Food glorious food… why is it all orange?

Sarah Lloyd - 21 Jul 16

One of the hardest things about having babies is the feeding element – yes I know babies need food – but you get so completely obsessed with it, in it fact becomes a massive head f**k regardless if it’s your first or second.

From day one you worry if they are getting enough of your milk, or if they are overfeedi

ng. Whether you are doing it right, judging from the shape of my nipples (I wasn’t). If you switch to formula will I be judged (no but you feel like you are) and are they getting enough? She took 30oz yesterday, why did she only take 12oz today? Maternity leave was just one constant stress about feeding for me.

So, now my youngest is weaning. Good times. And another minefield. Though, I am currently thankful she is a little more of a tidier eater than big sis. To say she wore most of her food was an understatement – in fact she still does – my gorgeous little grub. When I was going through the clothes I had lovingly put away ready for number 2 – I realized something – that we had no clothes for the 6- 9 month period of her life, because they had all been ruined by carrot sticks, puree, explosive shits, half chewed toast and inflated raisins (gag!).

This time round, Bubba 2 actually started trying to grab my food off my plate at 3 months old… Whereas, my eldest showed no interest whatsoever until around 5 months.

As you do with your first*, I was trying very hard to do it right, channeling earth mother vibes and ensuring that everything  was ‘natural’ – no nasty sugar or crap for my little princess, though if you caught the papers lately apparently home cooked isn’t good enough anymore (!) go figure. I spent hours in the kitchen with a blender in one hand and an Annabel Karmel recipe book in the other making up amazing pots of orange coloured goop to be freezed in ice cube trays. I spent ages defrosting, warming to the right amount and then then attempting to spoon it into a firmly closed mouth or cleaning it off the kitchen walls, floor and often my face (thanks darling).

This time… I have done away with all of that, its pouches, packets and dissolving sticks and biscuits all the way. I beat myself up over this for about 2 minutes (no time anymore) shelved my guilt and then comforted myself with the fact that she is putting on weight, and having the odd home cooked meal at nursery or her grandparents. This time I just don’t have the time to even get the blender out the garage (where we put it after we moved a year ago), as I would much prefer to spend time with my kids – than wiping up a floor feast.

So, I guess whilst every child is different, that means it’s totally ok to do something different for each child. And whether you cook up your own delights or you cheat and use Ellas Kitchen (thanks Ella), I am sure that as long as you make sure your little darling is eating something and you keep it relatively healthy then you are on the right track!

One thing I have to ask though… why is everything bloody orange?

*generalizing based on my circle of friends who all did the same/similar to me

Sarah Lloyd

I am a corporate communications professional who has been in the business for over 17 years (gulp). Nearly 3 years ago I embarked on the hardest job of my life, becoming mummy to Lucy, and as it couldn't have been all bad, more recently Amy.

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