10 One Handed Meals For Baby Trapped Parents

Sally Bunkham - 5 Jun 17

OK, so hands up how many of you have plopped bits of your lunch on your baby’s head while trying to eat? It happens. It happened to me a lot during the first few months of parenting. Those babies do NOT like being put down do they? So you end up doing everything one handed or whilst they’re in a sling, in a slightly awkward manner. Everything from cleaning, going to the loo (sorry, too much info), emailing, facebooking, preparing food and of course eating. I remember joking with some of my NCT gang when we first met up with our new babies that one handed cafes should exist, where they only serve food that can be eaten with one fork! Well, they still don’t seem to have taken the market by storm, so instead I am going to try and help with my top 10 meals to eat when you are trapped under a sleeping baby. Here goes…

1. The most obvious but still one of the best…..the humble sandwich. After all, it was invented by The Earl of Sandwich so that he could eat without stopping his important game of cards! Cards/babies….same difference, right? Sandwiches are very handy to eat one handed but the right type of filling is vital. For example, un-melted grated cheese is an absolute no no. I’d go as far as to say a disaster! Far better is something more sturdy to stay in the bread like ham, pickle and sliced cheese. If you can manage it, a toastie is the holy grail. Seal that bad boy shut for minimum filling spillage!
2. Pasta & Pesto. Super fast to make, filling, tasty, easy to eat. Ticks all the boxes. The type of pasta involved, however, is crucial. Tagiatelle, Spaghetti and linguini….just say no. What you’re after is Penne, Farfelle or Rigatone. Much easier to pick up with a spoon or fork and deliver to cake hole.
3. A greek mezze. Chop up some pitta bread, plonk on some olives, a dollop of humous, some ham/salami if you are that way inclined, some falafals, perhaps a few crudités of carrots and cucumber, and bobs your uncle, a one handed feast!
4. Pizza. If you ever needed an excuse to eat pizza, now is the time. Just the perfect meal to eat when cradling your pride and joy. No cutlery even required! Just one hand. Sublime.
5. Sushi! Especially sushi rolls, sashimi and Tamaki. A yummy, healthy and nutritious snack. Just make sure you distribute the wasabi, ginger and soy well before hand so it’s all ready to go. I find fingers are the best way to eat this while baby trapped, unless you are a super whizz at the chopsticks of course!
6. A great big burrito. This one can work like a dream, as long as it’s prepared correctly. Too much guacamole or sour cream and it could be too messy.  The burrito will also need to be wrapped to perfection to ensure security of filling. Make sure you have plenty of serviettes (or wet wipes, we always have hundreds of wet wipes these days, don’t we?!) and a drink handy before you tuck in, just in case it gets messy or the burrito is a spicy little number!
7. Risotto. Filling and satisfying, and very easy to eat with just 1 spoon. It can be fattened up with the addition of lots of gooey cheese (if it’s been one of THOSE days)  or healthed up with the addition of lots of veg.
8. The beautiful and delicious Cornish Pasty. Exhausted from a very broken night with the baby? Need something hearty, warm, carby and filling? Then the pasty is your friend and will hit the spot like no other.
9. Monster mash. This was a beauty I created during the early months, and was a particular hit with the other half. It’s basically bangers n mash but slightly adapted. Once the bangers are cooked ensure they are cut up and mixed a little with the mash, gravy and a few peas. Mash is a great food to stick other food to. A real helper when you have a distance to make between fork/hand over sleeping baby to your mouth.
10. Well, being the founder of mumsback.com, of course I’m going to say this! But really, is there anything more satisfying than eating some of those yummy foods you weren’t allowed while pregnant now that you are free from the abstinence? For me it was all about getting in that pate and unpasteurised cheese, whacking it on some crackers with a nice bit of chutney, and washing it down with some nice vino. Come on, you’ve earned it!

To treat yourself to a hamper containing exactly this (or send the link with a great big hint to a family member or friend) go to mumsback.com, where you’ll find delightful gift hampers for new mums, with a current launch offer to boot (currently UK only). Purchasing one also means doing something marvellous for charity, as £1 from every hamper goes to PANDAS Foundation, who support families going through perinatal mental health issues. To check out more of my blogs, go to mumsback.com/blog

Sally Bunkham

Founder of mumsback.com and mum to 2 lovely daughters, born 1 year apart. Daisy is nearly 3 & Ruby is nearly2. Sleep thief survivor! PND warrior. Passionate about raising money to help families with perinatal mental health issues. I also love wine, chocolate and occasionally running. I flit between Stamford, Lincs & good old Sussex by the sea, Brighton.

View profile for posts, events and more info