Easy Snacks for New Parents

In the early days with a baby, your days revolve around their eating.  When did they last eat? When will they need to eat again? Monitoring their hunger cues. Assessing their latch. Are they getting enough? Not to mention, the actual feedings may take 30+ minutes and lots of maneuvering, pillows, and help to get set up and stay comfortable. 

While managing someone so utterly dependent on you, it is easy to put your own needs aside. But you are a human, and you also need to eat! If you are breastfeeding, you need about 500 additional calories per day to support the extra work your body is doing. 

Unless you have a live-in chef, it is really hard to eat well when you are taking care of a baby. You may find yourself grazing all day, or grabbing a bag of chips or a granola bar and then feeling hungry again 30 minutes later. Chips are great (I love chips!), but you deserve, and need, real food.

Here are some ideas for filling, nutrient-dense snacks for new parents. None require the stove. All take less than 5 minutes to prepare. All include a combination of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, which will help you feel full and satisfied. Most can be eaten, or even prepared (!) one-handed.

10 Easy, Filling Snacks for New Parents 

1. Microwave Egg Sandwich. Use a mug to microwave the egg. It sounds weird, I know. But it is so so easy and quick, and there is no risk of forgetting that you left the stove on while you dealt with a diaper blow-out!

2. Full-fat greek yogurt and granola

3. Oatmeal. I love this fool-proof, flexible recipe, but instant oatmeal will also do the trick! I like to add lots of toppings--nuts, berries, a scoop of coconut oil.

4. Crackers, cheese, and fruit--have your partner cut up a bunch at the beginning of the week, or buy pre-sliced cheese! (it’s temporary! It’s OK!)

5. Avocado toast with drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt or Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel Seasoning

6. Veggies and/or crackers with hummus

7. Caprese salad. Perfect for summer! It sounds fancy but it’s really just: Fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil, drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange on your plate. Enjoy.

8. Toast with nut butter, banana, and honey

9. Burrito, Premade or cooked by someone else. There are some great options in the freezer case of most grocery stores, or you can ask someone to make a large batch for you and individually wrap each burrito in foil. Pop in your fridge or freezer and eat as needed!

10. Trail mix. Must contain chocolate. Buy or make a large batch and keep it next to the seat you use most often for feeding your baby.

Now I’m hungry! Enjoy!