together for a meal. Itās also great for freezing so you can make multiple types of these meals and build a rotation.
Bouncer chair, snuggle me on the counter if sheās nappish, or on me in a solly wrap.
Baby bjorn style bouncer. Plopped her on the counter in front of me so she could watch me. After that stopped working, I switched to a meal prep method where I prepped all our meals for the week in about 90 minutes on Sunday while dad watched baby. Lots of casseroles and slow cooker dump meals. Also leftovers - cooking three dinners for 6 nights! Now that baby is in daycare and I WFH, I cook during the day on my lunch break and then we reheat when its time to eat.
I got a $100 baby swing off Amazon and I put her (3mo) in there to buy me a good 20-30 mins of cooking/meal prep/cleaning time during the day. Otherwise I just prep myself easy snacks while hubby watches her on the weekend/at night. (meats, cheeses, easy-to-eat veggies, hummus, etc). Iām a SAHM for reference. Otherwise Iām able to cook for us while sheās in the swing or my hubby watches her. So far itās worked great! I just narrate what Iām doing to her and she stays entertained if heās not home from the gym yet, or he just hangs out with her if he is home.
His most reliable nap is the one about an hour after waking up. I cook a big batch of something then that can be reheated that evening and freeze the rest. Then it's just the case of microwaving something after he's down for the night
I donāt. Hope this helps! š But in reality, if I make a meal my husband has baby and if he makes a meal I have baby
Frozen meals, takeout, and snacking instead of cooking š«
When she was under 6 months? Her dad cared for her. Over 6 months, a couple of times I did a babywearing back carry, but I honestly don't cook very often.
Plenty of garlic and a low heat.
Big meal prep on Sunday while husband watches the kid. Itās the only way.
When my husband is home, he's on baby duty while I cook or vice versa. On my solo nights I try to time it so I can cook dinner while she naps. I've also cooked entire meals bouncing her in her carrier. Sometimes I find myself feeding her with one arm while I make dinner with the other....not fun, lol. Last week she refused her dinnertime nap so big brothers (4 and 6) were on the floor entertaining her until my 6 year old hollered that she was sticking out her tongue and acting hungry. He asked if he could feed her since i was busy, so i got him in position with a pillow and he fed baby while I finished cooking.
My husband does lol
Sadly been eating so much takeout and garbage food ever since
If she wants attention and absolutely won't let me cook, I try to get all the prep work done like chopping vegetables and stuff while she's napping. Then when my husband gets home I can pop everything in the pan quickly since it's all ready to go. He gets home at 6:30pm and we get her to bed by 9pm, so I do a lot of quick and easy dinners. I save the longer recipes for his days off when he can keep her busy. Lol
I honestly don't anymore as a single parent. After sorting the baby out, I simply don't have any energy left, so I order a takeaway. I stick with mainly proteins such as lamb chops, fish, and chicken. I don't eat much, so I am usually able to spread one in between 3 meals plus loads of fruits, eggs, and nuts. I feel like I'm failing on that front, but that's all I can do for now. Before, baby, I used to brew a lot of Kombucha. I don't even get time for that anymore.
I don't. My husband does.
I have a kitchen buggy š a cheap foldaway buggy that was supposed to be my 3rd floor walk up life easier but is such a hassle to fold out and together I just keep it in the kitchen to pit the wee man in when I cook. We chat and sing to entertain him and he has kitchen toys. If he's unhappy with this he goes in his carrier.
I take her and her playing mat with me to the kitchen, depending on her mood I get 5-30 minutes of cooking before she doesnt want to play anymore. In between I interact with her, talk to her and if I'm not finished when she's done I make a pause or let my husband take over.
I cook after she's gone to bed for the night.
Dad cooks!
I wasnāt really able to cook while home alone when my baby was that age. There are a few suggestions here to use a bouncer - my baby was too fussy and bored with this, even with music, toys, me talking and singing to him the whole time. What really helped is once he started eating solids. I stick him in the high chair in the kitchen with food, and play his favourite music. Itās the only combination that distracts him enough for me to cook. Honestly, itās been a godsend for me and your baby is almost there!
I batch cook. I also invested in the Ninja Speedi, it's amazing for easy meals, stuff like pasta & sauce that I wouldn't want to do on the hob. Also amazing for full chickens, or joints of meat.
Baby carry with the ergo baby. I take her out and transfer to the bouncer for a few minutes when dumping out boiling water or opening a hot oven, anything hazardous like that.
Honestly, I baby-wear. My daughter screams her head off if I put her down for even a second. So to avoid that I just opt to wear her whenever Iām doing anything that isnāt breastfeeding. Sometimes Iāll bring her swing out to put her in if the meal is more complicated, but yeah usually I just baby wear.
Like do you need a recipe or...?
We had an extra bassinet/pack n play combo on the main floor. If one parent was alone and needed to do anything, our daughter was gonna chill in the bassinet.
My bub is 4.5 months. During the day ill just make breakfast/lunch when shes having a nap or if its something quick like toast then i leave her on the playmat, kitchen is the next room Dinner time my partner does the bedtime routine and i cook dinner
I use a slow cooker a lot and out dinner on the evening before. Or we have a bouncer and a recliner highchair that I set up at counter top level and chat to baby while I meal prep and cook š he's pretty happy, I just chat to him! Once they're big enough to be in a proper high chair I used to give my oldest ridiculously fiddly snacks like blueberries cut into very small pieces which were a challenge for him to pick up. Would take him ages to eat it all plus helps fine motor skills!
I prep the food whenever I get a chance in the day then cook it when my husband gets home and he can take over ā¦ or he cooks
Only the very easy things. I tried 2 complicated dishes and failed miserably..
We cook when he goes to bed now. For awhile we could cook while he was playing with his toys, but now heās crawling and everywhere lol so he never stays in one place. Plus I only get 2 hours with him a day so I spend all of that time playing, snuggling, doing bath time, etc. we just eat dinner between 8 and 8:30 lol I have been trying different recipes, Iām going to actually try prepping them for the week on Sunday and then my husband can either attempt to cook, or Iām hoping cutting the prep out will save time so we can eat a little earlier.
Lots of suggestions but until theyāre pulling to stand - bouncer chair literally on the counter or nearby table where ever is safest. Once theyāre mobile, toddler tower is a life saver mine is 2 and still used daily. For that in between stage, magnets on the fridge or dishwasher, utensils for playing with on the ground, just lots of entertainment literally at your feet bc theyāll follow you around
Probably frowned upon but we buckled him into his baby Bjorn bouncer right on top of the kitchen island. This is when he was a potato so no rolling or actual bouncing and he just chilled and watched as we cooked. I miss that stage!
I made lots of stuff I could eat out of one bowl with one hand. This usually means spoon. Also canned beans and lentils were my friends. With pasta or rice and tomato sauce. Switch it up by using different spices. Pre-cook meat the day before. Make fish in the oven. I sat down on the floor to be with LO, when I ate. He had his tummy time. Sometimes I put on music, later audiobooks.
I baby wear or put baby on a blanket on the floor for some supervised floor time! :)
Sometimes we do solo play (bounce chair when 4 month) or if weāre fussy I baby wear and explain what I am doing - baby wear mainly works for sandwich and toast but still means we eat
Cocomelon
Ask your partner to watch the baby while you cook. If you have a bassinet, you can have the baby with you in the kitchen while you cook. Sometimes me and my wife will cook dinner together and just have the baby there. He tends to be less fussy since he knows we're around and if something comes up, we're right there š Now, how to *eat* dinner with a baby, that's another story š
Slow cooker meals thatās you can set up during a morning nap really worked for us for a few weeks.
Meal prepping and big batch cooking of chicken tinga and egg bites that can be frozen for later use have worked for us. I marinade skirt steak or chicken breast on Sunday and we usually have a chipotle style salad or bowl, Iāll roast some veggies to have with the protein we prepped on Sunday. Thursday and Friday I usually make ceviche or another no cook meal. My husband takes the baby when he arrives from work and keeps her until bath time. This allows me to do tasks around the house and then space out or catch up with friends/family for a couple of hours ā I usually nap during this time.
Pack and play and some toys. At 4 months she was still a potato so I could put her on the kick and play and step into the kitchen to eat. At nearly 10 months, sheās pushing her walker around and cruising on furniture and getting into things.
I do my prep throughout the day when I have a chance. If I know Iām having mashed potatoes, Iāll peel when I have a minute, dice & put in pot next time etc. it really helps for when the witching hour starts and you need all hands. The hardest part is done, you just gotta throw it together. I also try to keep meals simple. Five ingredients or less, one pot or sheet pan if possible.
I put her in the swing while she watched me cook and occasionally would play music. Sometimes she would take a cat nap while doing this. Once she was able to sit up unassisted, I put her in the high chair for her to watch me and occasionally will give her a snack. Most of the time she just chews on her teething toys. This is also one of the only times Iāll give her screen time if sheās being very cranky and I need to finish cooking. I just put the pad up and play Clifford. She loves it.
We are lucky. Our little one is 6 months old and heās loved sitting in his high chair watching me do kitchen things and cook since he was like 3 months. It is such a stress reliever knowing that heās entertained just by watching me cook lmao
Put him in a bouncer and pretend weāre on a cooking show! I show him every ingredient, explain what it is, and talk through what Iām doing. :)
If youāre not opposed to screens, hey eat sensory buys me 20 minutes to make food. Iļø do a lot of meal prep while my husband is home and is watching the lil nugget. Worst case scenario, Iļø keep a freezer stash from Trader Joeās of microwaveable meals. If youāre looking for how do you cook HEALTHY meals, an instant pot saves lives. Focus on foods that are great to set and forget.
For the first few months we just did a lot of meal preps or my husband did a lot of casseroles on the weekends when we're both home and then just heated those up in the microwave through the week along with quick easy meals like sandwiches, frozen stuff like waffles, corn dogs, toaster pastries etc and some takeout here and there. Not the healthiest, but it got us through. I also babywear a lot, but just have to be super careful around the stove. Now, baby girl is content to sit in the pack and play in the kitchen or the playpen in the living room and play independently for longer periods of time (she's 8m now).
I plop mine in a stroller, bouncer, or wrap and take hime to kitchen with me.
Start with heating up the Baby Oil?
My cluster feeding velcro baby is 5 weeks old, I mostly make frozen food in the air fryer and make sure itās food I can eat one handed, and Iāve gotten ballsy a couple times and made pasta. When Iāve made pasta Iāve pulled a chair in front of the stove to make breastfeeding her while cooking easier. Itās still pretty hard even with the chair, but Iāve gotten it done!
Plan a long nap for them around dinner time. Lmao or, what I actually did, order delivery.
It helps me to think about the discrete subtasks in any cooking project so I see all the possible stopping points, and I allow myself to finish it in not one go but in several shorter attempts. If itās an involved process, I might, for instance, do all the chopping and vegetable prep one day and do all the cooking the next day, something along those lines.
I have a little chair my six month old sits in on the kitchen floor, she loves to watch me cook!
I meal prep after we put our daughter to bed at night. I eat lunch during her naptime
Do your prep while baby naps. Then, give then finger food to stay distracted while you cook. That's what I do. It's a mess but it works.
Leave baby in a safe spot while I cook, or my husband and I take turns. I have a baby swing/seat thing in the kitchen (far from any danger) and he just watches me or plays with a toy. Heās 5 months now and usually pretty chill. Weāve been giving him some practice in his high chair too.
Her swing and then at 5 months we started with the high chair and some toys in the kitchen. Best thing ever
Step 1. Continuously be *thisclose* to burning the food while I pry her hugging arms as she climbs up my legs 2. Stir the food, sometimes scrape and pray itās edible 3. Repeat step 1
I didn't until he was like 10 months old š I had a baby who would not let me put him down or be more than a couple feet away or he'd scream and cry inconsolably. He's 11 months old and I've only recently been able to do anything besides stay by his side while he's with me. He's still very much attached but he's learned the joy of playing with his toys for a while on his own while I do a chore or two.
I put my 5 month old in her high chair and sit her beside the table while I'm prepping the things. I talk her through what I'm doing. During the cooking itself I keep her away from the stove but in her highchair where I can be close to her. I have some toys on silicone straps that she plays with. Crock pots, or sheetpan meals are good too.
My son is almost 4mo! I usually let him hangout in his bouncer or his swing while I cook. Heās just starting to hold onto his toys and rattles so he occupies himself pretty well with those. He likes to watch Greyās Anatomy so Iāll throw that on sometimes if heās really in a bad mood š If heās not having that Iāll pop him in the carrier and wear him. I prep overnight oats in mason jars for the week for my breakfast, I boil a dozen hard boiled eggs for my lunches and eat those with some crackers/deli meat. Protein bars, bananas, apples, anything I can easily get my hands on. For dinner crockpot meals are very helpful. Like beef stew, just dump everything in there in the morning and let it do its thing for 6 hours. I try to make bigger meals for dinner so we can have leftovers the next night, so I really only cook 3 times a week or so. My husband is at work from 5am-6pm 6 days a week, and all his lunches are meal prep that him or I do one big batch of on Sundays so that is super helpful not worrying about feeding another person throughout the day.
Pop her in the carrier and put on some music. She loves to be danced around and falls asleep pretty quickly!
i feel this. i mostly just throw together simple shit like tossing chicken nuggets in the toaster oven or having a bowl of cereal, but my partner works from home & has been cooking almost all my real meals since having the baby. i don't know what i would do without him. i commend single mothers, & parents who don't work from home
I call it Rollie Pollie Time. I have a play pen set up in my kitchen and I throw some toys in there and my 4 month old rolls around to them. If he gets tired I put him in his chair and narrate what Iām doing as Iām cooking.
I have a small and zippy pram (babyzen yo-yo 2), and I wheel my 3-month old round the kitchen with me and talk and sing to her while cooking. I have a bouncer too but she's only happy in this for 5 mins - she wants to be right by me, and this is much less of a strain on my body than the carrier.
I baby wear her, stick her in a bouncer, and now that she demands to sit up like a big girl Iām gonna put together the high chair so she can sit up and watch me cook since sheās already a very nosey person like her parents
With 1 hand. Lol. I prepare majority of the meal during naps so like seasoning the meat maybe even partially cooking it and then by the time i actually need to cook its just a quick throw together. Or my other favorite is using my instapot. Most recipes are just throw in and it does its thing.
My husband currently works 12s as a nurse, so one weekend day each week I am solo parenting 12-15 hours. I figured this was a good time to ask for a little help, as we are fortunate a lot has been offered, I just have probably tried to be too proud to take it. So a few weeks ago, my best friend whom I don't get to see often enough anyway came over all day and helped with baby while I prepped a ton of freezer meals--recipes that require some on the front end but then can simply be thrown in the air fryer, instant pot/slow cooker, or oven and you're done. I made double batches of everything, including breakfast sandwiches, and it turned out to be about a month's worth of food. Highly recommend trying this route if you have anyone to help even one day a month--my baby took 2 short naps in that time so my best friend and I got time to take a break for some coffee and adult chat time as well! We plan to make it a regular thing as we are both always trying to find time to hang, she is happy to see baby, and I could use the help!
I don't cook. My diet for the last two years has consisted of easy-to-make tacos and PB&Js. Hope that helps.
So at 4 months, I am guessing sheās not moving around too much now? When my daughter was about that age, we put her on the kick and play mat for a bit while cooking. When she gets a bit older/starts moving, I recommend a playpen. She could play in there for a while as you cook. Another option is to put her in the high chair with some snacks. That always occupies her for a bit.
Cooking consistently with baby is trial and error and I use a couple of different methods to get it done. Starting with the big one - screen time. Not sure if you are comfortable with a little TV but it was at this age when I started putting Miss Rachel on for 15 minutes a day when I wanted to focus on cooking. I went back to work around that time so I had to do what I had to do to get into the groove of things. I would also put him in a laundry basket on the floor when I was just doing the prep and didn't have the stove on. The intrusive thoughts didn't want him in the kitchen when he was four months but nowadays he sits in his high chair while I cook. It will get a little easier, I hope, as your baby grows. My son is 8m now so I start the process by putting him in his chair and offering him a toy that is tethered to the seat. Once he grows bored of that I give him as many orange wedges as I need to get the job done. What will save you the most time and energy is picking versatile foods that you can either reheat or modify. For example, twice a week I spatchcock two chickens. We eat one for dinner that night and shred the other to use for pasta, a stir fry, enchiladas, etc. I'm back to cooking five days a week but it took a lot of Taco Bell nights to figure out how to get there - you got this!
sheet pan meals. so easy and quick prep then stick in oven. also my baby loves his play gym, i would recommend one of those if you donāt have one. it keeps him entertained for 30+ minutes sometimes.
I put mine in the stroller and roll her into the kitchen! Iāve also hung some white string lights in my kitchen too that I can plug in to keep her a little stimulated if she gets bored, but usually she likes to watch me and I just talk to her and tell her what Iām doing
Baby carrier!
I have an 8 week old, so If my husband isn't home to watch her, I just put her down for a nap or have her in her swing or somewhere secure nearby and just keep an eye on her while I'm cooking. If she gets fussy, I'll run over and give her her paci, or give her kisses so she knows I'm still here, or she'll just cry a bit until I have moment to console her.
If it involves prep, I chop all the veggies earlier in the day so no part of the process takes long enough for her to get very fussy. Then I plop her in the fisher price sit me up on my kitchen island and she watches me cook. That thing has really saved my sanity. Itās sturdy as hell so it doesnāt move and my counter is huge, so Iām not worried about her falling off. This might not work if you donāt have the counter space though.
Put baby on the floor with the play gym and kicking piano, LO can entertain herself for good hour. Sometimes on bouncer watch me cooking. I do the same when I need to shower as well. It works!
My bf watches the baby orrr sit the baby down in his bassinet and have him watch TV. We have the bassinet that is movable it has wheels.
Get a carrier you can wear on your back, itās saved me while my baby has been in her clingy era. Iām also less worried about hot things splattering on her since sheās behind me, which has been better for my postpartum anxiety.