I'm getting it all wrong

[IsThisYourSanderling]

DS is 7 months and a bit, eats well now after a slow start (by 'well' I mean he's keen and tries things, enjoys food etc). But I'm really struggling to find time to cook for him, and timing it so he's not too hungry for milk, but not too full of milk, not too tired etc. He gets tired and needs to go to bed very early and always has (goes between the five and six), which means I can't cook dinner ever. DH cooks it and u eat at great speed, but we do t have time to cook proper food that DS could eat with us (DH is a not brilliant cook and is limited to pasta and stir fries).

I'm also stumped for what food to take out with us, so DS ends up eating bits of our meals when out, which are probably way too salty

I'm relying on pouches and never wanted it to be like this! The range is so limited too as we're vegetarian. I'm so stuck with it all - I knew timing would be a. Issue and it is. HOW do you cook for a baby while looking after said baby (who only naps on you / while wrapped in sling)?

I don't. I occasionally boil veggies, but mostly it's bits from our plates, raw fruit/ veg, bread and nut butters and... pouches! Nothing wrong with an organic pouch :)

Cook well for yourselves (no salt, no sauce mixes), and keep a couple of portions back for him. His dinner today was your dinner yesterday.
Things to keep in the fridge for instant snacks for him: Tinned fruit in juice, cooked pasta, baby bread sticks, cheese fingers, hard boiled eggs, bread and butter, toast, cherry tomatoes and grapes ready cut up...

A baby dinner can be a few bits of the above in a bowl for him to mouth on. A few spoons of yesterday's dinner. A little porridge and fruit.

Don't beat yourself up, he will eat! My friend's DS was weaned on anabel karmel recipies, but grew up to hate fruit and veg and be really picky. Don't fret- he'll be fine!

Google Baby Led Weaning OP. It's just a posh name for eating what you eat. I don't even bother pureeing it.

Food is fun before 1 - babies still get most of their nutrients from milk.

Both of mine have done BLW and they eat a varied diet and have no food issues, apart from a recent fussy phase from DS1, which I ignored he's 4, it's par for the course

I know what you mean OP. We tend to have a few staples that we go back to a lot - plain steamed veg sticks, apples stewed in the microwave, softer fruit just cut up, toast or bagel with easy toppings, breadsticks, rice cakes, yoghurt, potato/sweet potato wedges, leftovers from last night's (adult) dinner when appropriate. Weaning has been slow for us, partly I think because of the difficulties timing meals in relation to milk feeds and naps like you mention. A lot of the time she's just not in the mood. Doesn't help that when I do find time to cook stuff specifically for her it always ends up tasting crap and she doesn't go for it!

I stumbled on a blinder yesterday though. After moaning about my lack of meal time imagination to my DH he went looking for BLW recipes and made a few batches of things that are freezable. She loved them, he loved watching her gobble them and now I have a load of good stuff in the freezer I can just whip out and defrost/ refresh a bit in the oven. Do you have a potentially willing partner?

Oh sorry I should've read your OP better. Maybe not then. Could he take the wee one for long enough for you to do some batch cooking. I sympathise with the sling napping.

Thanks everyone, really helpful. Those practical suggestions are brilliant popcorn - they seem so obvious when written down! Will stock up.

seeingdots It's tough, isn't it? Though I'm thankful for small mercies- he does like to eat now and I'm no longer terrified of him choking, unlike a month ago. I've been looking up some recipes during this very handy bed-nap he's having beside me. Have forwarded to DH to study as well. Together we will somehow muddle through. I think because we've always eaten out so much as a couple, and DH is a bit picky, and we're both vegan (tho weaning vegetarian), I just completely forgot what sort of food children eat and how simple much of it is (like, beans on toast etc). Prechopped veggies are a godsend (sweet potato and squash especially), because time is so precious. But I've just set up a local farm veg delivery (because can't always get to Tesco and can never get online to do it that way), so I'm now having visions of washing muddy potatoes all morning

dont' forget that "eating with him" at this age can be him having dinner and you sitting down with a cup of tea and being at the table with him. You don't have to eat your dinner at 5pm too

I might be repeating what others have said - or stating the obvious! - and am also struggling with getting timings right, but anyway!

We are going the puree route for now at least (DS was 6 weeks prem so I was too scared to try BLW).

I try to find an hour or so at the weekend - when my husband can take him - to make a recipe or two from the Annabel Karmel book, then freeze it in ice cube trays.

Once frozen, pop the cubes into freezer bags (labelled!) to free up your trays for when you next get a chance to cook.

I find it's a bit tricky to get timings right re. defrosting, heating, then cooling the food before he gets irritable - but we're getting there!

Oh and I also use pouches for variety or when I have run out of food and don't have time to cook more. Honestly, don't worry about it!

Incidentally, our DS doesn't like the meat pouches so I just use the veggie ones. There are loads of Ella's veggie pouches you can order on their website or Ocado but that you may not see in the shops.

Asda tends to have a good selection of veggie friendly pouches. Ella's Kitchen, piccolo and Hipp Organic.

I totally agree OP, I find it hard enough with DS being dairy free, can't imagine how hard it would be if he was also veggie! A friend said to me that pouches nowadays are no 'worse' nutritionally than homemade food that you've frozen, so really don't beat yourself up about it! I've found the Babease pouches are a massive fave with DS (despite the fact that they generally look like brown mush he loves them!).

We just sort of cobble through, he eats our leftovers the next day where it's suitable, lots of finger foods as posters above have suggested, and then pouches when we're due a big shop or I've run out of ideas/time/energy. In terms of milk feeds, at this age I would stick with a milk feed first, then offer solids maybe 30 mins to an hour after, if possible. It's such a juggling act but you'll find your way, and it gets easier as they go longer between milk feeds.

Really late to the party here, but I really suggest you try Babease. Crap packaging but they're actually really good. I think most other pouches are full of water and apple juice to bulk it out.
We had Babease at a shower and were surprised by how umm, like a normal meal it was. It tasted like a bland version of a home cooked meal, not acidic baby food rubbish. So don't feel bad about the odd pouch, we all rely on them :)

You sound like me! I'm back at work now too - DS was in nursery full time from 5 months - so the timings are even trickier. Thankfully the nursery have been really good and much more organized than me!

I wish I had advice but I don't really. I suppose this stage is bound to be a bit messy as we're kind of in limbo.