You Can Work Full Time & Still Do BLW

When my daughter was born and until she was 8 months old I was still working in my former job position, with a very structured 9-6 time frame, some nights working until 7, and not much flexibility when it came to time/hour adjustments. I was working from home due to the pandemic, but it still took up a lot of my time, as a job usually does, right? 

As we neared the 6 month mark I was getting more and more nervous about starting solids because I was worried about so much. 

I had seen so many things about starting BLW for lunch, not dinner, and here I was going to have to do it at dinner. I had a large sense of overwhelm with how on earth I was going to make all this food while working the hours I was working, plus caring for her, plus keeping my house clean, plus taking care of myself! I was nervous about knowing what I was going to give her when. I was afraid of doing it wrong. I was doubting myself. 

Then I realized that our version of BLW wasn’t wrong, it was our journey. Our BLW experience. We wouldn’t be doing it wrong, just different from some other examples I’d seen on social media. 

Our daughter is healthy, full of energy, growing and gaining weight, and we’ve done this all through BLW. We haven’t needed to buy any store-bought baby food. We reached 100 foods by 11 months! Our journey hasn’t been perfect, but it’s been successful! 

So how did we do BLW with two full-time working parents? 

Let me tell you, it’s hasn’t always been easy, but we’re a success story that’s walking through it. 

·      Have a plan. Map out what you want to do, whether you do it by week, month, or 6 months! Going in with a roadmap sets you up for success so you don’t find yourself cluelessly fumbling through.

·      Work with a coach/find a training! I may be a dietitian specializing in helping people to eat on the daily, but I wanted to brush up on my skills and rebuild my confidence since I was feeling overwhelmed. Completing an online training is one of the things that made me realize I want to help all of you!! Coaches can help you through the basics, the roadblocks, the triumphs, and the troubles and I 100% recommend it.

·      Be best friends with your freezer. While it’s great to have baby eat what you eat, it may not happen with every meal, and this is perfectly okay. Batch cooking foods and freezing for easier prep later on is a great skill when planning out baby’s meals.

·      Give yourself grace. I say this all the time, but I’m going to say it again. This journey isn’t perfect and neither are you. There are going to be days when you work late and don’t have time to prepare the fancy recipe you had planned. In a pinch, we always keep unsweetened applesauce pouches and Puffworks puffs on hand. Carb and protein. Boom. It’s not a perfect meal but it works. 

·      Enjoy the process. Remember that you aren’t doing this for the pictures for Instagram (although those are fun extras). You are doing this because you want your baby to grow into a happy little eater, right?? If a food gets thrown on the floor, it’s okay. If crying and gagging happens, it’s okay. If you make changes, it’s okay. 

If you’re ready to take this journey to the next level but aren’t sure where to start, check out my free masterclass ! I promise you it’ll give you some ideas for success.