A good friend of mine recently gave birth to her first
little munchkin. One day when we were chatting, she asked, “How are you able to
make dinner and Shabbos with a baby?”.
She then continued to vent about how whenever her hands are deep in
chopped meat, her baby starts to wail or has a dirty diaper or just needs her.
Personally, I love giving advice, especially when I’m
experienced in the area. Once I started talking on this topic, I could not
stop. I never realized how passionate I am in the area cooking and baking with
babies!
Now, let’s do a quick recap. I have two little ones that are
20 months apart. My daughter is 2 and my son is 8 months. This qualifies me as
somewhat competent to give advice in this area!
I’m going to write my precious words of advice in list form:
#1- Aim to do your
cooking when your kids are out
I try to plan out my cooking and baking times very
strategically. I will never cook or bake anything that requires more than one
or two steps while my daughter is home from gan (playgroup). For example, I
will make macaroni, heat up french fries, or fry an egg, but I will not bake a
cake, make breaded chicken cutlets, or put together lasagna. I really should
apply the same rule to my son, but since we spend the whole day together, it’s
a bit tougher. I do try and do the bulk of my cooking during his unpredictable
nap times though.
It seems rough and restricting, but honestly, if I would try
to do stuff in the kitchen with her around I would just end up getting
frustrated with her and making a mess!
#2- Always be
prepared
I am not a super organized person, at all, but what I could
say is that I have learned the value of being organized and prepared!
In the beginning of my marriage, I used to save all my
cooking for Friday. Everything! Then when I started to work, I started my
cooking on Wednesdays. I still start my cooking on Wednesdays. Some people may
think it’s funny, but to me, it’s reassuring that I am a quarter of the way
there. By Thursday night, I try to be at least 80% ready for Shabbos. Friday is
always a crazy day. There are always things to do, besides for cooking….like
cleaning, just for example!
