Masterchef Mommy

Written by Bethany Dempsey for her Facebook blog, BD Blogs!

It begins at weaning. We start to question what’s best… purée? Baby led?

We start obsessing over salt intake, Ella’s Kitchen becomes a big household name – ORGANIC, ORGANIC, ORGANIC!

And it begins so well, doesn’t it? They gobble down your vegetable muffins that you’ve baked especially, they eat a generous portion of your freshly cooked spaghetti bolognaise, and wash it all down with a fruit-infused water. Marvelous. You’re basically Nigella Lawson!

But they’re giving you a false sense of security ladies… honestly!

What happens when it goes tits up? (I’m looking at around the one year mark).

Let me tell you… You cook… You slave… You work harder. More meal ideas, more meal planning… Freezing, bulk cooking… and… They throw it on the friggin’ floor.

*que aeroplane noises and momma with a wide open ‘ahhhh’ mouth*

You try the next portion; something different, a little sweeter (in a totally organic and not-sugary kind of way)… For it to be spat all over the highchair tray.

“Perhaps it’s this meal”, you think, “they mustn’t like it. I know: I’ll go for the GO TO meal… Cheese and potato pie. Because, for sure, after a night of little food he’s gonna fancy a massive portion of that mashed potato cheesy goodness!”

WRONG! Suddenly, everything has changed. Food has changed. You get a little desperate… You try a handful of those naughty high in salt Wotsits. They gobble them. Result. Maybe a slice of toast? And again… Shovelled in like they’ve never eaten.

This is it ladies; this is your life for the next best-part of six months!

What I’m trying to say is, if your baby – like mine – is going through a fussy phase… Don’t stress, it’s normal!

If you’re giving cereal for tea, or you’re only managing to get two bites of real tea in, before filling them up on yoghurt, or a banana, or basically anything that wouldn’t count as a “proper tea”… Don’t beat yourself up!

Stock up on Weetabix, crumpets, Wotsits… And enjoy your time off from being “Masterchef Mommy”!
Soon enough they’ll be back to eating you out of house and home, I’m sure.